The best online Tools for Photographers in 2024

Online tools for photographers are designed to help your photos reach their full potential. Whether you send images to clients or share content on social media, good software can help you look your best. Many online tools not only improve the quality of your photos but also allow you to discover new professional opportunities. From marketing your photographic content to building a portfolio or protecting your copyright, anything is possible with the right digital tools by your side. 

Are you ready to level up your photography career in 2024? Then you're right here! Here are some great software tools that can help you along the way.

#1 CloudSpot Gallery Tools

CloudSpot is a crucial tool for photographers, allowing them to create stunning photo galleries, connect directly with customers, and provide a seamless shopping experience for managing image sales. In addition, it enables photographers to maximize their online portfolio or even create a mobile app.

Its key features are:

• user-friendly photo galleries
• easy photo storage and portfolio organization
• a digital storefront for client communication
• instant downloads for convenient photo sharing
• native shopping tools with no unexpected fees

Pricing plans are available from free to $34 per month.

#2 PicsArt

PicsArt is an all-in-one creative platform for photo and video editing, offering various design tools that appeal to a wide range of customers. The user interface is designed in a clear and intuitive way, making it easy for even absolute beginners to learn and use.

It provides highly customizable filters and advanced tools like layers, clone stamps, curves, and masks. In addition to graphic design features like drawing tools and clip art, PicsArt allows users to share their creations on PicsArt and other social media platforms.

Some of PicsArt's key features include:

• burst, time-lapse, front and back cameras, effects
• stickers, collages, backgrounds, drawing tools
• contests
• photo search
• Facebook integration
• artist listings, networking with other artists
• galleries of recent and tagged photos

It is a fun app to explore your creative side, with both free and premium versions available. The basic functions are offered in the free version, while more advanced features can be found in the paid versions. If you only need basic edits, the free version should suffice. PicsArt can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and the App Store. Its plans cost from $0 to $4,67 per month.

#3 500px

500px is a photography community and marketplace where photographers can share, discover, and sell their work. It offers a range of features for photographers, including the ability to upload and showcase their photos, discover and connect with other photographers, and sell their work through the 500px marketplace.

Some key features of 500px are:

• A sleek and modern platform for showcasing photos
• Tools for organizing and curating your portfolio
• A marketplace for selling your images as prints, digital downloads, and more
• A community of photographers for networking and sharing ideas
• Opportunities to participate in photo contests and challenges

500px offers a variety of pricing plans for photographers, including a free plan that allows you to upload and share photos and paid plans that provide additional features such as portfolio customization, advanced analytics, and increased marketplace visibility. Prices for paid plans vary depending on the level of service you choose. The most advanced plan e.g. costs $12.99 per month.

#4 SmugMug

SmugMug is a photo and video hosting platform that also allows photographers and other creative professionals to showcase, share, and sell their work. It offers a range of features for photographers, including customizable galleries, tools for organizing and curating your portfolio, and a marketplace for selling your images as prints, digital downloads, and more.

Some key features of SmugMug include:

• A sleek and modern platform for showcasing photos
• Customizable galleries and portfolio pages
• A marketplace for selling your photos as prints, digital downloads, and more
• Tools for managing orders and fulfilling print requests
• Integration with popular print labs and fulfillment partners
• A community of photographers for networking and sharing ideas

SmugMug offers a variety of pricing plans for photographers, ranging from a free basic plan to paid plans that offer additional features such as portfolio customization, advanced analytics, and increased marketplace visibility. Prices for paid plans vary depending on the level of service you choose.

#5  Adobe Creative Cloud Express

Perhaps every photographer has heard about Adobe Creative Cloud. It is a comprehensive suite of software tools for photo editing, graphic design, and video editing. Adobe Creative Cloud Express is a streamlined version of Creative Cloud that offers a subset of features designed for quick, simple edits and easy sharing of photos and graphics. You can also use it to create (Adobe-hosted) web pages to showcase your images and create content for social media, with templates suitable for various social media platforms.

Some key features of Adobe Creative Cloud Express include:

• A range of basic photo-editing tools, such as cropping, resizing, and adjusting exposure and color
• Templates and pre-designed graphics for creating social media posts, invitations, and other visual content
• Integration with Adobe's Creative Cloud platform, allowing users to access their photos and projects across devices and to share them with others
• The ability to save and share edited photos directly to social media platforms

Creative Cloud Express can be accessed as a web app on a laptop or desktop computer or as a convenient phone app. The phone app is user-friendly and easy to use.

The cost of Adobe Creative Cloud Express will depend on its specific features and capabilities and your chosen pricing plan. For iOS and Android users is Adobe Creative Cloud Express free of charge.

#6 The Photographer’s Ephemeris 

The Photographer's Ephemeris is a wonderful planning app that helps photographers plan and scout locations for photography. It allows users to see the path of the sun, moon, and stars and the sunrise and sunset times for any location.

Some key features of The Photographer's Ephemeris app include:

• Ability to see the progress of the sun, moon, and stars and the times of sunrise and sunset for any location
• Augmented reality mode for visualizing the sun and moon's positions in relation to the landscape
• Ability to determine the best days and times to capture the golden hour, blue hour, or northern lights
• Night mode, line-of-sight analysis, and visual search options (advanced features)

The app is available for iOS for $9.99. An Android version is currently being updated and will be available in the future. 

#7 Pixlr

Pixlr is a photo editing program popular among professional photographers and those looking for a fun way to edit their images.

Some key features of Pixlr include:

• Ability to paint, add text or labels, crop, rotate, erase, or pixelate parts of a photo
• Red eye and blemish correction
• Overlays to alter the mood and vibe of an image
• Double exposure feature for creative experimentation

Pixlr is available for free on Android and iOS devices and on the web. It is known for being a free online picture editor.

A premium version of Pixlr is available for purchase, called Pixlr Pro, which includes additional features such as advanced editing tools, templates, and the ability to work with raw files. The cost of Pixlr Pro varies depending on the subscription plan you choose. A free trial is available for those who want to try out the premium version before committing to a purchase.

#8  ON1 Photo RAW

ON1 Photo RAW is a photo editing software for both macOS and Windows. 

ON1 Photo RAW includes features such as HDR, effects, resizing, layers, panoramic,  focus stacking, and hundreds of presets, filters, textures, and borders. It is a helpful tool for organizing, editing, and creating effects on images.

Some of the key features of ON1 Photo RAW include:

• access to a stock photography library
• an AI-powered Auto Tone feature for improving the tone and color of an image
• filter effects such as color balance and weather filters
• portrait tools for retouching and enhancing photos of people
• masking tools with a variety of options, including the edge-detecting Perfect Brush.

As far as pricing is concerned, ON1 Photo RAW has a few different options. A one-time purchase option for $99.99 includes all the software features and free updates for one year. After the first year, updates can be purchased for $59.99 per year. A subscription option is available for $9.99 per month, which includes all the software features and free updates for as long as the subscription is active.

#9 Releases

Releases is a useful app that simplifies the process of managing model and property releases for photographers. Created by the company behind Snapwire, it allows models to sign industry-standard release forms and keeps them organized for the photographer.

Some key features of the app include:

• The app allows models to sign industry-standard release forms and keeps them organized for the photographer.
• Besides model releases, the app includes releases for property, allowing photographers to obtain permission to photograph private or commercial properties.
• The app allows all releases to be emailed as PDFs, making it easy to share and store them electronically.
• The app offers forms from major agencies such as Getty Images, Shutterstock, and Adobe Stock, ensuring that photographers have access to the forms they need.
• The app saves all information within it for easy retrieval in the future. It also integrates with popular cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox enabling easy file sharing.

Releases is a free app that can be downloaded on iOS devices.

#10 Fair Licensing

Fair Licensing is the service that helps photographers and photo agencies resolve copyright infringement cases in a fair and friendly way without involving a lawyer. With this tool, you can contact infringers of their copyright directly and make the infringer an offer to settle the case by purchasing a license from you. Fair Licensing enables photographers to maintain a good relationship with copyright violators and potentially turn them into customers rather than legal opponents.

Some of the key features of Fair Licensing include the following:

• Easy-to-use case management system
• Built-in evidence collection
• Email templates
• Settlement portal for collecting payments using more than 30 payment methods worldwide

Fair Licensing offers a free plan and more advanced plan with additional features.

Check out the Fair Licensing Copyright Guide for more information about Image Copyright.

Please keep in mind that this is just a sample of the various tools and platforms available for photographers. The ones that will be most beneficial for you depend on your personal requirements and preferences.

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