9 Free Travel Photo Tools That Make You Look Like a Pro (No Skills Required)

Not everyone has the time (or budget) to master Photoshop or invest in a fancy camera setup. The good news is, you don’t need either. With the right free photo tools, you can level up your travel shots in minutes, even if you have zero editing experience and took the photo on your phone.

From quick-fix apps that brighten skies and sharpen details to AI tools that help you frame your shot or clean up distractions, these nine options make your photos look polished without the learning curve. With these mobile apps, browser-based tools, open-source software, and downloadable resources, these tools do the heavy lifting for you.

Free Photo Editing Tools

Photoshop Express Photo Editor

Adobe Photoshop is the most well-known software for photo editing. The full software requires an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, but Adobe also offers a free mobile app for Android and iPhone called Photoshop Express Photo Editor.

Although the app doesn’t include all of Photoshop’s tools and functions, it’s quite capable for a free app. You can improve photos by adding clarity and removing noise, fixing red eyes, or removing blemishes. The app also includes a selection of filters that apply different styles or looks to your photos. You can also add stickers and text to decorate photos.

Of course, AI photo editing is extremely popular, and this free app includes some AI-powered features. The AI photo enhancer will sharpen and unblur your photos. It will also generate images using AI or add elements to images with AI.

Lightroom Mobile App

Lightroom is Adobe’s editing software that was traditionally targeted more toward professional photographers. However, over the years, they’ve made Lightroom more beginner-friendly, including a free app for basic photo editing.

Like Photoshop, the full version of Lightroom requires a Creative Cloud subscription, but the Android and iPhone apps are free. Paying subscribers get additional features in the app, but the free version also offers a lot.

The free app includes photo editing tools for things like adjusting exposure (lightening or darkening the photo), contrast, color adjustments, and basic photo organization. You can also use a selection of presets that give your photos a specific look with just a tap.

Vecteezy AI Background Remover

Removing a photo’s background used to be complicated and time-consuming. Now, thanks to AI, it’s simple. Vecteezy’s free AI background remover handles it automatically in just seconds. Just upload your photo and it handles the rest. You’ll get a PNG file with a transparent background that you can save or move to another application. 

Vecteezy also allows you to take the image into their free online photo editor, where you can add text, shapes, and other elements (some features in the editor require a paid subscription).

This background removal tool can be useful for creating social media images, collages, YouTube thumbnails, or blog images.

Photopea

Photopea is a free browser-based Photoshop alternative. It includes more powerful and advanced features than free mobile apps. For example, Photopea supports masks, smart objects, and a wide range of filters. 

If you’ve used Photoshop, Photopea’s user interface will feel very familiar. The icons and menus are very similar, and the tools function pretty much the same as in Photoshop. 

The downside of Photopea is that it’s ad-supported. The ads can get annoying at times, but you can close or minimize them.

Darktable

Darktable is a free, open-source Lightroom alternative. It’s a great option if you work with raw files but don’t want to pay for a Creative Cloud subscription. Darktable is not browser-based, so you’ll download and install the software on your computer.

Lightroom users will find Darktable to be similar and familiar, so the learning curve is minimal. But if you’ve never used Lightroom or a raw photo editor, it may take some time to get used to Darktable.

Darktable offers non-destructive raw photo editing, tethered shooting, batch processing, and professional color management. If those features don’t matter to you, a basic photo editing mobile app may be a better option.

Aside from editing, Darktable also includes a digital asset manager (DAM) for organizing your photos. It offers similar features to what you’ll find in Lightroom’s Library module.

Polarr

Polarr is an online photo editor with free and pro options. It also offers mobile apps for iPhone and Android. 

The free version of the desktop editor allows you to crop photos, add text and shapes, apply filters, and make fine adjustments. You can work with color (temperature, tint, vibrance, and saturation), dehaze, exposure, brightness, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, vignettes, tones, and borders. Other sliders and functions require a pro account.

There are well over 100 filters available in the free version. You can preview thumbnails to see how your photo will look with each filter, and then click on one if you want to apply it.

Even though some tools and features require a pro account, the free version offers a lot. It’s a great option for easy photo editing that gives you plenty of control.

Preset Love

If you use Adobe Lightroom, Preset Love is an excellent resource. The site includes more than 300 Lightroom presets you can download and use with your own photos. They’re organized by style and theme, so it’s easy to find what you want.

The presets are free if you download them individually, or you can pay $7 to download the entire collection, plus some additional bonus presets.

VSCO

Do you love the film-inspired look for your travel photos? If so, VSCO is a great choice. They offer a limited free version of the mobile app with basic photo editing capabilities and a nice selection of presets that apply trendy film photography looks.

Although most of VSCO’s features and capabilities are restricted to paid plans, the free mobile app is fun for basic editing. You’ll also get a public profile where you can post your photos and join shared community galleries.

Canva

If you share your photos through social media, publish a travel blog, or have a YouTube channel, Canva is ideal for creating images using your travel photos. Canva’s free version includes templates sized for every social media site, plus YouTube thumbnails.

Canva Pro opens up many additional features and a huge selection of premium elements and templates, but the free version is sufficient for many users.

Final Thoughts

These free photo tools for travelers can transform your snapshots into scroll-stopping stunners without any fancy equipment or editing experience. With zero cost and pro-level results, there’s no reason not to level up your travel photography. Try a few out before your next trip to Thailand or the best greek islands, you might be surprised at just how good your memories can look.