Limited Functionality
The goal of any business revolves around the procurement of profit. Companies realize they need to convince you to buy their software, so they sometimes put out supposedly free software that is in fact anything but free. It almost always gets distributed in a limited manner known as a trial offer. You get to try out some of the features for a short period of time. Eventually, the trial runs out and the software locks you completely out. This is not to say that 100% software suites do not exist. They do, but they more often than not contain extraordinarily limited features that cater only to amateurs. Simply put, if you want to get real, professional-grade digital photography work completed, you will eventually need to go past the free system and invest in tried and true paid photo editing software.
Advanced Features
The very best paid photo editing software contains the type of advanced features and tools you need to piece together the perfect picture or photo. Consider, for instance, features like color management, background removal, multiple layers, auto straightening, teeth whitening, cloning, design templates, panoramas, highlight adjustments and object removal. Unfortunately, free photo editing software usually only lets you do the most basic things. These tools are okay for amateur work, but they certainly don’t cut the cake when it comes to professional-grade photo services.
Import And Output Capabilities
Every photo application allows you to import and export JPEGs. However, numerous other formats exist, including TIFFs, PNGs, PSDs, GIFs and more. If you want to deal with these advanced types of images, you’ll need to invest in paid software. Note also that paid software suites let you slice, optimize or animate an image prior to saving it. Another benefit to paid software is that it can handle direct imports from scanners, iPhone cameras, Android cameras and removable media types like CDs, microSD cards, SIM cards, zip drives and more.
Paid Professionals Need Paid Software
In summary, it always pays to pay for paid photo editing software. It is perfectly okay to test a software suite out via a trial offer, but eventually, you’ll have to upgrade to the full thing. Note also that free software never comes with customer support. If you want to retouch family photos or create a professional portfolio, you’ll need to make the investment. If, on the other hand, you just want to piece together some funny photos for your friends, then the free route will certainly do the trick.
