In days past, to edit a photo, you needed to hop onto your desktop, open photo editing software, and get to work. Now, plenty of tools exist to help you add special effects to your photos, create simple logos, and so much more in just a few clicks (or taps). Picsart is perhaps one of the best.

Whether you’re looking for quick photo and video editing from your phone or laptop, Picsart is the free tool you can use to get the job done. But if you’re looking for even more tools, access to Shutterstock’s millions of stock photos, and watermark-free edited images, here’s what you should know about Picsart Gold.

I must admit from the get-go that I am not a trained photo or video editor. I could maybe point you to the Clone Stamp tool in Photoshop, but that’s the extent of my knowledge.

However, I do use photo editing tools in my day-to-day life for things like brightening a photo before sharing it on Instagram or creating simple infographics for blog posts. To me, the best tools are straightforward with easy features even novices can use. And that’s what I found in Picsart.

When navigating Picsart for the first time, I found it super intuitive and user-friendly. Everything you need, from templates to text, is located conveniently to the left in a simple toolbar. If you’ve ever used tools like Canva or BeFunky, you’ll feel comfortable in Picsart.

Putting Picsart to the Test: Simple Edits

When you open Picsart in your browser, there are various ways to start a new project. You can select “Create” from the top navigation, click “New Project,” or choose from the premade layouts under “Designing For.”

Infographics Made Easy

One thing you’ll notice when creating new designs in Picsart is how quickly your project comes together. For this infographic, all I did was select “Infographic” from the Layouts tool, changed the background color using the “Background” feature, and then added my elements using the “Text,” “Elements,” and “Stickers” tools.

All in all, this simple graphic took a whopping five minutes (at most) to put together. To add elements to your design, a simple click is all you need. Or, you can drag and drop. To resize components, just drag the object frame to your preferred dimensions.

With Picsart Gold, there are literally millions of images and elements to choose from, compared to the thousands available in the free version (more on this later). And I was thrilled with the number of fonts available.

Not sure what you want to create? No problem. Picsart has a ton of templates to choose from to get those creative juices flowing, from flyers to Zoom backgrounds. It also includes popular layouts so you don’t have to look up sizes for the perfect Facebook cover or email header.

Many Useful & Fun Photo Editing Tools

Whether you want to quickly turn a color photo black and white, or need to remove a busy background from an image, you can do it all inside Picsart.

To upload a photo into Picsart, simply select “Uploads” and go from there. Or, you can choose from millions of photos thanks to Shutterstock by selecting “Photos.” Yes, Picsart Gold includes access to Shutterstock for personal and commercial use.

After uploading or selecting a photo, you’re free to manipulate it as you see fit. For example, you’ll want to make sure to try out the “Effects” tool, which offers more effects than you could ever need. My favorite was the Glitch effect, which you can see in the image above. Cool, right?

Of course, you can also make any other change you’d like to your photos using tools such as:

Light: Switch up your photo’s brightness, contrast, shadows, highlights, and opacity Colors: Edit your photo’s saturation, hue, and temperature Details: Add some clarity to your photos Blend: Blend two photos into one via overlay, hard light, soft light, and more Animation: Make your photo fade-in, zoom out, and beyond Crop: Crop your image in any way you like

Easy-to-Use Video Editing Tools

Whether you need to create an Instagram Reel or a quick brand promo, Picsart can handle it all with ease. The video tools in the platform set it apart from other web-based editing apps.

To get started, all you have to do is upload the video you’d like to edit. Or, you can pick a video from the Picsart library. This is a great option for creating video snippets, simple slideshows, etc.

Once your video is selected, there’s a variety of things you can do inside the editor. For example, using the “Fit” tool, you can change your video to a format that works for a variety of platforms such as Facebook or Instagram.

You can also add various clips to the editor and add transitions to make them work together. Other video editing features include:

Trim: Trim your video in just a couple of clicks Audio: Upload your own audio to add to your video or choose from the Picsart audio library Text: Choose from simple text as well as complex text presets for your videos

To export your video, you’ll simply select “Export” in the top right of your screen on desktop. Various quality options are available, spanning from 360p to 4K for Gold subscribers. File types include WebM and MP4.

Notable Editing & Design Features of Picsart Gold

While the free version of Picsart includes a wide range of editing tools, Picsart Gold takes it to the next level, unlocking every feature of the extensive platform. Here are some of the most notable.

Choose From Millions of Stickers & Photos

One of my favorite things about Picsart Gold is the sheer number of elements included from stickers to photos. There are millions of images to insert into any design. Plus, the easy search feature makes it simple to find exactly what you’re looking for.

The added integration of Shutterstock is fantastic for finding high-quality stock photos for both personal and business use.

Remove Image Backgrounds in One Click

A standout feature of Picsart Gold is the Background Remover tool. With an image open inside the editor, select “Remove BG” from the top toolbar. Picsart will intelligently remove the background from your image with just a click.

Batch Edit Photos

Another key feature specifically for Picsart Gold subscribers is the Batch Edit tool. This is perfect for editing multiple images at once. Tools include a Resize function for changing the size of multiple images at once, as well as a Crop tool.

Save Up to 100 Projects at a Time

Using Picsart Gold, you can work on and save up to 100 projects at a time. This is more than enough storage space for anyone using the platform. Of course, deleting projects is easy if you happen to run out of room.

Mobile App: Editing Tools at Your Fingertips

Picsart offers a robust mobile app, too (available for iPhone and Android). It enables you to make quick edits to photos, create collages, and more right on your mobile device.

The mobile app includes many unique features you won’t find on the desktop version, including fun AI tools such as Hair Recolor (change your hair color in a photo) and Dress Up (change the pattern and color of your clothes in a photo).

As far as video editing goes, you can create slideshows inside the app quickly. Simply select the videos you wish to add to your slideshow and edit until you’re content. While the free version of the app allows you to crop your slideshow, add effects, and more, other advanced features such as the ability to add music from your mobile library to your slideshow require Picsart Gold.

Overall, the mobile app includes many features for editing photos and videos on the go. However, would I say it’s as easy to use as the desktop version? I don’t think so. For some edits, such as creating graphics, the mobile app can be a bit complex.

With the number of features and editing options, it’s just easier to find what you’re looking for on desktop. It’s also important to note that the free version does have ads. For more extensive edits, I recommend the desktop app. And if you don’t want to see any ads or want to unlock all of the editing tools on mobile, you’ll need Picsart Gold.

Should You Upgrade to Picsart Gold?

Picsart is a feature-rich photo and video editing tool that’s simple enough for anyone to use. But is upgrading to Picsart Gold the right choice for you?

The tools and capabilities hidden in this platform span way beyond what this review could ever cover. For beginners who are just looking for a way to add some quick effects to a photo, the features found inside Picsart Gold may be a bit overwhelming. The free version of Picsart might just be enough.

However, if you frequently edit photos and videos or want a platform to help you create more complex visual elements like infographics, social media graphics, logos, and more, Picsart Gold might be right for you.

Picsart Gold costs $4.66 per month ($55.99 billed annually). When considering the number of features available as well as the ability to edit photos and videos, it’s well worth that price. Not so sure? You can always take Picsart Gold for a test drive on desktop and mobile with the free seven-day trial.