Taking and sharing photos is one of the great joys of the digital age. With just a few taps on your smartphone, you can snap photos of special moments and share them instantly with friends and family. However, it’s not uncommon to end up with less-than-perfect shots due to poor lighting, red-eye, closed eyes, or other common photography mistakes.
Luckily, there are many easy-to-use online photo editing tools that allow you to correct and improve your photos. With the right editor, you can crop, rotate, adjust lighting and colors, remove redeye, whiten teeth, smooth skin, sharpen details, insert text or graphics, and more. Best of all, most online photo editors are completely free or very affordable.
Benefits of Online Photo Editors
Here are some of the key benefits of using an online photo editor:
- Accessibility – Online editors allow you to edit photos anywhere, anytime, as long as you have an internet connection. No need to download or install software.
- Ease of use – Most online editors have an intuitive interface and automatic editing options, so you don’t need prior photo editing experience.
- Variety of tools – Online editors provide all essential image correction tools, as well as fun filters and effects.
- Affordability – Many great online photo editors are completely free, while premium options are very budget-friendly.
- Collaboration – Some editors make it easy to share images and collaborate on edits with others.
- Storage – Online editors provide cloud storage so you can access your photos from any device.
How to Choose an Online Photo Editor
With the many online photo editors available, how do you choose the right one for your needs? Here are some key factors to consider:
- Device compatibility – Make sure the editor has apps for all your devices – desktop, iOS, Android, etc.
- Automatic editing options – Look for editors like InShot, Canva and Adobe Express that have auto enhance/fix features.
- Manual adjustment tools – Seek editors like Pixlr, GIMP and Photopea that allow detailed manual editing.
- Special effects – Choose an editor like Ribbet or Fotor if you want lots of filters and effects.
- User interface – Pick an intuitive editor like BeFunky that makes it easy to navigateediting tools.
- Learning resources – For beginners, editors like PicMonkey offer built-in tutorials and tips.
- Output options – Ensure the editor allows you to download/share your edits in desired formats.
- Cost – Decide if you want a free basic editor or premium editor like Pixelmator and pay for upgrades.
Top 10 Online Photo Editors
Based on the above criteria – usability, tool range, speed, output quality and cost – here are 10 of the best online photo editors available today:
| Editor | Key Features | Free vs. Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Pixlr | Powerful editing tools, easy collages, vector graphic support, mobile apps | Free version with paid upgrade options |
| Photopea | Advanced tools like Photoshop, layers support, expansive file format compatibility | Free |
| GIMP | Top open-source photo editor, huge array of advanced tools, plugins extend functionality | Free |
| PicMonkey | Intuitive interface, great templates and design options, premium overlays and graphics | Free trial then paid subscription |
| Canva | Simple drag-and-drop online design program, customizable templates for social media and print projects | Free basic version, paid upgrades |
| InShot | User-friendly mobile editing app, handy video editing tools as well | Free with optional subscription for more tools |
| Fotor | AI-powered auto enhancement, HDR effects, batch editing, collage and design creator | Free and paid versions |
| Adobe Express | Quick auto fixes, sophisticated manual adjustments, integrated with other Adobe apps | Limited free version, full access starts at $9.99/month |
| BeFunky | Easy-to-use platform, creative effects with one click, flexible editing features | Free basic editor, paid monthly subscriptions for more capabilities |
| Pixelmator | Full-featured image editing tools for Mac & iOS, nondestructive editing, machine learning features | Paid app starting at $4.99, up to $39.99 depending on version |
Top Photo Correction Tools
Now that you’ve chosen a powerful online photo editor, let’s explore some of the most useful tools for correcting common photo flaws:
Cropping
Cropping removes unwanted areas around the edges to hone in on the best part of the image. It allows you to change the shape and size of the photo.
Rotating
Rotation turns a photo clockwise or counterclockwise to fix a tilted horizon or upside-down image.
Brightness/contrast
Adjusting brightness lightens or darkens an image. Contrast controls the difference between light and dark areas. Use these settings to compensate for washed out or underexposed photos.
Color balance
Alters the amount of red, green and blue tones to address color cast issues and improve the overall hue and saturation.
Exposure
Increasing exposure brightens shadows to reveal more details in dark, underexposed shots. Lowering exposure has the opposite effect.
Highlights/shadows
Boost highlights to recover blown out areas. Raising shadows reveals more details in dark regions. Great for high contrast lighting issues.
Whites/blacks
Whites makes the lightest areas of a photo even lighter. Blacks darkens the darkest pixels. Use to sharpen contrast.
Temperature
Adjusting temperature filters makes the image warmer (more yellow) or cooler (bluer). Fixes unsightly color casts from bad lighting.
Tint
Shifts hues between green and magenta to address any remaining color casts, usually after adjusting temperature.
Sharpen
Sharpen enhances edges to make details crisper. Can correct slightly blurry photos.
Noise reduction
Minimizes graininess and speckles to smooth out imperfections. Improves photos taken in low light.
Red eye removal
Eliminates glowing red pupils caused by a camera flash reflecting off the retina.
Spot healing
Removes small imperfections like dust, blemishes and scratches by blending over the area with surrounding pixels.
Before and After Photo Correction Examples
Seeing image corrections in action helps illustrate the dramatic improvements possible with online photo editing. Here are some before and after examples:
Overexposed photo
Before: Parts of the image are too bright, details are lost in highlights.
After: Adjusting exposure, highlights and contrast brings back details and color.
Underexposed photo
Before: Shadows are too dark, hard to see details.
After: Raising exposure and shadows reveals more details especially in dim areas.
Poor white balance
Before: Harsh lighting adds yellow/orange cast.
After: Auto color correction neutralizes cast. Adjusting temperature and tint fine tunes color.
Redeye removal
Before: Red glow in eyes from camera flash.
After: Red eye tool eliminates glow, restores natural eye color.
Skin smoothing
Before: Blemishes and wrinkles on face.
After: Subtle blurring minimizes spots and lines for natural looking smooth skin.
Distracting element removal
Before: Pole seems to be growing out of head.
After: Healing tool removes pole by matching surrounding tones and textures.
Tips for Perfect Photo Correction
Here are some tips to help you achieve great results when correcting your photos online:
- Know the tools – Read up on what each adjustment tool does so you can pick the right ones to fix your issues.
- Start with auto – Many editors have auto fix/enhance options that provide a useful starting point.
- Adjust subtly – Small tweaks tend to look most realistic. Avoid overdoing slider adjustments.
- Check different lighting – Edits can look different depending on the ambient light conditions. Preview your final photo in various environments.
- Use non-destructive editors if possible – Adjustments are reversible and don’t degrade original photo quality.
- Save adjusted and original – Keep the original file so you can re-edit a photo if needed.
- Save high resolution – Export and share high res files to avoid degraded image quality.
Conclusion
Online photo editors put powerful image correction tools at your fingertips. No longer do imperfect photos need to languish on your devices. With a few tweaks using the right web-based editor, you can fix flaws, improve quality, apply stylish effects and truly make your shots pop. So give your photos some extra shine and share your favorite snapshots with pride!
Remember to choose an editor with the tools you need that fits your skill level. Tap into automatic improvements first, then refine with manual adjustments. Subtle edits tend to look best. And with the right approach, you can take lackluster shots from your camera roll and turn them into photos worth showing off to the world.