Photographs are a piece of individuals’ lives in present-day times. They can be taken from phones, PCs, and cameras.
Sorting out and fixing them as per individual tastes can be difficult. Fortunately, numerous applications can help Mac lovers with these assignments. Various individuals have various necessities with regard to photograph altering.
There are a lot of photo editors available for Mac OS, yet it is truly difficult to get the best once for you.
In this article, I am going to give you a list of Top 10 and highly popular and well-rated photo editing software that you can use on your Mac. So, let’s get started.
For more information related to this topic, you can read my article written on how to choose the best photo editing software?
The Best Photo Editors in 2021 For macOS
After my research for the best photo editing software for Mac, I am going to give you the most suitable photo editing software which will suit you best even if you are a beginner or professional.
1. Photos for macOS
Being an inbuilt photo editing app for iOS and Mac, Apple Photos is a great option to choose for normal editing tasks.
It works superbly at sorting out your photographs, yet their collection of photograph improvement tools leaves much to be desired.
The app was firstly launched in 2005. From that point forward, it is established its reputation for being the best photo editing apps for Mac. Along with its amazing interface, the users are free to use iCloud and keep their albums regularly updated to the cloud.
Also, as an implicit Mac application, it is genuinely, completely free — which is the reason we are glad to name it the best photo editing manager.
Once the data is stored in iCloud, you can get it on iPhone, iPad, iPod contact, Apple TV, Mac, iCloud.com, or on a PC. At the point when you alter and arrange pictures in the Photos application, your changes are kept with the latest and can be viewed all over.
Primary Photo Editing Features of Apple Photos:
- Easy to use tools for exposure, contrast, brightness, rotate, crop, etc.
- Edit RAW images from iPad or iPhone.
- Add excellent filters including mono, Silvertone, vivid, Vivid Warm, Dramatic, etc.
- Add texts, shapes, graphics, sketches and signatures
- Add third-party photo editing extensions.
Drawbacks of Apple Photos:
Since Apple Photos is more like a photo collection platform just like Google Photos, you can use it more adequately to browse through your clicked photos.
For general editing tasks such as cut and crop, it is a suitable platform, but if you have some advanced requirement, this software is not made for you. However, you can try adding third-party addons to see if it work for you.
Price: Free
2. Pixelmator Pro
Pixelmator Pro is a photo editing tool for Mac application created by two Lithuanian siblings and dependent on a mix of open source and Mac OS X innovations.
The application not just brings a huge collection of tools for editing photos but also allows you to use other features like retouching, graphic designing, painting, etc.
Pixelmator appears in pretty much every discussion about the best free photo editors for Mac. This product is ground-breaking and adaptable, with layer-based usefulness that engages clients to make designs just as edit photographs.
A stunning element that Pixelmator offers is the naming of layers imported from outer documents by their substance. This is given by the methods for the neural system.
Comparative innovation is engaged with the choice of tools, permitting you to all the more precisely discover the limits of articles, delete, offering improved execution while deleting pieces of the picture that are not required.
Primary Photo Editing Features of Pixelmator Pro:
- Amazing color picker tool along with Hex, swatches, and eyedropper.
- Easy to replace missing fonts
- Drag to select and move objects
- Suitable for graphic designing and painting
- A lot of non-destructive effects
- Machine Learning and advanced layout capabilities
- Share one app with up to 6 family members
Drawbacks of Pixelmator Pro:
Since it a paid software, the features are not so much extensive. As compared to it, you can use Figma, Affinity Photos and other popular photo editors to have some other amazing features at less prices and even for free.
Pricing Plans:
- Pixelmator Pro: 39.99 USD [One-Time]
- Pixelmator: 4.99 USD [One-Time]
3. Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo offers useful tools, resolution-independent editing features to the professionals and beginners both. But, this software is most suitable for professional editing works.
Affinity Photo supports unlimited layers, groups, layer adjustments, filters, masking, and more: you also have access to tools like dodge, red-eye fix, burn, blemish, clone, and patch (so pretty much Photoshop without all the convoluted bells and whistles).
Granted as “Apple App of the Year,” Affinity Photo is stacked with crazy highlights that can staggeringly change your photos.
It is various expert tools, impacts, and filters that encourage you to get innovative with your photographs. Among the coolest highlights, Affinity Photo brings to the table is a when viewing to contrast the original photograph and their edited version.
Primary Photo editing features of Affinity Photo:
- RAW Editing is Supported.
- HDR Merge and Panorama Stitching.
- PSD Editing, 360 Degree editing Features are available.
- Support Image size more above 100 MB.
Drawbacks of Affinity Photo
There are no serious drawbacks to Affinity Photo if you want to use it for general editing tasks. However, it lacks in several tools such as lens-correction and creation of custom workspaces.
Pricing Plans:
25 USD Approx. [With Trial Period]
4. Luminar
Luminar is an all-in-one photo editor tool with its amazing RAW photo editing features. It is focused on the two tenderfoots and experts the same, thanks to their natural and adjustable interface that has something for everybody.
Luminar is a full-fledged photograph editing tool for Mac which is additionally the least demanding to utilize. The channels permit you to get very close to your final product with only a single tick. From that point, you can make the minute adjustments to get your ideal photograph.
Luminar 2018 offers the majority of the highlights that a beginner photographer requirements for photograph editing. It has new channels, speed up, and a committed RAW handling module. Luminar adjusts for a handier work process by methods for versatile toolbars and highlight segments.
Luminar flaunts 60 or more channels for greatest outcomes with the least time and dabbling. The application accompanies all the photograph altering tools in proficient evaluation programming, including layer usefulness, changing and cloning, and an assortment of flexible brushes.
Primary Photo Editing Features of Luminar:
Additional plugins for Adobe and Apple products.
AI power sky replacement, skin enhancer, and portrait enhancer tools.
Sunrays tool
Smart Contrast and correction tools
Noise removal, detail enhancement, and batch processing.
Drawbacks of Luminar:
Impressively, there is no major drawback of Luminar except its weak performance while editing RAW images. However, if you have a decent computer with good configuration, you will not see this issue.
Pricing Plans:
Luminar 4: 49 USD [New User]
Luminar 4 Upgrade: 39 USD
5. Adobe Photoshop Elements
Adobe Photoshop Elements is another great photo editing software. It is accessible for PCs and Macs; it likewise has a delicate expectation to absorb information for novices, just as huge amounts of highlights to capitalize on your photographs.
Photoshop Elements is not as moderate as other photograph enhancers for a beginner photographer. Photoshop Elements obtained numerous amazing highlights from Photoshop, just Elements is improved for amateur photographers and enthusiasts.
It incorporates a decent number of impacts and channels, plus automated editing options for improving lighting, shading equalization, and exposure, and in any event, opening shut eyes and diminishing the impacts of camera shake.
Adobe Photoshop Elements is Adobe Photoshop portfolio software that was intended for photograph altering and holds their situation among the best applications for mac photo editing firmly. It is less difficult in certain highlights, yet this does not make it too simple to even think about understanding.
Primary Photo Editing Features of Adobe Photoshop Elements:
- Remove objects using 55 guided edits
- Automatic colorization
- Automate photo editing with Adobe Sensei AI technology
- Select object with one click
- Easy to organize photos and share them online
Drawbacks of Adobe Photoshop Elements:
You can’t connect Adobe Photoshop elements to Photoshop cloud documents. Also, no lens geometry profiles and local help system is there. The software will give large disk footprints too.
Pricing Plans:
Trial Period is available
Adobe Photoshop Elements: US$99.99
6. Fotor
With this amazing web-based photo-editing platform, you can without much of an effort can modify the difference and shade of progressively cleaned out photographs, include outskirts, tilt and move your pictures.
It also includes distinctive content, thus considerably more, all from the simple to-discover tool kit on the correct side of the application. You can even make collages of your photography perfect works of art!
The program has four working modes: Photo Editor, Touch Up, Collage, and HDR, which produce a ton of room for work. Worth saying, Fotor supports controls with RAWs, which is once in a while offered by free applications for photograph altering.
Fotor is intended to be a direct, simple to-utilize photograph altering stage with one-touch results. It is genuinely very simple to learn which makes this an incredible picture editing application for amateurs.
Fotor brings enough tools that you would not think that it is dragging you down except if you are a professional client.
Primary Photo Editing Features of Fotor:
- HDR Editing
- Graphic Designing is also supported
- Beauty Retouching features
- 1-tap enhance
- Background remover with Blur effect
- AI Photo effect
Drawbacks of Fotor:
Fotor is a perfect online tool for simple and some sorts of advanced editing tasks. However, with its free trial, you get very few features to use. Also, Fotor lacks some features which you will get in GIMP.
Pricing Plan: US$8.99/Month
7. GIMP
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open-source photograph editor that is cherished by numerous individuals for its capacity to assist you with getting in the tool and change the source code of the program to best meet your requirements.
You can add layers to your photographs, alter and change hues, modify contrast, crop, change immersion, and so much more.
GIMP is an open-source photograph editor that permits you to do different altering activities, for example, Manipulation, Retouching, and Designing creative.
Primary Photo Editing Features of GIMP:
- High-quality photo retouching and restoring.
- Customizable editing user-interface.
- Photo enhancement and hardware support
- Easy to install and use third-party plugins
Drawbacks of GIMP:
Because of the availability of a lot of features and editing tools, the user-interface becomes very cluttered. Also, using this software as a beginner can be tough for some people.
Pricing Plan: Free
8. Picktorial
Picktorial is a free photograph editing programming tool with a set-up of great features. The inbuilt photograph association tool is a pleasant touch, and the filters and impacts hold their ground against increasingly costly photograph altering programs.
Picktorial also adds the capacity to batch apply edits to numerous photographs by duplicating editing from one picture and sticking them to at least one different shots. You can likewise batch export pictures and make presets for indicating parameters, for example, filename, size, organization, and quality levels.
Its non-destructive editing features make editing simple and smooth for the users. Also, this software allow you to create amazing effects in your photos by allowing you to easily customize lights, contrast, brightness, sharpness, etc.
Primary Photo Editing Features of Picktorial:
- RAW image editing is supported
- Easily organize your photos and edited projects using its DAM (Digital Access Management)
- Easy to use editing tools for beginners
- Excellent patch tool to remove unwanted areas
- Smart retouching brushes
Drawbacks of Picktorial:
The assistant viewer in Picktorial is not synced with the editing pane. Also, the software may perform worse while you edit RAW files.
Pricing Plan:
Free Version is available
Premium Version: US$4.99/Month
9. Movavi Photo Editor
With features like AI upgrade and area choice, Movavi Photo Editor is another splendid choice that works admirably of altering photographs. You can make changes utilizing AI with only a tick of a catch. Moreover, you can likewise apply delightful and adjustable frames.
Movavi Photo Editor is a quick, straightforward and genuinely useful picture editorial manager contrasted with most photograph editor applications. This is a program with very amazing photograph improvement highlights, with an exquisite interface and compelling work process.
It has Enrich hues and improves contrast in a solitary click. Artificial intelligence will advance your pictures. Movavi Photo Editor offers countless tools that can perform straightforward tasks like cropping, offers filters and effects, just as increasingly complex ones, for example, essential picture modifying.
Primary Photo Editing Features of Movavi Photo Editor:
- Smart AI Adjustment
- Detail enhancer tools
- Easy to remove unwanted areas and objects
- 17 Different photo retouching tools
Drawbacks of Movavi Photo Editor:
If we look at its pricing plan, Movavi Photo Editor has limited number of frames and background templates. Also, I don’t like its auto-selecting tool because it is not very accurate.
Pricing Plans:
Photo Editor: US$22 Approx.
Photo Editor+Photo Manager: US$34 Approx.
Photo Editor+Photo Manager+Slideshow Maker: US$37 Approx.
10. PhotoScape X
One of my top choices from this list is PhotoScape X. It is very easy to use editing tools that can create inconceivably better your photographs. There resembles 90% more to it that you truly need to find. This adaptation of PhotoScape is allowed to download, so there is nothing to lose.
This is presumably the most Photoshop-like application for the Mac, which can be downloaded from the App Store and is viewed as extraordinary compared to other free Mac applications for photograph altering. PhotoScape has nearly all that you may need to see, upgrade, alter, and print or simply having a ton of fun with photographs.
Primary Photo Editing Features of PhotoScape X:
- Lots of editing tools including RAW editing
- Distinct filters and color correction tools
- Batch resize, rename, and format change
- 290+ frames and 240+ shapes
- GIF creator tool
Drawbacks of PhotoScape X:
With its free version, you get limited editing features. Even after opting for the paid plan, the software lacks in different verticals of photo editing.
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