Typically when I’m working with photos, I’m doing graphic design type work. I’ve been using GIMP for this. GIMP is meant for raster graphics editing.

You could also use Inkscape for vector graphics, or Krita for more digital painting type work. But I know all these tools are very powerful and overlap on some use cases.

Do you use any AI-type tools? I use a image upscaler called Upscayl. It works really well and works entirely locally.

Do you know of any tools that can remove backgrounds? This would help with help with the type of graphic design I do.

What other tools do you like to use as it pertains to images?

  • GIMP, Inkscape, Krita, Upscayl, ImageMagick, Background remover AI

    GIMP and Inkscape. I use GIMP for all kind of image editing off course, and use Inkscape to create logos and icons. Both great tools. I wish GIMP had a few basic shape tools too and non destructive editing. Soon we get non destructive editing in early future, but basic shape tools will be added in a later future.

    I have Krita installed too, but for general purpose editing and want to replace GIMP with it. Because Krita adresses some issues I have with GIMP, but it does not feel good in editing to me. Maybe I’m just not used to it, even after years of trying over and over again. It has extensive vector layers and non destructive editing, great, but the font tool sucks.

    I also have Upscayl installed since a while, to play around with upscaling images. First it was nice, but over time I’m no longer happy with it. Especially with higher end resolutions, the image contain unnatural and wrong parts that stand out.

    For background removal I use GIMP. Its a manual step with the integrated background removal tool, but you have to mask areas as foreground and background. If the image is not low quality and the boundaries are not too fuzzy, then it works well “sometimes”. But I assume you ask for a more easy to use and more automated tool, preferably an AI tool right? I have such a tool bookmarked, its a browser online tool, but never used it so far: Background remover AI

    As other tools, I use commandline converter and editor ImageMagick! Its nice to be able to script simple stuff and bulk edit them (20 thousand and more in a few minutes), such as crops from screenshots. Or at work I could create simple text based images out of a text file (it was for my shop back then… long time ago :-( ).