A Canva alternative built for editing photos, not templates
Canva is a design tool first — templates, social media graphics, presentations — with photo editing bolted on as a secondary feature, and some of its editing tools sit behind Canva Pro. PhotoJam is a photo editor first: real layers, real selection tools, nothing paywalled.
Open free editorStep by step
- 01
Skip the templates
No account, no brand kit, no design templates to work around — just a blank canvas or your own photo.
- 02
Edit with layers, not blocks
Independent image, shape and text layers with blend modes and adjustments, the way a photo editor (not a design tool) works.
- 03
Export, unlocked
PNG, JPEG, WEBP or PSD, no watermark and no feature gated behind a paid plan.
A photo editor, not a template tool with an editor attached
Canva excels at what it is built for: turning a template into a social post or a slide deck in minutes. Photo editing is available inside it, but it is a secondary feature layered onto a design tool, and some of the more useful bits — background removal, certain effects — are part of Canva Pro.
PhotoJam only does one thing: edit photos. Real layers you can reorder and blend, a magic wand and lasso for selections, adjustment layers, gradient and pattern fills, layer masks — the toolset a photo editor is expected to have, all free and all unlocked from the first visit.
It also imports and exports Photoshop (.psd) files with layers intact, useful if a photo needs real editing before it goes anywhere near a Canva template.
No account, no brand kit setup, no subscription tier to check before you can use a tool — open the site and start editing.
Frequently asked questions
Does PhotoJam have templates like Canva?
It has a small starter template gallery for a few common project sizes, but it is not a design tool built around templates — PhotoJam is a general-purpose photo editor: layers, selections, adjustments, and full manual control over a canvas.
Is background removal free in PhotoJam?
Yes, one click, no usage limit and no paid plan required — it runs an AI model directly in your browser.
Can I import a photo I already started in Canva?
Yes — export it from Canva as a PNG or JPEG, then open it in PhotoJam to continue editing with real layers, selections and adjustments.