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The best photo editors for portrait retouching (2026)
11 photo editors tools scored on the same public rubric, highest score first. These are ranked separately from our main skin retouching ranking, because they do a different job.
Ranking created by SGM Creative · How we rank
Adobe Photoshop
Layer-based raster image editor used for detailed portrait retouching, compositing and AI-assisted object removal.
Capture One Pro
Professional RAW editor known for tethered shooting and colour, with on-device AI tools for face, skin, blemish and stray hair retouching.
ON1 Photo RAW
RAW photo editor and organiser with layers, AI masking and built-in portrait retouching (Portrait AI), sold as a yearly version or by subscription and usable as a plugin in the MAX edition.
Adobe Lightroom
Cloud-synced photo editor for desktop, web and mobile with AI masking, generative tools, prompt-based edits and assisted culling.
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Desktop catalog-based RAW editor and photo organizer with AI masking, assisted culling and batch syncing of edits.
Pixelmator Pro
Mac and iPad image editor with non-destructive layers, a Repair tool for blemishes and machine-learning tools, now owned by Apple.
darktable
Free, open-source RAW developer and photo manager with a retouch module, wavelet-based skin work and optional local AI masks and denoising.
DxO PhotoLab
One-time-purchase RAW editor known for optical corrections and DeepPRIME noise reduction, with AI masks for people and facial features.
Affinity (formerly Affinity Photo)
Free all-in-one creative app from Canva that merges the former Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher, with a Pixel studio for layered photo editing.
GIMP
Free, open-source raster image editor with layers, masks, and clone and heal tools, used as a no-cost Photoshop substitute.
Photopea
Browser-based, Photoshop-style editor that opens PSD and RAW files and processes images locally on the device, funded by ads or an optional premium payment.