PhotoScape is a fun and easy to use photo editing program that can be installed on Microsoft and Mac computers.
It is free to download and serves as a great alternative to Photoshop or Lightroom that are often too expensive and a bit overwhelming for beginner photographers.
PhotoScape is simple to install and comes with all the necessary tools like color, brightness, filters, and effects to make photo editing adjustments easily.
If you use a Microsoft 10 or Mac computer, you may want to check out PhotoScape X, the more advanced version of PhotoScape that has everything you need to edit photos like a pro.
In this tutorial we’ll cover how to download PhotoScape, how to get started and all the best editing options that it has to offer:
Downloading PhotoScape
To install PhotoScape editing software onto your computer go to the PhotoScape website and download the program.
Make sure you’re in the Free Download tab and click on the green button that says “Download Now Download.com”.
Note that if you see a giant green “Start Now” button – don’t click on it. That is a Google ad and will lead you to download some other random software. I accidentally clicked on it and a few steps in I realized that I was downloading the wrong thing.
Once you click on the “Download Now” button, it will download the PhotoScape Set Up icon onto your computer.
Just go to your Downloads and you will find the PhotoScape Set Up icon there.
Right click on the icon and select “Run As Administrator”.
You will get a popup asking “Do You Want To Allow This App To Make Changes To Your Device?” and click “Yes”. If you click “No” it won’t proceed with the installation process.
In the next window click “I Agree – Install”.
Next it will suggest that you download Google Drive. I already have Google Drive installed on my computer so I un-checked the box and clicked “Next”.
Then wait until the installing process has completed. Click “Finish”.
Once the download process is finished, PhotoScape should automatically open on your computer. If it doesn’t, click on the PhotoScape icon that should now appear on your computer’s Desktop.
Getting Started
Once you have downloaded PhotoScape onto your computer, the program is pretty easy to use. All of PhotoScape’s editing tools can be accessed from the tool bar or the tool wheel.
To edit images click on the Editor tab or icon and find your photo in the folder area on the left side. I use the “Pictures” folder to organize and easily access the photos that I want to edit.
In this tutorial, we’ll spend most of our time under the Editor tab since this is where all the necessary editing tools are located to crop your image, fix brightness, color, contrast and more.
Editing Photos
PhotoScape editing tools are perfect for those who are new to editing because it offers simple buttons and sliders to adjust photos easily.
Here are some of our favorite PhotoScape editing tools under the Editor Section.
Bright & Color
The first photo that we’ll edit was shot in a very dark setting so we’ll want to adjust the brightness of this image.
I’ll use the “Bright, Color” icon under the Editor -> Home tab to bring out natural light and add some more color.
Click on the “Bright, Color” button and it will show a few different slider options.
For this image we’ll increase:
- Deepen. This deepens the contrast between the light & dark areas.
- Brighten. The image is super dark so we’ll move the Brighten to 100% to lighten up the photo.
- Gamma Bright. This also lightens the image.
- Contrast. To make the image pop a bit more and look less washed out.
- Saturation. This will add more color to the photo but be careful not to overdo this button. If you add too much saturation, the image can start looking unnatural.
Once you’re done with all the changes click “Ok” to apply them. We can already see that the photo looks a lot brighter and more colorful, but we’re not quite done yet.
Backlight
Next we’ll use the Backlight tool to lighten up the areas that still look dark.
Click on the “Backlight” option and instantly we can see a lot more detail and vibrancy in the image.
Bloom
Lastly we’ll edit this photo using the Bloom tool.
This will add a bit of a soft blur and contrast to the image. You’ll see a preview of the photo where you can adjust the Level, Blur and Contrast sliders to add more Bloom or tone it down a bit.
If you’re pretty happy with the suggested version, click “Ok”.
Just by making these few simple edits we can see how much of a difference it makes in our “Before & After” photos below. Our edited image looks a lot brighter, more detailed and colorful.
Crop
After I’m done making color adjustments, I like to crop my images to eliminate any unnecessary open space and draw attention to certain subjects.
I shoot the majority of my pictures in vertical size and I like to crop them to a 4:5 ratio. The 4:5 ratio is the optimal crop size for Instagram so I’ve just gotten into a habit of always cropping my images to this size for social media and blog posts.
Top crop your images in PhotoScape:
- Select the Crop tab under the Editor section
- Select the Crop ratio such as 4:5 or “Crop Freely” to crop freehand
- Hold and drag over the desired area
- Release and move the selected section around as needed
- Double click or press “Enter” on your keyboard to apply the crop
Now the image calls attention to the subject instead of having tons of distracting space on the top and bottom.
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Resize
This photo was shot on my Sony a5100 camera so the image file size is quite big – 14.9 MB (you can see the file size under the image). If you don’t have a hard drive to store all of your images, these giant file sizes can start adding up pretty quickly and slow down your computer.
Unless you’re a professional photographer and sell images to companies or make prints of them, there really isn’t much of a reason to save images in this big of a size.
If you post images on social media, note that bigger file size doesn’t exactly translate into better images. All photos that get uploaded to Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or any other social media get compressed and reduced in size during the uploading process regardless.
When I’m done with editing my photos, I usually resize them for the optimal Instagram size 1536 (Width) x 1920 (Height). If I’m creating photos for my blog, I make them even smaller.
To resize your image, click on the “Resize” button under the Editor -> Home section.
Enter the size that you would like your image to be reduced to. You can enter either the Width or the Height number and the other side will be adjusted automatically.
Click “Ok” and it will change the image size. Now we have a finished image that is ready to be printed, saved or shared on social media.
Effects & Filters
PhotoScape has some really awesome filters and effects that can transform your photos into artistic images with just one click. In the next section we’ll take a closer look at some of the best filters and effects that PhotoScape has to offer.
Film Effects
Film effects are presets that will apply automatic adjustments to color and image settings to get a certain look. These are very similar to Instagram or VSCO filters that are meant to imitate the looks of old vintage films.
To check out the different effects that PhotoScape offers click on the “Film Effect” button.
In the next screen you’ll see previews of what your edited photo would look like with that specific effect.
When you find an effect that you’re happy with, click “Ok” to apply that effect.
Black & White
PhotoScape also has a few really cool Black & White effects that can be applied to images for an artistic look.
These filters can be found under in Editor section under the “Home” tab next to the other Effects & Filters.
Sepia – this will change your photo to a reddish-brown color. This tone is very similar to black & white, but a little bit warmer and more vintage looking.
Bandicoot – this is also a monotone color but with a grey-green tint to it.
Greyscale – this will turn your image into black & white by eliminating any color in it.
Black & White – similar to greyscale, this will also turn your image black and white but will also add a lot more contrast between the light & dark areas. Personally, I think that the Greyscale effect produces a much better image than the Black & White option.
Invert – this reverses color of the entire image so white turn black, black turn white, green turns magenta etc.
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Filters
Filters are editing tools that can really help you get creative with your images. By applying a few filters you can transform an image into a piece of personalized art.
We’ll continue with our wedding photo example and we’ll test a few different filters to get a cool vintage look.
Click on the “Filter” button and you’ll get a list of all available PhotoScape filters.
In this tutorial we’ll pick a few filters and apply them to our photo.
Antique Photo – this filter will make the image look antique by applying Sepia coloring and a worn out look to it. Click on the Filter box, hover over the Antique Photo line and click on “Antique Photo” (first option).
In the next pop up box, I selected Option #4 and Sepia Color Conversion but you have a few editing choices and each one creates a different look.
Noise – by applying the Noise filter you are adding grain texture to the image that looks like the image was shot on an old film. You can adjust the Noise slider from 0 – 255 to add more noise in the image. I suggest going with a lower number so it doesn’t look too overdone.
Vignetting – next we’ll add a little bit of vignette to this image to make the subjects stand out more. Vignette adds dark edges around the photo calling attention to the center of the image. We’ll go with Option 3 that adds a little bit of round dark edges and we’ll reduce the vignette level down to 70% just to tone it down a bit.
Frames
To give our photo a finished look we’ll add a frame around the image’s outer edges. Click on the Frame drop-down button and you’ll see the different available frame options. Test out the various borders until you find one that you like.
For this image we’ll go with Pocket 01 that looks like a frame out of an old photo album.
Before we move on, I’ll add a little bit of brightness to make the photo look a faded like it’s been sitting in a photo album for years.
Click on the “Bright, Color” button and slide the brightness up until you get a look that you like.
With these few effects we have created a beautiful vintage photo with an artistic touch.
Text
And lastly we’ll add a text overlay to this image. Click on the “Object” tab and select the “T” icon for Text.
In the white box area type in the desired text line.
In the Text section, you can change the font, size, color, bold, italic, underline, opacity and placement settings. I chose a font that’s a bit more feminine, updated size to 100 so it’s bigger and changed the text color to dark brown.
You also have the option to apply outline or shadow to the text but for this image, I just went with the basic adjustments.
Click “OK” and move the text around until you find a good placement. Whenever you are finished, just click anywhere outside of the text and it will save the changes.
If you want to go back and make further adjustments to the placement, click anywhere around the text and you’ll get the option to move the text around again.
Double click on the text and you’ll get the Text box option to make edits to the actual text.
Saving Edits
Whenever you’re done with editing your image, make sure to save the edits before opening another photo or closing out of the program. Click on the “Save” button on the bottom right-hand corner to save all the changes that you’ve made.
In the next screen you’ll have some options on how to save your edited photo.
Save – this will save all of the edits on the original photo.
Save in the designated folder – here you can tell the program where you would like the edited image to be saved like on your Desktop or in a specific image folder.
Save As – this will save a new image with the edits instead of overriding the original image. I usually choose this option in case I ever want to go back to the original photo and edit it in a different way.
JPG Quality – the quality is automatically set to 95% but I would suggest changing it to 100% to save in the highest quality.
PhotoScape is a super fun editing software that allows you to edit images easily with a few simple clicks. In this tutorial, we covered a few of our favorite editing tips but PhotoScape is packed full of awesome editing tools so your options are pretty endless.
Are you ready to get started with PhotoScape? Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below!
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how can i remove noise from the image?
Hey Goutam,
Under “Home” tab there is an editing button called “Filter”. If you click on that button, under the drop-down options there is a “Noise Reduction” tool that will help remove noise from an image.
Hope this helps!
Laura
Thanks for all the info, very helpful. My questions relate to what you do next. When I have finished editing a photo or series of photos can I directly export then to Google photos or put them directly in an e-mail. Both of these I used to be able to do directly in Picasa. Thank you.
Hi David,
When you’re done editing your photo you can save it by clicking on the “Save” button on the bottom right corner. Then you can choose the designated folder that you’d like to save your photo into.
From there you can upload your image into Google Photos or attach it to an email. But it doesn’t seem an option to do so directly from the PhotoScape program.
Laura
Can I re-edit my already saved project? I have been having to start over after I save-as. I can’t find a place to put my project when needing to switch to something else..
Thanks
Hey Amber,
It seems that with original PhotoScape program the only option is to save the image as a final product once you’re done editing. If you’re looking for a program where you can go back for later re-editing I suggest trying PhotoScape X. This is the newer version of PhotoScape program and under “Save” option you can save the project as an PSXPRJ format that allows you to re-edit the same image later on.
Hope this helps!
Laura
Hey there. I was wondering if you know whether there is a method of replacing one color in a photo with another color in the photo. (I am trying to make yellowing grass look green like other grass in the photo) It seems simple enough to replace a color with one from the single color bar in the “replace color” feature, but I would like to do it based off a color in the photo, not off the one sad little color bar they have.
Thanks!
Hey Tyler,
Try this method: Go to the “Editor” tab, then select “Tools” option and “Paint Brush” to paint over the yellow grass with a green color. Instead of using one of the the preset colors they have, use the “Color Picker” tool that’s located right next to it. Use the Color Picker to select a green color from your image and then the “Paint Brush” tool to paint over the yellow grass. Make sure to hold down Shift Key to paint dimly which will add a slight green color tone to your grass.
Hope this helps!
Laura
Excellent Software, I love Photoscape. Easy to learn and edit the things. It helps a lot for various things.
Hi – I would like to know how to select a particular letter in an image and change to different color. Only that letter has to be changed. Quiet urgent , can you guide me. Iam using 3.7 version.
Hi Kumar,
Are you trying to add new text or edit existing letters in your image? If you’re adding new text, you can edit color for text under Editor-Object-T(for Text). You can only edit color for the entire text block so if you want multiple colors, you just need to add multiple text blocks.
If you’re trying to edit color in an existing part of an image, you can do so by using Paint Brush under Tools. If your letters are small, select the smallest brush size and then simply paint over the letter.
Laura
I would like to know how to import photos from my Samsung phone. Can you help me please? I use Photoscape to edit all my photos but have to import them into Pacasa first. I have tried to find how to do this but have not been able to find out how to do it.
Hi Evelyn,
I personally use Google Photos to transfer my phone photos onto my computer for editing. I have my phone set to automatically back up to a Google Photos account so every time I open Google Photos on my computer, my phone photos are already there for easy download. I save any photos I like into a PhotoScape folder under Pictures and when I open up PhotoScape, they’re easily accessible there for editing.
Hope this helps!
Laura
Hello,
Can you help. I have been using PhotoScape X for sometime – primarily, I just crop and ‘Save’. For for-ever that has been fine but recently my cropped images ‘Fail to Save’ and I have to ‘Save As’ and change the name (I can’t even use the old name) (which is the name I want!). One time recently I did manage to correct this problem but I can’t remember how and the problem has now returned. I just want to crop and hit ‘Save’ (and save it in the original location, with the old name). Any ideas?
Titus
Hi Titus,
I’ve never personally experienced this problem before but from a quick google search it seems that other people have. According to a Microsoft thread it’s because PhotoScape is not always compatible with Microsoft Windows 8.
To fix this you will need to Uninstall PhotoScape and then re-install it with Compatability mode for Windows 7. You can click here to read the detailed thread on how to fix it.
Hope this helps!
Laura
Are the color in PhotoScape CMYK? If not, how to change them for printing in a book?
Hi Diana,
PhotoScape only saves images as RGB. It is pretty limited with certain editing aspects. If you want to convert your photos to CMYK, you may need to use another program like Photoshop.
Laura
I am using 4.0.2 Pro Version. I don’t see most of the buttons that you refer to in your examples. I am having problems saving my edited photos. once the photos are edited I seem to lose my original photo. What am I doing wrong?
Should I uninstall and then reinstall the version that I am using. I have paid for the Pro version and don’t want to have to pay again.
Hi Janice,
There are multiple PhotoScape editing apps and I believe you are using the PhotoScape X version. I have a different tutorial for that one here: PhotoScape X Editing Tutorial.
When you’re done with editing a photo make sure to select “Save As” under the Save options. Then name the photo differently than the original file. This will create a new photo instead of saving over the original photo.
Hope this helps!
Laura
I dowloaded the Photoscape to my new computer but this time I don’t get the originals file.
what went wrong?
Thank you
Hi Ora! Are you unable to access any photos from your computer? PhotoScape is an older program so maybe newer computers are not compatible with it. If it doesn’t work I suggest trying out their latest editing software – PhotoScape X.
Laura
I don’t know if you are familiar with using PhotoScape X as an extension within the Mac Photos app. What I’m trying to find out is whether or not PhotoScape’s Advanced Batch Rename function can be used within the extension. I’m familiar with what it can do as a stand-alone product. A number of years ago, in replacing iPhoto with Photos, Apple inexplicably dropped the ability to batch rename photos and append an ascending sequence of numbers to the file name. Can you shed any light on this?
Hey Brian,
I’m personally not familiar with the Mac Photos App. I use the PhotoScape Windows version.
Laura
Where do I find the unlocked content shown in the store?
Hey James,
I only have the free PhotoScape X version but I believe all the Pro Version tools can be found under the Editor Tab. If you click on “Adjustments” and scroll down, you’ll see the pro Version tools there like Curves, Levels, Color Balance, and more.
Laura
I wish to edit only a portion of the image but haventl located
and “lasso-type” selection tool to outline the area I wish to apply
edits to. Can this be done?
Hey Paul,
Under “Tools” there is an Effect Brush that you can use to apply edits to certain parts of the image. The effects are limited but you can do things like brighten, darken, blur, etc.
The above is very good. I want to use this and I understand much of what can be done. Now for the dumb question. I have over three thousand images in lightroom. I would would like to move to photoscape and certainly add new ones from my cameras. How do I import images into photoscape? If nothing else just new camera images?
To edit photos in PhotoScape, you can use the “Editor” tab. Then on the left-hand side, you can look up the location of the photos on your computer.
If you’re trying to edit new, raw images then you will need to use the “Raw Converter” tool that’s available on the Home Page. Open the Raw Converter, click “Add”, select the photos that you want to edit, and click “Open”. Then click “Photo Edit” and you’ll be able to edit a raw image as well.
Hi, I am having trouble in printing my documents. Because in the printer setup, my printer name/brand (whatever you call it) doesn’t show at all, printer is new canon pixmaMP230. Printer setup only shows “Fax” no other choice. Super confused on what’s going on. I hope you can help me. Thanks in advance!
Hi, are there “bulge” or “shrink” tools in PhotoScape? I found these tools very useful in Microsoft Digital Image Pro and can’t seem to replicate with PhotoScape. Otherwise it’s an awesome app and I appreciate your tips. Thank you.
I haven’t found that in the original PhotoScape program but PhotoScape X has a Liquify tool that can do that. To use this tool open PhotoScape X, go to Editor Tab, select “Tools”, then select “Liquify”. Then you can click and drag different parts of the image to make them bigger or shrink them. Then click “Apply” to apply the changes.
Love Photoscape!! I can’t find how to organize photos by date. If photos in my file are by date, in Photoscape they are Not by date. How do I do this please. Also it took me awhile to figure out how to delete photos is to right click on them. Too simple I guess, I was looking for a delete tab or something. Thank you, S C
There might be predetermined criteria for how photos are organized in PhotoScape.
If you want to change the order, try this: go to Batch Editor, then drag and drop the photos in the order that you want them to be. Then click “Convert All”, select “Create your output folder under the first changed photo” and “Save”. This will create a new folder where the images are organized in the order that you set them to be. Hope this helps!
My eyesight is not too good, how can I enlarge the editing page? I have used the 3 ‘7 version with windows 7 for many years but now use windows 10 and Google Chrome a reply by email would be nice.
If you’d like to enlarge the photo itself for editing in PhotoScape, you can do so by holding the “CTRL” button and clicking the “+” button at the same time.
If you want everything to look bigger on your screen, go to your desktop, right-click your mouse and select “Personalize”. Under Display, you can make everything bigger up to 150% or even 175%. This will change the size of apps like PhotoScape and other displays to be bigger.
I have the pro version of Photoscape but prefer using the simpler free version. I now have a problem with getting all the photos in a Pictures folder to download so I can edit them. Out of 60 photos it will only show 40. Do you know how to solve this?
Sounds like it might be a technical issue. I would email them at photoscapeteam@gmail.com.
Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful! Good luck, Laura
Is there a way to import photos from my i phone onto Photoscape
I usually save the photos on my computer first, then I upload them into Photoscape through the Editor tab.
Hello! I’ve just downloaded photoscape and edited something. I seem to have a problem where I can’t access to my folders. And when I tried to save I couldn’t do it because a box said it was a ‘read only’ file. How can I fix this?
When you go to save your edited image, select “Save”, then “Save As”. This should open up your folders and create a new file to save which could fix the issue.
i enjoyed this tutorial as i am new to photoscape. pls is it possible to change the background of my photo in photoscape? if yes, how do i remove and change the background
Yes, you are able to change the background of a photo in Photoscape. To do so follow these steps:
1) Open Photoscape and go to the “Combine Tab”
2) Select the photo that you want to change the background of along with the new background photo. Drag & drop them both into the blank grey space
3) In the right-hand toolbar select “Side” to show both photos next to each other. Save this new photo
4) Go to the “Editor” tab and open this new combined photo
5) Under “Tools” select “Clone Stamp”
6) Alt + Click to select the new background to copy & paste over the original photo. Change the Clone Stamp size as needed
7) Once you’re done, crop the image as needed
8) Save the edited image
hello – I edit my photos, then use save as to give them a new name in the same folder. But they are not there. Where are they please ?
Bob
When you click “Save”, you can specify which folder you’d like to save the image in by clicking on “Save in the designated folder” button. Or you can click “Save As” but be sure to rename it so it doesn’t override the original photo. Also, make sure you save the image as a JPG file otherwise it might now show up if it’s saved under another format.
I have created part of a 5×5 “Page” with different photos but it appears to save merely to a .jpeg that cannot be edited to add more photos. Is there actually a way of doing this, please, or must I only create a complete Page? (PhotoScape v.3.7)
PhotoScape X is a newer version of this editing software that allows you to save images as “Projects” that you can later go back and continue editing. In the original PhotoScape program once you save an image, you unfortunately can’t go back to re-edit it.
There is no way to contact Photoscape for support. I emailed them 6 times without any response. I tried all their different emails and nothing!! I do not recommend this software since there is no support whatsoever!
I’m really sorry to hear that! I’ve never had to contact PhotoScape support before. I hope they work out a better system for customers to contact them.
Laura
Your help with PScp has proved priceless in jump startling my editing pics journey. Where before I was sinking amongst PShop egos. Your site cut through the waffle, and got me confidently on the right road, for me.
My heartfelt thanks – Kate
Glad the post was helpful! Cheers!
on editing photos how do I manipulate the shape of the object in a photo? For instance how do I straighten out the back of a horse?
I’ve been using PhotoScape for a long time. I’ve always been confused by what exactly is Bandicoot.
Further information on the Bandicoot and Invert Effect’s. If possible, please.
Hi, I’m using PhotoScape X. When you instert an image into an existing image (eg into a Blank image coloured in a particular colour), i would like to add a border that does NOT have rounded corners. Do you know how to stop it rounding the corners? Many thanks!