Today as I was busy avoiding work I realised I don't have any image editing tools on my PC. Specifically, there is one utility at the end which I install on any new PC other than WinRar.
Now that I have a super duper new laptop with a graphics card the limitations are far fewer than before mainly if you were to do video but today I am just focused on something I am doing a lot more often.
That is for editing images.
The goal is to try to avoid paid software which I have mainly used as a crutch to not just learn free software which in most cases is just as powerful.
InkScape
InkScape is a vector program, and I know many people try to do everything in photoshop and sure you can do that if you are a lunatic.
Raster programs like Photoshop are good at what they do, and in that line there is a reason that Adobe Illustrator exists.
InkScape is a replacement for Adobe Illustrator and a partial replacement for CorelDraw.
I personally do not like Illustrator and no one will ever convince me that there is a better all round desktop publishing tool than CorelDraw.
But for this new install I will just learn to use InkScape because I won't be making multipage layout and do any advanced print processing which means I just don't need all the power of Corel.
Not to mention Corel is always a hassle to crack and keep cracked.
InkScape has completely on par when it comes to what matters and that is to make high fidelity vector graphics that scale to anysize. It is able to export me SVG for use in web and actually has a ton more plugin features that go beyond Corel or Adobe.
InkScape will be the main tool I start with for any complex layout or setup because I can draw things as I wish then export to PSD then maybe continue the composite without having to try deal with Photoshop's horrible sense of scaling and layout.
Gimp
Gimp is a replacement for Photoshop, and yes I could use Photopea for free online but there is a lot of power that comes from an installed program. Further Gimp has a pretty diverse plugin system also which brings some image editing tools that are pretty insane for something free.
I think Gimp also adds Photoshop keybinds so I won't have to do too much context switching between working in Photoshop vs Gimp. Although I think I will just learn the native binds.
As mentioned raster image programs need to be doing just that and when it comes to free, Gimp is top of the line.
I think I will be hard pressed to not be able to do the same quality composites in Gimp as I might do in Photoshop.
The big things with Gimp and InkScape though is to tweak the program until things fit just right for your workflow then usually you won't face too many issues other than a couple of nuances like how it may handle brushes or different concepts for achieving the same effect as you may be use to.
RawTherapee
RawTherapee is a replacement for Lightroom and CameraRaw, when it comes to editing multiple images there is always the hassle of doing it one by one. Makes no sense.
So the best thing to do is to find a tool that will allow you to enhance your images in one go. Tell it here is a folder with 200 photos, then edit and save.
RawTherapee is perfect for people who do series photos in their content. Instead of just uploading your dull direct from the phone wannabe shots take a moment and batch enhance them so we can actually see what is a goose and what is a tree.
XnConvert
XnConvert is as simple or complex as you like it to be. It is a batch processing tool that can be used to convert or add effects to 1000's of images in one go.
As with most batch processing jobs, you will need to just account for different orientations and consider that the job adds the same thing on all images.
This means for things like brightness you need to consider the variance in your originals.
Mainly I use XnConvert for sizing, maybe vignetting, global grayscaling or toning, watermarking, wiping metadata and file type conversions.
There is a ton you can do with it though, I always install it as a backup for just in case situations.
ShareX
ShareX is basically my screenshot WinRar, it is the first tool I install and use daily. It can also record Gifs of your screen and has some features like being able to draw on the screen before snapping it.
I like that it is always available and if I choose it has added support for uploading to different storage and or doing actions like opening an editing app right after screenshotting.
I always disable any of the upload features for after capture, and only keep the copy to my clipboard and save the file options.
You can set these to do as you wish like upload to Dropbox or as I just noticed in the screenshot I took of the tasks, you can enable Scan QR Code which basically allows QR code scanning from the PC.
So a lot of extras but what you use will depend on your workflow.
Ok so those are basic image tools I tend to use quite often with the exception of InkScape and Gimp being newish to me since I use CorelDraw and Photoshop mainly at work.
Goodluck.