Web Graphics Software & Photo Image Editors

Jasc Paint Shop Pro is a cost-effective graphics editing alternative that is both powerful and easy to use and offers far more flexibility than template-based applications. It allows you to easily retouch, repair, and edit photos, offers automatic photo-enhancement features, and lets you create and optimize web graphics with drawing and text tools. You'll also be able to design cool web graphic animations with Animation Shop. The application saves you time with its productivity tools, including grids, guides, alignment, and grouping.

With a price tag under $100, Paint Shop Pro is a good choice for casual webmasters that only need to edit graphics every now and then, or just want to resize photos and the like. Its easy to learn and use, so you won't have to spend too much time figuring out how to do something that only takes a minute or two to edit.

Macromedia Fireworks MX was developed from the ground up specifically to meet the needs of professional web designers. Fireworks is a vector-based editing tool, but it also has the ability to function in bitmap editing mode. It offers tight integration with Dreamweaver, a popular webpage editor among professionals. It also integrates tightly with other Macromedia products for the web, including Flash, which is quickly becoming the standard for vector-based animation and interactive multimedia on the web.

All in all, Fireworks MX is the clear cut choice for the professional web designer who does not cross over into design for commercial print. It is a perfect companion program for Dreamweaver users, since you can just click on images while editing your pages and Fireworks will allow you to edit the image straight from Dreamweaver.

Adobe Photoshop 7.0 boasts an extensive set of features that allow photographers, web, and graphic designers to work more efficiently, explore creative options, and produce high-quality images for print, web, and other media. Create imagery with easier access to file data; streamlined web design; faster, professional-quality photo retouching; and more. Web designers can apply extra compression to images and exercise greater control over how transparency is maintained online with Photoshop 7.0's added output enhancements.

Photoshop is a must have for professional designers. Although it costs more than many other graphics programs, Photoshop is always on the cutting edge of professional image editing.