If you want to enhance your pictures by making them look more professional, try using one of these photo editing apps for Mac. They are especially helpful when you need to crop images, change exposure and color settings, adjust white balance, apply filters, remove small imperfections, etc. Some of them also work as decent photo restoration software. These are the best photo editing applications that can be used by professionals and novices alike.
You can create highly qualitative scalable vector (SVG) graphics, using any text editor. SVG converters make the process of converting SVG to any file format and vice versa easier. They allow for easy and quick file conversion online or using desktop apps.
The choice of the best photo editing apps for Mac directly depends on your needs. Some of them are more useful for photographers and retouchers while others have been created specifically for designers. There are also basic and free photo editors that will help you enhance photos for your social network account.
Verdict: The key selling point of Affinity Photo is its ability to split photo editing into different stages, similar to Lightroom.
There are five of them: Photo, Develop, Liquify, Tone Mapping and Export. The Photo section contains basic photo editing elements, and anyone will hardly be surprised by it.
Layers, masks and image correction tools: starting from exposure up to manipulations with colors on the HSL-panel. The Develop section is handy for the RAW files processing. It resembles Adobe Camera Raw a lot.
Verdict: Some users choose Luminar Neo because of its amazing image processing speed, while others are totally in love with how simple this program is. Another highlight of the software is its fantastic collection of presets that expedite photo editing even more. Unlike other apps that rely on meticulous and time-consuming manual photo editing, Luminar Neo makes it possible to complete advanced tasks in a super quick manner.
Being one of the best photo editing apps for Mac, it can work independently or expand the functionality of Lightroom and Photoshop if you install it as a plugin. The catalog-style UI is well-designed and will satisfy novices, hobbyists, and seasoned users. The time required for mastering this software is extremely short because it was created with user convenience in mind. Resembling the most user-friendly photo enhancers, Luminar Neo is a go-to option for many beginners. Currently, you can receive all the goodies offered by the program with $10 off the price by entering the promo code “FIXTHEPHOTONEO”.
Verdict: The licensed version of Pixelmator is widely perceived as of the best photo editing apps for Mac from third-party developers. It features an easy-to-navigate interface with a set of basic features that will make your workflow easier.
An amazing feature that Pixelmator Pro offers is the naming of layers imported from external files by their content. This is provided by the means of neural network. Similar technology is involved with selection tools, allowing you to find the boundaries of objects more accurately, erase, offering improved performance when removing unnecessary parts of the image.
Verdict: Adobe Photoshop Elements is an Adobe Photoshop portfolio program that was designed for photo editing and holds its position among the best apps for mac photo editing tightly. If you are not going to seriously turn your hobby for photographing into a professional activity, then there is no point in studying all the options Photoshop offers.
The Adobe Photoshop Elements interface is significantly different from the “original” one, which is frequently discussed in Photoshop Elements vs Photoshop reviews. It is simpler in some features, but this does not make it too easy to understand. Thanks to the brand-new features, the new frames and new bookmarks it takes time to get familiar with these complex functions, but it is still simpler than Photoshop.
Just like other Adobe products, you can use this photography app for Mac free for 30 days. If you decide to use it after that, it will cost you $99.99.
Verdict: Fotor for Mac is recognized for its web version. It`s one of the best free photo editing apps for Mac, with an option to extend to Fotor Pro version, but the app does not require it and you will not see any built-in ads there.
If you are interested in the best alternative to Photoshop for Mac, this software offers handy features that allow you to crop your files, edit text, correct colors, perform image retouching tasks, as well as apply various presets and textures to enhance your images.
Thanks to the pro-level presets that can fully transform your photos, this program stands out among many free photo editing apps available on the market. You can also buy a Pro version for $39.99.
Verdict: Photolemur is an ideal app for newbie and amateurish photographers, who want to improve their images in a quick and effortless manner. The app has a straightforward design and doesn’t require much time to master it.
If you feel that available controls aren’t enough for your needs, you should switch to a full-featured Luminar, which operates on Artificial Intelligence and comes with all the controls you can expect from a top-notch program. However, to reveal the potential of the program to the fullest, you need the best computer for photo editing.
There is a free version of Photolemur but you can also purchase a premium one by paying $35.00.
Verdict: Movavi Photo Editor is a fast, simple and fairly functional image editor compared to most photo editor apps. It is like the mix of Photoshop, Lightroom and Pixelmator. This is a program with quite impressive photo enhancement features, with an elegant interface and effective workflow.
The great feature in Movavi Photo Editor is the “restoration” of old photos. It automatically removes scuffs and scratches. The function is based on neural networks technology. This means that with each following upgrade it is to edit photos even better because it is trained based on previously edited materials.
This automatic photo editor is a perfect option for people, who need to enhance their photos quickly without using advanced tools. Once a trial period has expired, you can buy the app for $21.
Verdict: Polarr is a photo editor that has professional tools, but this application is simple and user-friendly. There are many features, but it does not overload the app.
There are internal purchases offered, but all the key features are free so it can be compared to any of the listed photo editor app free here.
For those who do not want to do color correction manually, there are filters. Worth saying that filters in this app are not just covered effects, instead they are implemented as the quick setting of image parameters.
While the basic version of the application is free to use, there is also Polarr Pro version that costs $29.99 and comes with a better choice of image editing tools.
Verdict: PhotoScape features all the tools that you might need to fully transform your photos, preview or prepare them for printing. Under the main tab, you can find auto-adjustment options for low-quality photos, as well as filters, preview and collage tools.
You can use the desktop version of this Mac photo software for free. Its interface is nicely organized. PhotoScape has tools for photo retouching, and color correction, and can also be used as photo catalog software. You can also easily capture your screen, apply various filters and effects or use batch processing tools.
The app works with different file formats, RAW files included. As it comes with an impressive choice of options, it can be considered as a great free alternative to Photoshop.
Verdict: PhotoBulk - is a top-notch program for batch image processing. Using it, you can also watermark your pictures by adding text or graphic elements. There are tools for optimizing, renaming, converting, and resizing packs of images in one go.
The latest version has a completely redesigned interface. It has become more interactive and convenient. Real-time preview is a truly cool feature because you can make the needed adjustments in the process before saving a photo. Thus, you will be surely satisfied with the result.
The modern core of the program serves as a basis for endless photo improvements. For example, you can apply creative filters, get rid of a red-eye effect, and more.
Verdict: DxO OpticsPro is the best photo editing software for beginners. Because of its UI, some users compare it to Lightroom but this software is also quite similar to Adobe Premiere.
A family of DxO products aimed at images editing. The main feature of this application is that it has a huge database of “camera - lens” combinations, named “profile” by the developer.
In addition to all the standard tools for basic image editing, I like the Lens Sharpness correction module, it replaces the previous filter version used by DxO and called Lens Softness. Based on the knowledge of the subject area, this feature allows overcoming the “softness” of the lens and adding micro contrast to the objects in the image.
To purchase a single application, you have to pay $143. You can also buy 3 DxO programs simultaneously by paying $210.
Verdict: CameraBag Photo is a tool for editing photos without unnecessary functions, offering the user about 200 pre-installed filters and the ability to customize any filter to your taste.
The interface is simple and intuitive to use. On the right side, you’ll find a complete set of filters and common customization tools. This makes it much easier to choose a preset but does not make it easy to use it. The bottom panel displays customizable settings to make color correction of your photos.
CameraBag Photo comes with the feature that allows previewing a folder and applying any preset. The batch processing option is also helpful when you need to use one tool to edit several photos.
Besides a free trial version, this product has a full one that costs $30.
