Free online image editing tools

Which editing tool should you pick?

Start with the problem you are trying to solve. If a form rejects your photo because it is too large in megabytes, use Compress Image. If it needs exact dimensions or a smaller width, use Resize Image. They are different things, and a photo can be fixed by one or both.

Crop Image removes the parts you do not need and can lock to a ratio such as a square or 16:9. Flip Image mirrors a photo horizontally or vertically, useful for selfies and for fixing reversed scans. Invert Image turns colors into their opposites, which helps with negatives and light-on-dark screenshots.

Blur Image softens a whole picture or a chosen area, and Pixelate Image turns faces, license plates or private text into a mosaic before you share a screenshot. Check the result at full size, since light blur can still be read.

Image to Text reads printed text from a screenshot or scan and gives you something you can copy. It works best on clear, straight text and is less reliable on handwriting or low-resolution photos.

When you combine edits, resize first and compress last, since each lossy save can reduce quality a little. Keep the original file until you are happy with the result.

Which edit fits which job

Most everyday photo problems map to one tool. If a job needs two edits, the order matters.

• File too big in MB for an email or form: Compress Image. In our test, a 2.2 MB, 12 MP photo became 324 KB at quality 75.
• Width or height too large for a site or app: Resize Image, which changes pixels rather than just file size.
• Faces, plates or private text to hide before sharing: Pixelate Image for a firm mosaic, Blur Image for a softer look.
• A square avatar or 16:9 banner: Crop Image first, then Resize Image to the exact size.
• A selfie that came out reversed, or a mirrored scan: Flip Image.
• A film negative or a light-on-dark screenshot: Invert Image.
• Text locked inside a picture: Image to Text, then copy the result.