7 Best Adobe Photoshop alternatives for linux

Few best available free and open source Adobe Photoshop alternatives for Linux to edit images…

Linux users are always in a dilemma. While the freedom of open source is great, consistent Linux 1% and 2% market share, this means that industry standard programs, such as Photoshop, sit between towns and rarely give Linux users a day.

The biggest tragedy is that even now, the Linux open platform is still not competing for software, it can really match the Photoshop (image editing software) head-to-head…

However, if you are absolutely unwilling to boot to Windows or OS X, what options do you have?

Best Photoshop Alternatives for Linux like Ubuntu, Linux Mint…

Adobe Photoshop on Wine

First of all: Do not give up Photoshop, just not yet! With a little bit of knowledge and hard work, it’s possible to run Photoshop as it is in your Linux distribution. This is done by using a simulator called Wine (representing Wine is not a simulator). Before moving to any dedicated photoshop alternative meant for Linux give it a try using Wine which now enough mature.

To make a long story short, the wine established the company as a sandbox to simulate an area on a Windows system. To install the Windows program, you can install it by using the program’s installation-related. EXE via wine. Then, when the program is launched through the wine, it runs just like any other Linux program.

However, all Windows applications cannot be launched by wine. Fortunately, wine is constantly evolving with the support of constantly evolving and updating applications.

The old versions of Photoshop such as Photoshop CS5 on Linux can be run using Wine but for the latest version, you have hit and try. Although, it’s hard to say if it will work with Photoshop CC. In case, photoshop on Wine will not work for you don’t lose hope. You can try the other best photoshop alternatives listed here.

See: How to install Adobe Photoshop CS6 on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Linux

GIMP

If it is the best possible alternative to Photoshop for Linux operating systems. You can consider it as an open source version of Photoshop. GIMP has emerged since 1995 – compared to Photoshop’s debut in 1988 – making it one of the oldest open source applications still in existence.

GIMP is very flexible out of the box, including several core features that can replicate many of the same effects in Photoshop. GIMP is also built with the extensible built-in mind, which means you can add new features by installing third-party plugins.

In short, GIMP is enough powerful professional ability is enough. The only downside is that GIMP specifically duplicates the Photoshop interface, so there are very few overlaps between keyboard shortcuts, menu organization, settings, etc.

It is available for Windows, MacOS, Linux such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, Debian, and more…

Price: Free and Open source
Download this photoshop alternative GIMP

Inkscape

Inkscape is a vector graphics image editor like is, it actually uses for Illustrator. However, some people do use Photoshop and GIMP for vector editing. So, if you are one of them, then you should know that Inkscape will be a better solution.

Features in Inkscape include basic vector graphics, advanced object grouping and management, gradient meshing, extensive support for file formats, and scalability through plugins (like GIMP in this regard).

It supports Add-ons to expand the functionality of the editor. It supports a wide range of image formats including SVG format, PNG, OpenDocument Drawing, DXF, sk1, PDF, EPS and PostScript export formats and more

Unfortunately, with most open source projects, the interface in Inkscape is extremely unsatisfactory. This, of course, is not enough to go through even a semi-professional setup, but you can tell it is not clean or refined like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

Price: Free and Open Source
Download: Inkscape

Rawtherapee

It is a cross-platform photoshop alternative for Linux, means apart from Linux, it can run on Windows, MacOs and FreeBSD. The Rawtherapee developed using C++ and front end in GTK+. It meant to give a solution for raw image editing, primarily meant to ease the photographer’s workflow. It also supports high dynamic range, 16/24/32-bit raw DNG images.

It has a very intuitive interface and can be considered as best Adobe Lightroom alternative for Linux rather Photoshop. However, being a raw image non-destructive editing software one can use the same its file in Photoshop or vice versa. It is available in 25 languages.

Price: Free and Open source
Download Raw the rapee open source alternative to Photoshop

Pinta

On Windows, one of the better options for Photoshop is the free image editor, Paint.NET. It’s more lightweight than Photoshop (which is undeniably quite cumbersome), but not as a barebone system as MSPaint, making it a great compromise.

The equivalent of Linux for Paint.NET is Pinta.

Pinta is equipped with all the right out of the box you need, including unlimited layers, full of editing history and core functions, and effects over 35 years old for quick image adjustment. It can also switch between a docked interface and a free-floating window interface.

It’s the ideal solution for fast image retouching and simple editing. For some larger ones, you’ll want to look like GIMP as described above. Supports Linux, Mac, Windows, and FreeBSD.

Price: Free and Open source
Download Pinta

Krita

As early as 1998, a young man named Matthias Etterrich repaired the surrounding GIMP to build a Qt-based interface. This has caused a split within the GIMP community, leading to a competitive image editor that will eventually be called the development of Krita.

And Krita’s focus is on making a digital painting app. As a result, it seeks to cover up the hardest interface elements, making it easier for novices to learn and is easier to portray as a veteran. It is a good open source alternative to Adobe Photoshop software.

Krita’s default toolkit has a variety of photo editing tools, which includes several default brushes, brush multi-engine, advanced layering engine, and supports raster and vector editing. Available for Linux and Windows.

Price: Free and Open source
Download Krita

Pixlr.com online photoshop alternative for Linux

If you think you do not have time to install all the above applications to edit images on Linux. Or you are not able to install any of them then the best option is Pixlr.com if your image editing requirements are basic. Also, the users those are running Linux on old laptops or systems where the resources are very limited then this browser-based image editor will work like a charm. It has a similar interface like Photoshop and also the familiar tool icons, colours and filters. However, don’t except advance capabilities like photoshop but the fundamental commands provided by this online photoshop alternative for Linux are enough to start.

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