It's not often that we see a web browser become a fully-fledged OS. And yet, that's exactly what happened with Google's Chrome. ChromeOS, Google's lightweight operating system, started out as little more than hubs for checking e-mail and watching YouTube, but times have changed.

Chromebooks are a viable alternative to Windows and Mac laptops. Budget Chromebooks are great for basic browsing, streaming, and productivity tasks. If you need something that can handle more complex workloads, Chromebook Plus laptops have hardware that match what you'll find on high-end Windows laptops.

As such, there are plenty of options to store your photos. Editing your photos, however, can be a little more challenging. While Chromebook Plus laptops work with Adobe Photoshop, it's a relatively expensive option. Luckily there are plenty of Photoshop alternatives for Chromebook owners, and this list covers our favorite picks.

1 Krita - An open source alternative for illustrators and artists

Krita is an app purposed for artists, and it's the full app, perfect for a Chromebook. Krita provides an extensive selection of tools and features to express yourself in any way you can imagine. With Krita, you can create drawings, manga-style comic sketches, storyboards, and more.

2 Canva — A simple yet solid Photoshop alternative

Canva is the perfect app for anyone who wants to dabble in photo editing. The app features thousands of free templates and options for enhancing your pictures. These include the ability to crop, adjust brightness or saturation, or add background blur. You can easily arrange multiple pictures in a collage as well.

Canva also allows you to create mockups of your chosen design, either by putting it on a mug or a t-shirt. Subscribing to Canva Pro gives you access to additional features, such as premium templates and a one-click background remover. But other than that, even the free version won't pester you with ads or watermarks.

3 Infinite Painter — An app for illustrators that won't break the bank

Unlike Canva, which is purely a photo and video editing app, Infinite Painter is aimed at artists. Infinite Painter features hundreds of different brushes and pencils and just as many settings to adjust them. A minimalist interface allows you to pin your favorite brushes and quickly switch between them.

4 Lightroom Photo & Video Editor: A top choice for Photographers

Adobe Lightroom is among the best apps for passionate photographers. In addition, it has possibly the most robust assortment of photo editing features.

Lightroom allows you to edit both photo and video content, adjust things like exposure, saturation, and luminance, put on filters, or even change the perspective of the composition. Many of these features are free.

That said, you'll need a premium membership to access some of the more advanced features. These include the ability to perform video editing, masking, geometry change, and access to the app's cloud storage.

5 Pixlr — A perfect choice for people who love filters

Pixlr is a photo editor similar to Canva. You can easily play around with backgrounds and exposure, adjust the tone of the picture, or add text and other effects to it. Pixlr also allows you to arrange your pictures into a collage, with numerous layouts to choose from.

If you're looking for an abundance of options, Pixlr offers over two million different combinations of effects. There's a variety of pencils and brushes to make quick adjustments with. But Pixlr can also automatically fix minor blemishes, adjust skin tone, or remove red-eye effects. Oh, and beyond this Android app, there's also a progressive web app that also works great on Chromebooks.

6 Photo Editor Pro — A solid photo editor for Android that works on Chromebooks too

Photo Editor Pro features over 60 filters for adjusting the visuals of your photography. This also includes options for separately adjusting things like brightness, saturation, and warmth of the composition. There are over a thousand filters and two hundred visual effects to choose from.

If you want to go further, there are options for adjusting the shape and length of the body. You can even apply specific filters to make yourself look more cartoony. Have you ever wanted to look like an anime character? Then this is the app for you. Keep in mind the interface is designed for phones, but for quick edits of your photos, Photo Editor Pro works in a pinch.

7 PhotoRoom Studio Photo Editor — Our top pick for product photo edits

If you're in the business of running a marketplace, be it eBay or Etsy, you may want to take a look at PhotoRoom. This photo editor works similarly to many other apps of the kind but is more focused on e-commerce.

For one, PhotoRoom makes it easy to remove unnecessary elements from your pictures. With a single button press, you can remove backgrounds or specific objects or replace them with something else. PhotoRoom also allows you to enhance pictures with various effects and filters.

Certain features, particularly those aimed at resellers, require a purchase of a subscription. That said, there's a trial period in place, so you can find out whether you can make do with the app's free offerings.

8 Sketchbook — Another solid choice for people who draw

Sketchbook is a drawing app akin to Infinite Painter and Krita. This app features a plethora of tools, pencils, and brushes to guide you through the creation of an artful piece. There's a clean and minimalist interface in place that focuses on just the tools that you need.

Sketchbook touts itself as feeling just like the real thing. Meaning the app feels like drawing on real paper. Pencils and brushes behave like their real-world counterparts, too. If you're more old-school and reluctant to try your drawings on a digital pad, then Sketchbook could be the app for you on ChromeOS.

Accessible photo editing on your Chromebook

Chromebooks have come a long way over the past decade. As long as your device offers a touchscreen, which most contemporary Chromebooks do, you should have no problem installing and using photo editing apps.