Best Photo Editing Software in 2025

Adobe offers two versions of Lightroom: Lightroom Classic and Lightroom (often referred to as Lightroom CC). Both are included in the £11.99 per month Lightroom subscription plan.

Lightroom Classic is the more comprehensive of the two packages and is based on the original version of Lightroom, developed with desktop users in mind. It offers the widest range of editing tools and features and its ideal for photographers who prefer to store and manage their images locally using an organised folder structure and catalogue system.

The newer Lightroom CC, on the other hand, is a cloud-based application that works across desktop and mobile devices. It’s designed to simplify the editing and organising process while making your images accessible from anywhere via Adobe’s Creative Cloud. Although it doesn’t have quite the same depth of features as Lightroom Classic, it’s still a powerful editor and arguably easier to use, especially if you’re just getting started or want a more streamlined experience.

Lightroom Classic stores your files locally – either on your computer or an external drive – and doesn’t need an internet connection to function. It also allows tethered shooting. Lightroom CC can also work offline, but it’s geared towards cloud storage and syncs your images across all your devices when you’re connected. This is great for working on the go, but the included 1TB of cloud storage may not be enough for photographers who shoot a lot or work in large file formats. Lightroom CC doesn’t support tethered shooting.

The two Lightroom editions can be used interchangeably, and dovetail with Photoshop. Many photographers will find that Adobe’s Lightroom subscription gives them all they need for image processing. However, if you want to work with layers, perhaps adding textures or creating multiple exposure images post-capture, it’s best to got Adobe’s Photography plan that includes Lightroom and Photoshop.

Affinity Photo 2 is a powerful alternative to Photoshop that doesn’t require a subscription. You pay a modest price once, and that’s it. It’s part of a creative suite alongside Affinity Designer and Publisher, but it works perfectly well on its own.

Originally designed for detailed image manipulation and creative design work, Affinity Photo is packed with professional-level features. It’s ideal for tasks like retouching, compositing, focus stacking, HDR merging, panorama stitching and even 360-degree image editing. There’s no photo library or image catalogue, so it’s not a Lightroom replacement, but it offers a huge amount for working on images.

Affinity Photo uses a system of ‘Personas’, or workspaces, for different editing stages, including raw processing (Develop Persona), tone mapping, liquify and exporting. Most of your editing happens in the Photo Persona, which looks and feels similar to Photoshop. You can use adjustment layers, masks, blend modes and live filters, all non-destructively, and even create and save your own presets.

It’s worth noting that, like Photoshop, Affinity Photo isn’t aimed at beginners. There are no quick filters or instant presets to give your images a “look” for social media. Instead, it gives you full control and expects you to know (or be willing to learn) how to use it.

If you’re confident with editing and want a capable, one-off purchase that delivers Photoshop-level power without the ongoing cost, Affinity Photo 2 is a very impressive option.

Capture One Pro was originally created to process raw files from Phase One’s medium format cameras, and it still has that high-end feel. It’s especially popular with professional photographers and is well-known for producing excellent image quality, with lovely colour rendering and loads of detail.

Unlike Adobe’s software, you don’t have to commit to a subscription as there’s still the option to buy a perpetual licence, which some photographers prefer. It also offers both session-based and catalogue workflows, so you can choose whether to keep everything in a single discrete folder (session) or use the catalogue approach that’s also seen with Lightroom Classic for handling lots of images.

Capture One gives you a lot of control, with advanced tools for raw editing, local adjustments, layers and AI-informed masking. The colour editing options are particularly strong, and there’s a wide range of styles (presets) to speed things up.

It can feel a bit more technical than Lightroom at first, and the interface might take some getting used to, but once you’re comfortable with it, the workflow is fast, efficient and flexible. The two most expensive subscriptions, ‘All In One’ (£22.83 per month) and ‘Studio’ (£41.58 per month) bring additional collaborative features that could be useful for a busy studio, but all the versions offer the option to shoot tethered.

The latest noise reduction system doesn’t work on Fujifilm X-Trans sensor images (yet)
Best suited to raw file adjustment rather than Jpeg

DxO PhotoLab 8 Elite is a powerful raw file editing program that’s all about getting the best possible quality from your images. It doesn’t try to be everything, there are no layers, fancy composites or social media filters, but it’s extremely good at what it does.

PhotoLab 8 is only available as a one-off purchase (no subscription required). It includes DxO’s renowned Optics Modules, which automatically correct distortion, vignetting, lens softness and chromatic aberration using detailed data from thousands of camera and lens combinations.

One of the standout features is DeepPRIME XD2s, DxO’s latest and most advanced denoising and detail enhancement tool. It’s very effective at cleaning up high ISO images and pulling out fine details, which makes it especially useful if you shoot wildlife, events or anything in low light. The latest version introduces a handy magnifier tool that lets you check the results at up to 1600% as you edit.

Version 8 also introduces Hue Masks for more targeted colour edits, and a Luma Tone Curve lets you adjust contrast without affecting colour. In addition, there’s local adjustments using U Point technology and a clean, fuss-free interface that’s easy to navigate.

Unlike Lightroom Classic, PhotoLab doesn’t have a catalogue and instead works directly with your folders, but it does support key wording, rating and tagging. If you’re looking for a non-subscription editor that prioritises image quality and offers excellent tools for fine-tuning your raw files, DxO PhotoLab 8 Elite is definitely worth a closer look.

Skylum Luminar Neo is a creative photo editor that’s ideal for photographers who want fast, results without digging too deeply into technical tools. It’s built from the ground up with a modern interface and AI-powered editing tools designed to speed up your workflow while giving you plenty of creative control.

You can buy Luminar Neo outright or subscribe to get all updates and extensions, and it’s worth keeping your eye open for deep discounts. As a standalone editor, it works non-destructively on raw and Jpeg files, but it also runs as a plugin for Lightroom Classic, Photoshop and Apple Photos – handy if you already have a workflow in place.

The software has a clean catalogue system based on your computer’s file structure. You can work on single images or create virtual albums, but it’s not designed for large-scale image management like Lightroom.

Neo’s standout features include tools like its Presets, Sky AI, Relight AI, Erase and Magic Light AI, which can quickly transform an image with just a few clicks. You can swap skies, adjust exposure and contrast, remove unwanted objects, or apply background blur – all with good results. It’s also easy to start with a Preset and fine-tune the look using the Edit tools.

Skylum sells additional Skys, LUTs (presets) and overlays, but you can also use your own skies and images to get the results you want.

It’s not the best fit for competitions or purists, and some tools create effects that can feel a bit overdone (although you can rein them in), but for quick edits or creative tweaks, Luminar Neo is fast, flexible and fun – especially if you enjoy experimenting with your images – but it is prone to the odd crash, especially if you import a large catalogue.