Sometimes you need to quickly edit a photo but don't want to bother paying for Photoshop or installing an unfamiliar desktop image editor. Photopea is a free, ad-supported application that runs entirely in the web browser. It offers many of the same features as the marquee photo-editing applications but does not require you to download anything or pay for an expensive user license.

Photoshop needs no introduction among photographers and other creative professionals. And there's a pretty great free alternative to Photoshop already: Gimp, an open-source photo editor that's very powerful. Why bother with Photopea in a world where that application exists?

Well, for one thing, Photopea runs inside a browser tab, meaning you can use it on devices you'd rather not install software on. For example: if you're helping a family member organize their photos and need to quickly edit a couple of them, it's easier to open a website than it is to install an entire tool they're never going to use again. The same thing goes at work: you might not want to, or have permission to, install software on a work device, particularly if editing photos isn't normally part of your job. Chromebooks are another example. Photopea is perfect for all of them.

To get starting using the app just head to Photopea.com—it's that simple. You don't need to make an account to use it. Just drag any photo you want to edit from your file browser and drop it into the browser window. Any image format is supported, including RAW files. You can also upload PDF files, though when I tested those, the results were mixed.