Graphic editor. Why are they needed and what are they?

Any PC user encounters computer image processing from time to time. Slightly correct a digital photo, cut out a fragment or save it in another format, make the photo better or simply add brightness... Or maybe just take a screenshot from the Internet page you like and save it to a graphic file. And here Windows users often come to the aid of a standard product Paint. I must note that this is a very, very limited editor ( and to be completely frank, you can’t call him anything other than wretched), which can be applied according to the principle - “open”, “select”, “edit”, “cut”, “paste”, “save” ... and other simple dull actions. Sometimes this is enough. But rarely. As a rule, the user requires more advanced and convenient programs.

Now let's look at more powerful graphic editors with a range of interesting and tasty features.

The most famous of them is Adobe Photoshop, which can do almost everything, but this is a paid product and is intended for professionals, and not for home “users”. And if we consider the possibility of using it “to the fullest,” then we will have to pay tens of thousands of rubles for a license or look for a broken version on the World Wide Web, risking catching some kind of infection along with it ( “hackers” love to insert various malicious crap into broken versions of Photoshop and into “medicines” for it).

This is understandable, in order to slightly correct the “red eyes” in the photo from the New Year’s party, our “user” needs Photoshop, and nothing else - he categorically does not agree to exchange for anything less. True, he has no idea that if he is “lucky enough” to get caught using his pirated version, then the fine for this offense will amount to several hundred thousand rubles - this is precisely the appetite of the “right holders” from Adobe today. These are the amounts they now estimate their damage from each pirated copy. There are already plenty of precedents in modern Russia.

In fact, monstrous professional products from Adobe or Corel There is absolutely no need for a home user. Small and lightweight graphic editors can easily cope with its tasks, many of which, moreover, are also absolutely free. Here we will get to know some of them.

The first product on our list is GIMP(Gimp). Gimp is the most powerful and most famous of the free graphic editors, and it is also open source. Enthusiasts from all over the world take part in its development. It can run on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD and many other operating systems. For GIMP There are a lot of different add-ons.

Tools GIMP very similar to the instruments of the well-known Adobe Photoshop, there is support for layers, animation, a large set of filters, gradient fills, etc., installed by default. It is worth noting the set of tools - it has everything you need even for complex graphic processing. When installing GIMP You can immediately select the Russian language - there is no need to install a localization feature. The program allows you to open images directly from the Internet - just provide a link to the picture, and then edit it as you wish.

The disadvantages of the program include the unusual interface ( all panels open in separate windows scattered across the desktop) and slightly unusual work with tools. True, the new version, which is currently being tested, already has a regular single-window interface, and the tools GIMP It's easy enough to get used to if you want.

The advantages, in addition to being free, are its small size and lightness and amazing extensibility using plug-ins.

They say that experienced users who have mastered working in GIMP, and hanging it with the extensions they need, create such miracles in the program that even professional Photoshop cannot do.

The next program that is quickly gaining popularity is Paint.NET. A simple, yet powerful and convenient graphic editor. License - Free (free).

They say that the program was developed by students from a university, commissioned and under the direct supervision of Microsoft, and was intended to replace the scanty Paint in new versions of Windows. And then it becomes unclear why it has not yet become a standard tool of the operating system, because the program turned out to be really very successful.

In addition to a good built-in set of tools, Paint.NET There are also add-ons that significantly expand the editor's potential.

Paint.NET uses .NET Framework (as is clear from its name), and when installing the program, you should clarify which version of the framework is installed on the system - different versions of Paint.NET use different versions of the .NET Framework.

Next in line is Picasa. Picasa is a free image manager from Google itself. And as always, with a pleasant difference - in web albums Picasa 1 GB of free space is provided for free. You can store your photos online, Picasa it allows (has a built-in convenient image downloader). Russian language is supported.

By and large, Picasa most likely not just a graphic editor, but an organizer and cataloguer of images. The main function of the program is to organize a collection of digital graphics on your hard drive. And here she copes with a bang. And all the editing tools are already like a pleasant thing ( and quite impressive) addition.

Completes our review Photoscape- a program with rich capabilities. Russian language supported. Allows you to fully and easily work with images. Supports working with animation, and you can set the time for each frame separately. There is a good set of tools and a friendly interface. And plus a lot of other “tasty” things.

Well, in this short article we got acquainted with several fairly powerful and serious raster graphics editors. Although their range is not limited to the above - there are a huge number of similar programs. And many of them are free.

And besides them, there is a whole set of interesting narrowly focused and small programs for working with digital graphics that deserve a separate description.

04.11.15 8K

Every day, people are confronted with many different images: a picture, a photograph, or a scanned drawing that was used in an advertisement or on a product label. All these images were created from scratch by a person who used graphics programs for this (editors):

What is a graphics editor?

Program " graphics editor" is a software that provides the user with three main functions:

Creation;
editing;
viewing graphic files.

Digital images are divided into three types:

raster;
vector;
three-dimensional.

Editors are also divided into groups depending on what type of graphics they are designed to process:

raster graphics editors;
vector graphic editors;
hybrid graphic editors.

Hybrid graphic editors, as you might guess, allow you to work with raster and vector images.

The difference between raster graphics and vector graphics is that a raster image is a set of pixels of different colors and shades, which forms a graphic image. A vector image is a set of objects that have appearance characteristics: shape, size, color, line thickness, fill color.

Popular graphic editors

There are a large number of programs for working with images, two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics, drawings, both for professionals and for ordinary users. Below are the most popular ones.

The first graphic drawing program was Microsoft Paint. This is the simplest, but at the same time multifunctional software product for editing raster images, which is part of the Windows operating system:

The main disadvantages of this editor are the lack of layers and transparency support; you cannot set the size when creating an image; no gradient fill. This software product is not intended for solving complex problems in graphics processing.

It is suitable in cases where you need to quickly crop an image or combine one of several, or draw a simple picture.

The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP). This package is more functional than standard Paint and is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop:

The program has many functions that help solve problems from processing photos and creating collages to developing designs for web pages. But, of course, there are more powerful and specialized graphic design programs.

Adobe Photoshop is the most popular raster graphics editor, which has several tools for working with vector images:

Most users use the program as a photo editor, unaware of its “3D” capabilities. At the moment, the extended version of Photoshop can be used for web design and video creation.

Autodesk 3ds Max is a professional program that is focused on working with three-dimensional graphics, namely creating 3D objects of various shapes and complexity, and giving them a realistic look. Having mastered the tools of this editor well, you can create images that are difficult to distinguish from photographs. Also in the package you can work with animation, create game and cartoon characters, and simulate movements. This program is an excellent tool for interior designers. Below is an interior designed using 3ds Max:

MyPaint is a program for artists who are beginning to get acquainted with the craft of drawing pictures and creating any other graphics on the computer. This package has a simple and convenient interface that is not cluttered with functionality such as selection, filters, scaling. That is, there is a set just for drawing:

The big advantage is the unlimited canvas size and a huge set of brushes, with the ability to customize them. MyPaint supports graphics tablet mode.

Corel Painter is very popular among artists. Of course, this program can work with a graphics tablet, since it is designed for creating digital painting and has over 200 different tools for this. The editor also implements functionality for working with layers and masks. A huge advantage of this product is the ability to create your own tools.

Drawing programs

When discussing the topic of graphic editors, one cannot fail to mention drawing programs.

Autodesk AutoCAD is a popular graphics program for drawings. This editor supports two and three-dimensional design, has a large number of professional tools, supports working with cloud storage, Excel spreadsheets, and has the possibility of collective design. The program is suitable for a wide range of users, as it has many add-ons and a user-friendly interface necessary to solve the assigned tasks. The big disadvantage of this product is the high cost, which is justified by the quality. Therefore, AutoCAD is an indispensable tool in the design field:

KOMPAS is another well-known program for creating drawings that uses a three-dimensional model of an object as a basis, and when it changes, the two-dimensional drawing dynamically changes. The editor is an excellent competitor in terms of quality and set of tools for AutoCAD, but has the same drawback - high price. Also, both of these packages can “stress” the computer due to high performance requirements.

Graphics programs for Mac OS

All of the editors listed above, with the exception of Paint, 3ds Max and Compass, have versions compatible with the Mac OS operating system. This is not a problem, since it will not take much time to find similar graphics programs for Mac that are not inferior in functionality to versions for Windows.

Paint Pad. Many users who decide to get acquainted with Mac OS are faced with the fact that after installing the operating system they do not find any graphics editor in its composition. There is a solution, and it's called Paint Pad - it's the same raster editor as Paint.

Cinema 4D is a program similar in functionality to 3ds Max. It is worth clarifying that Cinema 4D also has a version for Windows. The program works with three-dimensional graphics and animation:

It's no secret that the best graphic editor for editing raster graphics is the Photoshop software product from the well-known company Adobe. Probably, today this is the best program for working with images in the form of photographs, design solutions, Web design, and any other graphics. I personally also think and am confident that this is the best product in its industry. By the way, it is distributed not only for the Windows operating system, but the release is also known for computers based on MAC OS.

If you remember my history of acquaintance with the first graphics editor, it was the Paintbrush program in the Windows 3.11 operating system for personal computers. By the way, it has survived to this day and is even available in the latest version of Windows 8. However, now it is simply called Paint and has greater capabilities for editing graphic images. Although in general its functionality does not reach Adobe Photoshop.

Another no less interesting program for working with raster graphics, I would like to mention the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) program. During my short acquaintance with the Linux-based operating system, I don’t remember exactly what kind of distribution I used for this, but, nevertheless, during this period of time I paid attention to the GIMP program. This free and open source program is a good alternative to Adobe Photoshop. This program has a lot of interesting functions and tools for working with raster graphics.

Perhaps there are many more different interesting and good applications for working with raster graphics, but still, one way or another, I believe that the highest quality program for working with photography, some design elements and building some graphic templates for websites, etc. P. is the Adobe Photoshop program - whatever one may say. And the only negative that I find in this program is that it is paid and is not cheap.

But why is Adobe Photoshop considered the best?

It's simple - it is the standard of quality in the world of digital images, provides powerful graphics editing capabilities, and plus everything has an intuitive interface. This amazing product pushes the boundaries of digital image editing and helps you make your design dreams come true.

But the most important thing is the variety of working tools for image editing. For example, such as various ways to select an object, brushes with different types and sizes, the ability to create a gradient, that is, a transition from one color to another, darken, blur, create beautiful text, choose a different color palette and much more. It is also worth noting the ability to work with layers, that is, for example, to separately work on the text design and separately work on its background without affecting the overall picture. As a plus, you can note the almost complete history of your actions, which leads to the fact that you are not afraid of ruining something, since you can always return to the original state.

Another advantage is preparing the image for publication on the Internet. Ability to save images in almost any modern file format. Saving the image and template in your own PSD format - which is probably already a standard and saves all layers and current settings in it, which is convenient when returning to editing again, as well as the ability to leave marks directly on the image elements.

The ability to create and work with simple three-dimensional 3D objects. You can twist, twirl, increase, decrease and change color.

Another feature of Adobe Photoshop is the application of various filters to the image, which gives an interesting and striking special effect. There are about 50 of these filters and they all have a unique effect. Such, for example, effects as turning a picture into neon lights or frayed paper and many other equally interesting solutions.

We could go on and on about all the features and advantages of this amazing image editing program, but in general, the whole world and the whole planet uses it, and they know very well that it is the best editor in the computer world.

Download graphic photo editors to your computer for free.
Programs for editing photographs and images in Russian.
Download free graphic editors for drawing on Windows XP, 7, 8,10.

version: 2.10.10 from April 09, 2019

The advanced graphics editor Gimp allows you to process and retouch photos, work with multiple layers, use drawing tools, and also reduce file sizes.

Many designers and layout designers prefer to download GIMP as a free alternative to Photoshop. Its functionality is 70% capable of replacing the tools of a popular photo editor. The application is recommended to be used both for improving photos before publishing on social networks, and for professional tasks.

version: 4.1.6 from March 19, 2019

Free image editor with many built-in tools and effects. The application supports working with layers, importing photos from a scanner, and adding plugins to improve functionality.

Here is a convenient graphic editor created by Microsoft employees. In terms of its characteristics and appearance, Paint.Net is very similar to Photoshop and is its “lightweight” and free copy. Here you can work with layers, resize photos, apply effects and make photo corrections. Standard capabilities can be increased by integrating additional plugins. By downloading free Paint.net, you can import photos from a scanner and digital cameras to your computer.

version: 4.1.7 from December 15, 2018

A program for drawing on a virtual canvas “from scratch.” The application contains tools for processing ready-made images, including photographs.
The Krita graphic editor was created as a cross-platform application for drawing on a computer from scratch, then its functionality was supplemented with tools for editing finished images.

version: 0.92.3 from October 09, 2018

A free graphic editor for vector images that allows you to edit existing ones or create your own. At the same time, the program provides the opportunity to save your creation in a large list of formats.

Inkscape is a graphics editor that is used to create high-quality images for logos, posters or business cards. Until 2004, the developers released the Sodipodi program, which, in fact, is the prototype of Inkscape.

version: 0.9.23 from September 03, 2018

Tux Paint is a simple graphic editor with a non-standard way of drawing, aimed at children. It features a simple interface and unusual sound accompaniment of actions.

The Tux Paint drawing app is ideal for being the #1 application for the youngest users. With this graphic editor it is very easy to draw various pictures, so parents often download it for their children.

version: 3.0.15 from April 23, 2018

Joxy Screenshot is a fairly popular application for taking screenshots and editing them instantly. Allows you to take a screenshot of the selected area, add text, arrows, lines to it, apply a blur effect and much more.

A small startup project from Russian developers was able to grow into a useful and convenient service. In addition to the version of Joxi for Windows 7, 8 and XP, which we will review, the authors also offer versions of Joxi for Mac and Linux, as well as a plugin for Chromium-based browsers.

version: 4.2.8 from November 20, 2017

PicPick is a program for capturing screenshots and editing them. Allows you to quickly process pictures and send them to another program, by email or on a social network.

Why do you need a program for creating screenshots if there is a wonderful “PrtScr” key, you ask? But what if the button doesn't work? And what if you don’t need to capture the entire screen, but select only part of it? And, as a rule, a screenshot needs to be processed before saving.

version: 3.7 from September 11, 2014

Photoscape is a clone of Photoshop that has the same functionality and set of tools. But, unlike its famous older brother, you can download Photoscape for free.

The capabilities of this graphic editor allow you to fully process photographs and pictures. In particular, you can crop pictures, change the background, make two layers, apply various filters and retouching, and also use a rather large set of tools.

Free graphic editors (photo editors) and photo managers: GIMP, Paint NET, PicPick Tools, Picasa, PhotoScape, Inkscape, IcoFX, FastStone Image Viewer, Dimin Image Viewer, XnView, Universal Viewer, NexusImage, IrfanView, Imagine, APViewer.

FastStone Capture is a software product that allows you to take screenshots and also record video from the screen. In addition to the main functions, the application allows users to edit the image, as well as adapt it. Thanks to effects, you can completely change an image, making it unique. You can use the edited screenshot...

DjVu Reader is the most popular program designed for reading djvu files. The application will be useful for students and teachers who read electronic manuals. Many users do not know, but books and magazines saved in djvu format take up significantly less disk space...

ACDSee is a program designed for viewing images. The application allows you not only to view photos, but also, if necessary, edit them. Surprisingly, ICD can even play audio and video files. Many users consider the program to be a real multimedia combine. In addition to the main features...

NanoCAD is a system designed for design. The application will be of interest to designers and engineers. This CAD platform can be used in various industries. It is noteworthy that, unlike its competitors, it is distributed completely free of charge. The system can be a good alternative to such a giant as AutoCad....

FormatFactory is a free program for converting images, video and audio from one format to another. The Format Factory program has functions for changing images: rotating, cropping, resizing, signature, etc. The program contains a multilingual interface, including Russian. Format...

Tux Paint is a free painting program designed for young children. At the beginning of development it was created for the Linux OS, but after a while it became available for other operating systems too. Tux Paint has been translated into a very large number of languages. In their...

PhotoFiltre is a compact universal graphics editor for the Windows operating system. There are two versions of this program, free and paid. The author and developer of the program is Antonio Da Cruz. The entire program interface has been translated into approximately 26 languages.

Artweaver free is a free raster graphics editor. It is needed for processing images or photographs. You can also draw various drawings in it. The distinctive feature of the program is that it is supported by tablet computers.

It’s terribly inconvenient when programs that are so needed weigh a lot. But this is not about this graphic editor. PaintTool SAI is a very convenient and economical option.

There are so many creative people all over the world who are interested in living because they have a spark of the creator in them. These people are open to perceive the world and, even more, they can think creatively and want to create something unique.

To all the free artists of the new generation creating their masterpieces...

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