IMAGE MANIPULATION:
Image Manipulation refers to the act of transforming images to arrive at the desired
output. Through the art of photo manipulation, you are able to transcend your image into a true
piece of art,
Whereas, image manipulation can be done through the use of various image editing
tools or software.
It is a blend between photography and graphic design. Designers use numerous effects
to transform an image into a remarkable one, their aim is to bring realism into an unreal picture.
Principles and Basic Techniques of Image Manipulation:
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Background Color – you can change the background of it does not match the image or
the totality of the presentation. You can also add effects to the background.
Multiple Images – you can combine multiple images to make a point or use to highlight
your message.
Shadows – Using shadow effect will make the image realistic
Proportion – when combining images, resize the image to make it proportionate and
realistic.
Blending Color – use color blending to match the background with the other elements in
the page.
Texture – adding texture allows you to blend different images. Textures add to the depth
of your art. Blending will allow smooth transition of one image to another.
Emphasis – there should be focal point to a page that will attract viewers. The element
you want to emphasize should be big, sharp, and most vibrant in your design.
Here is a few software commonly used for Photo Manipulation –
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Adobe Photoshop
Affinity Photo
Cyberlink PhotoDirector 365
Luminar AI
inPixio Photo Studio
Pixlr
Corel Paintshop
Adobe Lightroom CC
Photoshop Elements
GIMP
Basic Techniques of Image Manipulation:
There are various ways to manipulate images:
 Resizing
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Color Adjustment
Brightness & Contrast
Combined text and photos
Cropping
Balance
Added Effects
Online Graphics Software
1. Design Wizard
If variety is the spice of life, Design Wizard is the tastiest graphic design software option on the
menu—and one of the most accessible. With its deft attention to visual detail, Design Wizard
offers thousands of aesthetically pleasing templates for both social media and print, as well as
over a million high-quality images (including icons, vectors, and transparent images).
The expertly curated visual library is updated daily and is chock-full of endless video, illustration,
and graphics options. Everything is licensed and completely ready for commercial use
And with a range of packages from Basic (free!) to Business ($49.99 monthly), every budget is
welcome.
Design Wizard at a glance:
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Best graphic design software for beginners
1,000,000+ premium images
15,000+ templates
Template options for both print and social media
Affordable and scalable pricing
Custom template resizing and other free personalization capabilities
Integrations with Hubspot, Marketo, and Buffer
2. BeFunky
Anyone can create captivating, professional-grade visual content with this free graphic design
software. BeFunky’s main offering comprises three creative tools that are simple enough for
beginners but powerful enough to tackle a variety projects: Photo Editor, Collage Maker, and
Graphic Designer.
BeFunky’s “fun and functional” design software proves that you don’t need a background in
design to produce stunning results. With the option to work from beautiful pre-designed
templates or build your own from scratch, there’s a ton of creative flexibility.
BeFunky at a glance:
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Free graphic design software
Quick, easy, and enjoyable to use
1,000,000+ free stock images easily accessible (thanks to a partnership with Pixabay.
Make banners, infographics, flyers, posters, brochures, and more
Design on the go with the mobile device app
Upgrade to premium BeFunky Plus account any time
3. Canva
What if creating a beautiful visual canvas was as easy as drag-and-drop? Canva makes it
possible by prioritizing simplicity, variety, and affordability.
When you visit their website, you will be asked to indicate what you’re using Canva’s design
software for—education, small business, large company, non-profit, and so on. Canva wants to
provide an excellent experience for designers of all kinds.
Billed primarily as a photo editor, Canva is a veritable Swiss army knife: it also works as a color
palette generator, font selection tool, photo collage assembler, and infographic maker. It also
features hundreds of free design elements for every project. Canva even provides online
educational resources.
Canva at a glance:
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Impressive functionality for free graphic design software
100+ free design elements and fonts
A diverse range of print, digital, and social media templates
Templates are easily customizable and resizable
Most tools are mobile-friendly and available as iOs and Android apps
Upgradable to Premium based on needs and business growth
4. Pixlr
A powerful and intuitive (and did we mention free?) alternative to Adobe Photoshop, Pixlr also
appears on many lineups of the best free online photo editors. With over 500 million users,
we’re not the only fans.
But Pixlr also holds its own as a solid free graphic design software option, especially for
beginners who don’t want to invest too much time and money or learn a complicated application
straight out of the gate.
You can get started creating and editing beautiful images with Pixlr’s robust toolset in literally
minutes, directly in your internet browser or via iPhone or Android apps—without any
convoluted installation process.
Though Pixlr is especially incredible for editing photos on the go and provides a free vector
editor and an array of free fonts, graphics, and stock images, many advanced features require a
Pixlr Pro account. Luckily, it’s a small price to pay, as far as online graphic design software
goes, at just $5 a month.
Pixlr at a glance:
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Excellent free alternative to Adobe Photoshop
Easy to use for beginners with no installation required
A variety of free fonts, graphics, and stock images
Design on the go with iPhone and Android apps
Supports five popular file formats (.png, .jpeg, .jpg, .bmp, and .tiff)
Uses its own file format (.pxd) for easier editing
5. VistaCreate (formerly Crello)
With an astounding image archive of over 65 million files, 12,000 templates, and hundreds of
fonts, VistaCreate is a frontrunner for most professional graphic design software options on the
list. With expertly created templates that can be customized in a simple and streamlined way,
VistaCreate makes designing enjoyable.
This design software can help you create an extensive array of aesthetically stunning designs
for print materials, digital ads, and social media posts. You can even create animated graphics.
Visual assets are organized into themed collections to help inspire you.
If there’s enough wiggle room in your budget, we suggest checking out VistaCreate Pro; it’s only
$10 a month. Featuring unlimited commercial use without VistaCreate watermarks or branding
and access to advanced functionality, it can be well worth it.
VistaCreate at a glance:
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Professional graphic design software quality that’s still easy to use for beginners
An extensive and unparalleled library of free images, fonts, templates, and s
Features a gallery of design formats and themed collections to stimulate creativity and
inspiration
Help resources, tutorials, and how-to guides
A high-value Pro option at an affordable price
6. Snappa
The best graphic design software for beginners is one that makes designing feel like a snap.
Enter Snappa, the graphics software that will allow you to design like a pro.
Snappa breaks down the design process into easy, actionable steps. You can find the perfect
image dimensions (whether it be for a blog, ad, email, or social media platform) in one click,
choose from thousands of crowd-pleasing templates in the blink of an eye, and take advantage
of over 500,000 beautiful, high-quality stock photos in seconds.
You can also connect your Buffer account to Snappa to pre-schedule your posts, add a variety
of text and effects to images, resize graphics for cross-platform posting, and make use of many
other desirable free features.
Snappa at a glance:
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Quick and easy to use
500,000+ high-quality stock photos
Free option includes access to templates, graphics, and five downloads per month
Integrates with Buffer for post scheduling and more (for Premium accounts)
Highly scalable with Starter (free), Pro ($10 per month), and Team ($20 per month)
options
7. Infogram
A popular online graphic design toolkit, Infogram transforms charts, graphs, maps, graphics,
dashboards, social media visuals, and more into little works of art. Infogram’s design appeal
spans several industries including the non-profit sector, online publishing, education, and
government, helping all kinds of businesses develop their own brand themes. Select from over
20 professionally designed themes or go rogue with your own color palette, logo, and fonts.
Infogram’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor allows you to plug in your data and transform it into
something aesthetically beautiful and impactful—quickly. Along with personalized design
options, there are also various pricing options for every creative, entrepreneur, business, and
enterprise.
Infogram at a glance:
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Used by over 30,000+ companies worldwide
1 million images and icons
Data integration
Easy data integration: import from a spreadsheet or cloud service
Five different pricing options make it very scalable
8. Tinkercad
Take your 2D ideas and bring them to life with Tinkercad, an effortlessly simple online graphic
design toolkit for creating innovative 3D designs and coding. Catering to designers and
creatives of all levels, Tinkercad is absolutely free. You can get started immediately—nothing to
download, no lengthy installation process.
With an irresistible gallery of designs conceived by a community of creators to spark your
inspiration, you’ll be itching to start learning 3D design. Tinkercad’s motto? “No experience
preferred.” Get started with Tinkercad’s learning resources and you’ll never look back.
Tinkercad at a glance:
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100% free
Innovative collection of graphic design software tools for 3D design
Educational resources are an ideal introduction to Autodesk, the leading 3D design and
engineering software
A community creators gallery fuels inspiration
9. Gravit Designer
You might already be familiar with this free graphic design software under its previous name,
Gravit. Billed as a “cross-platform design tool for the 21st century,” Gravit Designer delivers the
goods.
Whether you use it online or download it as an app, Gravit Design is an incredible resource for
vector design and comes with a seriously robust toolkit. Icon designs, logo presentations,
illustration work, , text integration? You’re covered.
Designed for simplicity and ease of use, the platform is still granular enough for a wide variety of
projects. A serious perk for busy designers is the Gravit Cloud service that will let you design on
the go from any device, anywhere with internet access. Talk about a productivity boost!
Gravit Designer at a glance:
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100% free
Choice of using online or via a downloadable app
Cross-platform functionality
Robust toolkit for vector design
Can export files as PDF, SVG, or bitmap
Gravit Cloud services facilitate on-the-go design work
10. Vectr
Vectr is a free graphic design software for creating beautiful vector graphics that is both elegant
and easy to use. Simple and streamlined, designers at any level can jump right into their work
without any pesky learning curve.
Another great cross-platform option, Vectr will sync your projects in real-time so you can begin
designing at home on your desktop web browser and continue later on your iPad. It’s a
completely seamless experience. What’s more, you can grant collaborators access to your
document so that they can watch you create and edit as it happens.
Whether you’re working on website design mockups, brand logos, presentations, brochures,
posters, and more, your designs will look crisp and clear—no matter the size. The sky’s the
limit!
Vectr at a glance:
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100% free
Intuitive and easy to use
Seamless cross-platform capabilities
Share and edit documents with collaborators in real-time
High quality designs at any size or scale
Free user guide and tutorials
Other software:
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Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Fresco
Adobe Illustrator
Canva
Procreate