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Softonic Rating:
Very good
License:
Free
Added:
January 18, 2007
Updated:
January 15, 2008
Publisher:
Website
File size:
1.61 MB
Downloads:
130,069
Cyril Roger

“Great freeware image editor and optimizer”

by Cyril Roger

Adobe Photoshop is any serious photographer or graphic designer’s application of choice but you’ll have to cough up quite a lot of bills to get it. Another solution is to use Photofiltre, a lesser known and more basic yet free and solid image editing application.

Photofiltre is a relatively small application and, unlike Photoshop, will install and launch very quickly. The interface, loaded with all the features and options, can be confusing at first glance, but after a short time,, you should be comfortable with it. The right side is composed of the shape and drawing tools and an optimizable color palette. The top bar has all the essential image editing and modification options. Photofiltre sadly doesn’t let you customize the interface and choose your favorite tools however.

Among all the image modification tools, we particularly liked the quick contrast/hue and saturation buttons because you can check out the effects and immediately and easily correct the image if you’re not satisfied with its quality. If you trust Photofiltre, you can also let it adjust these parameters automatically.

Like any self-respecting image editing application, Photofiltre includes the most widely used filters to transform your image, but if you need to make really significant changes, you’ll find yourself limited. Furthermore, unlike Photoshop, Photofiltre doesn’t include layers, making it more challenging to work on different elements of the image separately.

Like the excellent free image viewer Irfanview, Photofiltre covers the majority of image formats and can batch process and convert images rapidly. Photofiltre has five different zoom options yet we found them to be more or less similar. The magnifier is probably less precise than the drop down percentage pane, and the auto zoom adjusts the image’s size according to Photofiltre’s window size.

The image explorer is located at the bottom of the screen, and if you set it according to your image file you’ll be able to quickly preview all your pictures. However, if you work with multiple image files, it can quickly become confusing, as you’ll have to open up an explorer tree pane every time to look for your pictures.

While Photofiltre is miles away from the professional oriented Adobe Photoshop it’s an excellent free alternative. The program contains all the essential tools and options to edit and optimize pictures. It loads up very quickly and changes can be instantly previewed. Novice photographers or graphic designers can use it to cut their teeth on image editing before going on to more complex applications.

Languages:

English

Notes:

Free for private use

Recent changes in PhotoFiltre:

  • Bug fixing when saving the resolution value with Exif/JPEG data

Minimum requirements for PhotoFiltre:

  • OS: Win98/98SE/Me/2000/XP
Pros
  • Solid for a free image editor
  • Reads large amount of image formats
  • Quick batch convert/processing
  • Optimizable color palette
  • Quick contrast/hue/saturation buttons
Cons
  • Limited amount of filters
  • Unintuitive image explorer
  • Crowded and not customizable interface
  • Doesn’t include layers
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From the publisher of PhotoFiltre

PhotoFiltre is a complete image retouching program. It allows you to perform simple or advanced adjustments to an image and apply a vast range of filters on it. It is simple and intuitive to use, and has an easy learning curve. The toolbar, giving you access to the standard filters with just a few clicks, gives PhotoFiltre a robust look.

Its wide range of filters allows novice users to familiarize themselves with the world of graphics. You can find the standard adjustment functions (Brightness, contrast, dyed, saturation, gamma correction) and also artistic filters (watercolor, pastels, Indian ink, pointillism, puzzle effect). There are more than 100 filters to be discovered!

PhotoFiltre options

PhotoFiltre Options

Reviews of PhotoFiltre in other languages

Softonic Rating:Very good
8/10

User Rating

167 ratings
usability
  • Currently 8/10.
stability
  • Currently 8/10.
installation
  • Currently 8/10.
functionality
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appearance
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