As an online entrepreneur who loves to travel, I’ve made it a habit to polish my photography skills in my spare time. Be it that perfect shot of sunset hitting the ocean or a portrait of my kids, I need an AI photo editor that will create brilliant photos in a short amount of time.

After spending so much time editing my own photos, I thought to myself there HAS to be a quicker way to do this. I just don’t have hours to touch up every single photo.

That’s when my savvy research skills took over to hunt down the best way to edit a large volume of photos while delivering professional results, in a quick amount of time. And that’s when I discovered the power of what the best AI photo editor could do.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has somehow found its way into a profession where creativity reigns supreme. Unlike fictional blockbuster movies, AI isn’t going to replace the person behind the camera. Instead, AI-assisted photo editing software will make their life much easier. They can spend less time behind the computer and more time behind the lens.

If you’ve been editing photos professionally or leisurely, you know that most of the time is spent touching up parts of the pictures. And when you have thousands of unedited RAW files on the pipeline, you’ll want a digital virtual assistant to do the heavy lifting.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

What is the Best AI Photo Editor? 

It’s a cliche, but not all AI photo editors are built equal. So, let’s find out which will best work for you.  

Table of Contents

Luminar AI

Best OVERALL AI-Powered Photo Editor

Luminar AI is arguably the best AI photo editing software that proves valuable for both beginners and professionals alike. It utilizes machine learning (a subset of artificial intelligence) to make image editing easy, even for complicated edits.

Instead of fiddling with filters and airbrushes, you can enhance any photos with Luminar AI with a single click.

Here’s a quick breakdown of Luminar AI features:

  • The software’s Sky Replacement tool uses AI technologies to identify where the sky’s boundary and automatically replace it with a background of your choice. It is also intelligent enough to recognize the sky’s reflection in a lake or ocean and replace it. 
  • You can touch up selfies and portrait photos by adjusting cleverly-described sliders like Slim Face and Face Light. Thanks to AI, it can detect faces automatically.
  • Style your photos with the templates recommended by the software. And their templates are a much more advanced version of your typical presets, which are generated by feeding millions of photos into a machine learning algorithm.
  • You can take control of localized edits with the software’s Enhance AI. It allows you to apply delicate touches in specific areas. 
  • It lacks the layer-editing feature that professional designers usually use. 

Pricing

You pay $49 for a lifetime license on a single computer and $62 for two computers, and both options are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Verdict

Luminar AI will not disappoint if you’re looking for intuitive AI photo editing software. Professional users can use software with Adobe Lightroom to enjoy automated enhancement with many advanced features. 

2. Corel’s PaintShop Pro

Best for AI Noise Removal

Corel Paintshop Pro takes pride in its highly-accurate AI enhancement features. It allows you to transform photos to their better version in just a few clicks. Whether it’s smoothening wrinkles or adjusting saturation, you will have all the tools, creative filters, and presets at your disposal to get the job done. However, you can only install the latest version of Corel Paintshop Pro on Windows 10.

Here are what I like and dislike about Corel Paintshop Pro.

  • You can choose to work in several workspaces, Photography, Essentials, and Complete. Each workspace provides different layouts and tools to match your skills, machine, and what you’re working on.
  • Corel Paintshop Pro has one of the best AI Denoise capabilities. It automatically scans your photos and removes grainy distortions from them with literally no effort on your part.
  • If you take selfies, you can swap the background for something else with the software’s AI-powered background replacement tool. Go to the Adjust Tab -> Artificial Replacement and click Background Replacement to make the change. (Note: This only works on photos with people, not sceneries like what Luminar AI does).
  • You can transform your photos with several styles inspired by famous artists. The AI Stye Transfer feature will analyze your photo and adjust it appropriately.
  • Corel Paintshop Pro is a resource-hungry software that can appear sluggish even on powerful machines. Therefore, using tools like airbrushes might not be the smoothest experience. 

Price 

They offer a lifetime license at $79.99 at this time but is typical $100 when not on sale, which is reasonable considering the extensive AI features in the software. 

Verdict

Overall, Corel Paintshop Pro is an excellent option for photographers who want advanced AI technology on top of professional editing features. Plus, the AI photo editing software doesn’t tie you up to a recurring subscription plan. 

3. Adobe Photoshop CC

Best for B&W Photos Colorization

Adobe Photoshop is a name that needs no further introduction amongst pro photographers. In 2013, Adobe migrated its photo editing software to cloud-based subscription and attracted conflicting opinions. Ever since, Adobe has introduced a slew of new features on each upgrade, including some nifty AI technologies in the latest edition. Let’s check out what they’re capable of doing now.

These are the best and not-so-good features of Adobe Photoshop CC.

  • Adobe’s neural filters are powerful AI tools for adding delicate touches to portrait photos. It allows you to beautify your selfies with a single click, such as smoothening the skin and adjusting the tone color. However, I must say there is definitely room for improvement to make the effects look more natural. 
  • Using the software’s sky replacement tool, you can replace the sky on your outdoor shots to create Instagram-worthy photos. This feature is almost flawless but might sometimes fail when you have thin structures like lamp posts overlapping the sky. 
  • Meet Adobe Sensei, the AI technology that the software uses to analyze and accurately pinpoint objects. Just hover on your photos, and things like people like cats will glow blue. 
  • Check out Beta Colorize, a new AI feature that turns vintage black & white photos into their modern colorful versions. Considering this is just a beta version, it looks promising despite some imbalance when colorizing the pixels. 
  • To the disappointment of many (and me), Adobe Photoshop CC is available via subscription only and is not the cheapest in town. 

Price

You’ll have to fork out $20.99 monthly to enjoy all the advanced features that Adobe Photoshop CC offers. They offer a 7-day trial before you start paying. 

Verdict

A powerful AI photo editing software for the pros with intriguing AI tools in recent updates. Adobe really doesn’t need much more discussion, they’re one of the best. But not the most affordable option.

4. Topaz 

Best for Beginner Photographers

Topaz puts AI photo editing into your hand without the steep learning curve of professional software. It simplifies AI editing into a few easy-to-use sliders and toggles. They are all you need to start making considerable changes to your photos. And the great thing is that Topaz offers its AI-based solutions as 3 separate software that tackle different challenges in photo editing. 

Here are some intriguing Topaz features.

  • Topaz’s Denoise AI is another top contender for the best noise suppression tools in the photography industry. The accuracy is uncanny, as the AI can differentiate stars from random noise in a dark, somber sky. Say goodbye grainy, hello crisp photography.
  • Sometimes, you cannot help but shake when taking a snapshot. This is when Sharpen AI is useful. It helps to remove the blurs that result from the shaking. Many agree that Topaz’s AI-assisted sharpening app rivals Photoshop’s Shake Reduction.
  • With Gigabyte AI, you can enlarge your photos without losing sharpness. The app uses machine learning technology to analyze the image and enhance every pixel of the enlarged photo. You’ll get the best result when working with nature photography. 
  • Bulk editing is possible, but only on Sharpen AI.
  • Your patience could be tested as Topaz’s machine learning program dig deep into every little detail to sharpen your photos. 

Price

You can buy Denoise AI and Sharpen AI separately at $79.99, and the Gigabyte AI costs slightly more at $99.99. Or, you can purchase a bundle of all the AI photo editing apps for $199.99. 

Verdict

Topaz is great for new photographers who don’t want to go through the hassle of learning Adobe Photoshop. Denoise AI is one of the best noise reduction tools around, but it is a bit costly.

5. autoRetouch

Best for E-Commerce Fashion 

AutoRetouch is one of the best online photo editors that helps boutique e-commerce stores produce mesmerizing product images and increase sales. It uses AI technologies to ‘beautify’ shirts, pants, dresses, and even the human model. You can use autoRetouch on your browser or integrate it with WooCommerce or other third-party platforms with an API. The API lets you upload and improve photo quality without launching the AutoRetouch app. 

These are when I find autoRetouch useful and moments that it’s not. 

  • They offer an intriguing Ghost Mannequin feature where you can create photos as if someone invisible is wearing the dress. To do that, upload the exterior and inlay shots of the dress to the app. Then, its machine learning algorithm will analyze both photos and reconstruct a Ghost Mannequin image.
  • You can remove the background, including the person modeling the dress from the photo, with its AI background removal tool.
  • Call it a vanity trick, but autoRetouch provides a tool to perfect the model’s skin to sell the clothes. Be it removing moles or smoothening skin colors; you can use the machine learning-powered airbrush to apply the changes. What’s interesting is the airbrush has been trained with data from different people of different nationalities, which explains its accuracy. 
  • autoRetouch makes editing a less painful affair with its batch processing mode. You can set up a workflow and upload all the images from your store via the API. 
  • It only works best for apparel products. If you want a photo editor for outdoor, wedding, or sports cars, check out the likes of Luminar AI or Corel Paintshop Pro. 

Pricing

They have a unique pricing strategy, which is very affordable. You pay €0.10 per image for standard editing processes and €0.20 if it involves the skin path vector. Meanwhile, creating a Ghost Mannequin image will cost €0.50. 

Verdict

autoRetouch is a time-saving, brilliant photo-editing software that many boutique business owners would love to subscribe to.  

6. Imagen AI

Best For Professional Batch Editing

ImagenAI could very well be a fictional super-intelligent software brought to life. Instead of ‘assisting’ you with AI editing features, the software actually does all the work for you. It first trains its machine learning algorithm with thousands of your previously edited photos. Then, it creates a profile and applies it to all the RAW files you upload. 

Reasons why I’m all over ImagenAI:

  • You can expect consistent editing results, such as skin tone and white balance, even with photos taken with challenging lighting. I find this impressive because AI in photography is still an evolving technology.
  • ImagenAI gets smarter the more you use (and train) the software. Once you’ve got the edited photos, you can add minor touches and reupload them to the machine learning module.
  • You might not have thousands of edited photos to train ImagenAI. Fret not. You can use its TALENTS profile, which consists of data from renowned photographers like Sarah Edmunds and John Branch IV.
  • It takes less than 30 minutes to batch process 1,000 files. An impressive feat for any photo editing software, AI or not. 
  • The only downside is that ImagenAI is not a standalone program. You must use it as an extension to Adobe Lightroom.

Pricing

You’ll get a generous free trial to process 1,000 images without paying anything. Then, you pay $7 per month, or 5 cents per photo, whichever is higher. 

Verdict

ImagenAI is a terrific bargain for busy photographers bogged down by manual editing work. Its machine learning processing is unrivaled and unbelievably affordable. 

What is an AI Photo Editor? 

An AI photo editor is software that helps photographers to save time while creating stunning photos. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning, to analyze and automate much of the workflow. 

Why Should a Photographer use an AI Photo Editor?

Photographers, professionals, and beginners use artificial intelligence photo editors for these reasons. 

  • It automates repetitive processes. No one wants to be stuck with hours ( or days) of cropping images or switching between different brushes. 
  • It lets you change the background with ease. If you’ve tried to do so manually, you know how it involves applying and aligning layers and masks tediously in the software.
  • It lets you upsize your photo beautifully. AI prevents your photos from turning into Roblox-like visuals by automatically reconstructing each pixel accurately. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can AI edit photos? 

Of course. AI has evolved to the extent that it can guide you or take up the entire editing process as ImagenAI does. 

Can you do layers in Luminar AI?

Not in a sense like what you get to in Adobe Photoshop or other professional photo editing tools. Instead, Luminar AI allows you to apply changes to a special Adjustment Layer.

What is the best AI photo enhancer? 

The answer lies in what you want to do to your photos. For example, AuroraHDR works best for landscape photos, while marketers in the fashion line might choose autoRetouch as the best AI photo enhancer.

Similar Posts