Windows/Linux: Open-source image editor MyPaint allows you to draw and edit images in fullscreen mode, on a limitless canvas that grows with your image and eliminates pesky scroll bars. It also works with pressure-sensitive tablets and touch screens for the creative set.

MyPaint includes a wide array of extensively customizable brushes. There’s also basic layer support, color history, and a color palette that includes complimentary colors. Unfortunately, copying and pasting your work directly into external image editing programs isn’t supported, but you can save your images in common formats like PNG to import them into other image editors.

It won’t replace Photoshop if you need a feature-rich program but, being essentially a simplified Corel Painter, it offers an intuitive painting space. MyPaint is open-source freeware for Windows and Linux systems only.

Adjusting skin tones in photos can often be harder than adjusting for other colors, but Photoshop guru Helen Bradley has some quick tips for smoothing skin tones as effectively as possible.

If you’re having color problems with skin tones in a photo, Bradley suggests trying Photoshop Elements’ built-in tool specifically for skin. Go to Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust color for skin tone. Your cursor will turn into a dropper, prompting you to select a sample of the skin tone in question for it to fix. Simple, but it won’t always yield the best results.

When that’s the case, Helen suggests trying skin other than that on the face, since makeup can often give bad correction. She also suggests playing with the manual sliders that come with the tool—it’s not an exact science, but with a bit of tweaking, you can adjust any skin-related color problems.