How to choose the best photo editor for you: what to check before you buy

First: check what you already have

Many phones and computers come with a photo app that can crop, straighten and adjust light and colour, and some can remove small marks, for free. If that's all you need, you may not need to buy anything. Add it to your comparison as one of the options.

Why the adverts are not enough

Photo editor adverts show the best result a product can reach. The detailed terms often say something different. For example:

• An editor may not open the RAW files from your camera (the unprocessed files many cameras, and some phones, can save, with more detail for editing), or only from older models.
• AI tools may need paid credits, or may upload your photos to the company's computers.
• Some editors keep your edits in their own library. If you move to another editor, you can usually take the finished photos but not change the edits any more.

So check the same things for every editor, using its own price and privacy pages, and try it with your own photos.

Before you look at any photo editor

Write down your answers to these four points. They decide which checks in the list matter most to you.

• Your photos. Phone photos, or photos from a camera, and whether you shoot RAW files.
• What you want to do. Quick fixes, careful colour and light editing, removing objects, combining photos, or designing graphics.
• How many photos. A few at a time, or thousands that need organising.
• Your devices. Phone, tablet or computer, and their operating systems (the main software they run).

The checklist

The checks are in three groups. Must have means a problem here can stop you editing your photos well, or cost more than expected. Nice to have means it makes a real difference for many people. Optional means it only matters to some people. When you open the checklist in NeutralPick, you can move any check to a different group to match your answers above.

• Must have
• Opens your photos, including your camera's RAW filesDoes it open the files from my phone and camera, including RAW files from my exact camera model, if I use them?RAW support depends on the camera model. Check the editor's list of supported cameras.
• Does the edits you needCan it do each edit I listed, on the plan or version I would buy, without a watermark, with my own photos?Test the edits you do most, not the ones in the advert.
• Works on your devicesDoes it run well on every device I would use, and does one purchase or subscription cover all of them?Some licences cover one computer only. Phone versions often do less.
• A price model you understandIs it a one-time purchase or a subscription, what does it cost per year, is there a minimum term, and can I still open my photos if I stop paying?Some subscriptions require a year's commitment. Check what you can still do if you stop.
• Your original photos stay untouchedDoes it keep my original photo untouched, or let me save my edits as a separate copy, so I can go back?Some editors save changes into the original file, so the original is lost once you save. Check you can keep the original or save a copy.
• Nice to have
• Organises your photos, if you have manyCan it sort, search and tag my photos, and does it use my own folders or move them into its own library?A library is handy, but can make moving to another editor harder. Check where your photos are kept.
• You can take your edits with youIf I leave, can I export all my edited photos in full quality, and keep my folders?Edits often can't be moved to another editor; exporting the finished photos keeps the result.
• AI tools you controlAre AI tools, such as removing objects, included or paid by credits, and are my photos uploaded or used for training?Read the privacy terms, especially for photos of people.
• You can learn it in the time you haveCan I make my usual edits without help, in a free trial or free version if there is one?Powerful editors take time to learn. Try a real set of photos.
• Optional
• Printing and sharingCan I export the sizes I need for printing and sharing, and share directly to the services I use?Useful if you print or share often.
• Editing many photos at onceCan I apply the same edit to many photos at once?Saves a lot of time with holiday or event photos.

Claims to look at carefully

Adverts and product pages often describe the points below in vague terms. When you see one, look for the specific information shown here. If you cannot find it, assume the answer is "no" or "only partly".

• "Supports RAW". Look for your exact camera model in the list of supported cameras.
• "AI-powered". Look for whether AI tools cost extra and whether your photos are uploaded.
• "Free". Look for watermarks, size limits and which tools need payment.
• The price. Compare the cost over the years you will use it, and what you can still do if you stop paying.

What to do with what you found

1. Put all the editors side by side, including the photo app you already have.
2. Look at the Must have checks first. If one gets a No on one of your must-haves, remove it, however good the rest looks. Look closely at any Partial.
3. Edit the same few photos in each one left, in a free trial or free version if there is one.
4. Keep a backup of your original photos outside the editor.

Why use NeutralPick to compare photo editors

• The same checks for every photo editor. You fill in the same checklist for each photo editor you are considering, so you compare them in the same way.
• Everything in one table. You see every photo editor side by side, check by check, instead of switching between shop pages and notes.
• Nobody can pay to influence it. There are no adverts, no paid placements and no "featured" products. No maker or shop can pay to be shown to you or placed higher.
• Free, with no account. You don't need to sign up or pay anything.

Start with this checklist See an example comparison