- Photo Editing Software For Beginners
- Best Free Photo Editing Software For Mac 2019
- Free Photo Editing For Mac
- Best Free Mac Photo Editor
Mac Photo Editor: Best Free Photo Editing Software for Mac You may have known how to use the intuitive photo editing tool Photos built in on MacOS to edit photos on Mac like a pro. Use Photos app, you can adjust the light, color, sharpness, add filters or crop and remove unwanted part. What the above software apps enable you to do, is to polish images, increase the lighting, sharpen the saturation as well as a million other things for a perfect look. If you love perfection, these are the options to go for. They are the Best free photo editing software for Mac 2020. Free photo editing software, free download - Fotor Photo Editor, ACDSee Pro 3, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, and many more programs.
Looking for the right Mac photo editor isn’t an easy job. There are simply so many different editors claiming to be the best photo editing software for Mac computers that it’s impossible to know which one will work best for you. Every piece of software offers something slightly different in terms of usability and features, so it becomes essential to try the different options out before settling for any photo editor for Mac.
Best Free Photo Editing Software for Mac
To help you make your decision, we have compiled some of the best free photo editing software, or those with free trials, so that you can try them out without having to worry about spending money right at the start. This will give you a good feel for the editors you are considering and help you choose the perfect one for your needs. Before you head on to our list of the best free photo editing software for Mac though, we urge you to think about what you need your photo editor to do and what style you want to accomplish for your photos. That will help you make a choice much more easily as to what the best free photo editor for you is.
List of Free Photo Editing Software (or those with free trials)
There aren’t a lot of truly free photo editing software for Mac that you can use if you need very advanced photo editing. However, if your needs are more modest, there are a few options from which you may be able to find the best free photo editor for Mac. If those options don’t work for you, you can always try out a premium software’s free trial to see if that’s the photo editor for Mac that you’ve been looking for, before you decide to pay for it. Whatever the case, the following are some of the best options for Mac photo editors you can choose from.
1. Apple Photos
Before trying any other best free image editors, why not give Mac’s photo editor that comes built-in for free a chance? Apple Photos is a powerful and simplistic free photo editor that can be used to help you get some pretty good results. It allows you to adjust the exposure and contrast, and also pull back the highlights or tweak the shadows. You can also do some basic color corrections with this free photo editing software for Mac. One of the best things about Apple Photos, however, is that it can be made even more powerful with the use of plugins. You can get some seriously powerful, paid plugins to add the ability to edit RAW files, create HDRs, and more.
Couple that flexibility with the fact that Apple Photos also helps you manage your photos on your Mac computers, and it becomes a definite candidate for the best free photo editing software for Mac, not just for basic editing but also for the potential long-term when you want to do more serious work.
2. Luminar (free trial)
In case you want the absolute best photo editing software for Mac and are willing to pay a little to get it, you should be looking into Luminar. This isn’t a free photo editor but it does come with a free trial that you can check out to your heart’s content and even a 60-day money-back guarantee if you don’t like it once you’ve paid for it.
The reason you should consider Luminar as your picture editor of choice is that it is a highly reputed RAW photo editing software for Mac that has a highly intuitive interface and all the editing tools you could ever want. It allows you to adjust the overall light in your images, recover highlights, boost up the shadows, fine-tune the white balance, tweak the colors, remove objects, work in layers, and make as many non-destructive edits as you want to your photos.
It also comes with high-quality presets and filters, each of which is customizable to ensure that your images turn out exactly how you want them to. You can also use Luminar as a plugin to other programs, enhancing their usability. All in all, Luminar is the top photo editor for Mac that you can try out for free before you pay a mere $69 to get the whole thing.
3. GIMP
As far as the best free photo editing software for Mac goes, GIMP is definitely one of the top choices. This is the best free photo editor if you want something crammed with editing tools, even if it means sacrificing some ease of use. With GIMP, you have a very powerful piece of software that can easily replace the likes of Photoshop. It has everything you need from layers and levels to masks and curves. The new versions even have a very clean interface, making it much easier to use than it used to be. What makes GIMP the best free photo editor for many people is that it is open-source which not only makes it free but also means that it has a large user base always there to help and improve the program.
So, if you’re okay with sacrificing some ease of use and are willing to put the time in to really learn the software, GIMP is the best free photo editor for Mac that can replace Photoshop.
4. Pixelmator Pro (free trial)
Another great photo editing software for Mac is Pixelmator Pro. It isn’t the best free photo editor, simply because it’s not a free photo editing software, but it is one of the best Mac photo editors you can buy. It does have a free trial that gives you a very good idea of how it works, after which you can decide whether the asking price is worth it or not.
Pixelmator Pro is a software that has a very clean interface, with all its tools presented to users in a clean, uncluttered manner. That’s what really grabs your interest right from the start. When you dig a little deeper, you see that this photo editor for Mac has a whole lot of tools for you to choose from. It lets you do everything you would expect from a professional-grade photo editor. For new users, there are filters and effects that make it quick and easy to make your photos look great. For experts, there are selection tools and layers to ensure that you can edit your photos with as much detail as you want.
Pixelmator Pro also gives you access to brushes and pens that enable you to let your creativity flow and make your photos truly unique, much like you can do so in Photoshop. All of this makes Pixelmator Pro one of the best photo editing software for Mac, even if it’s not a free photo editor.
5. Polarr
Let’s go back to free photo editing software for Mac with Polarr. It’s a great application that you can download on your Mac right now if you want to get some basic to moderate photo editing done without paying anything. What makes Polarr one of the best free image editors is its highly intuitive and pleasing interface.
All your tools and controls are laid out on the right side of the screen and are color-coded for quick editing. Within each tool are other tools that allow for quite a lot of detailed tweaking. You can also use the program’s auto-editing feature to give your photos an instant boost without even having to do anything yourself. You can also use filters to make your images look better.
All in all, Polarr is a great choice for the best free photo editor for Mac if you want a good amount of control over your photos packed into a well-designed package. But do note that if you ever want more control, you will have to upgrade to Polarr Pro for a one-time fee in order to make it the best photo editing software for your Mac.
6. Fotor
Fotor is the best free photo editing software for Mac if you want something to make quick edits when you’re busy, or if you just need something that doesn’t focus too much on fixing technical issues in photos but rather lets you get creative with your images.
This free photo editor excels at providing really well-developed filters that even the professionals can use without too much thought. You also have access to curves and levels for adjusting the exposure and contrast, batch processing for quick and seamless editing of a bunch of photos, and other fun elements like a collage-maker and text editor.
All of this makes Fotor a really nicely designed and easy to use Mac photo editor that also happens to be a very solid contender for the ‘best free photo editing software for Mac’ list. However, if you want something advanced any time later, Fotor won’t be the software of choice for you.
7. Paint.NET
Paint.NET is one of the very best free photo editors for Mac because of the power it offers for free. It’s not as powerful as GIMP in terms of sheer features but it still is a great free photo editor. One of its best aspects is that it is a very simple program.
If you don’t want a ton of features, you can make do with Paint.NET in its original form. You’ll be able to work with layers to make almost any basic edit you want to your images. However, if you want something more, Paint.NET supports plugins that can really turn it into the best photo editing software for Mac.
These plugins are the main reason why Paint.NET is so famous as one of the best free photo editing software for Mac. The software has a healthy online community that’s always coming up with new plugins, enhancing the usability of this free photo editing software even more.
List of the Best Online Photo Editors
If you’re looking for the best free photo editing software for Mac, you may be interested in checking out an online photo editor. Online photo editors are so great because they’re completely free to use and they don’t need to be downloaded onto your system. They can also be run in any browser, at any time. If you like the idea of using an online image editor, here are the ones worthy of being the best Mac photo editors for your needs.
Photo Editing Software For Beginners
1. Pixlr
Pixlr is one of the best online image editors and also a great photo editing software for Mac. It’s packed with tools and features that you can spend a long time discovering. Not only does Pixlr offer basic photo editing features but it also brings a lot of advanced features like curves and levels to you. It’s a free photo editor that’s designed well and works quickly. You can also use one of the filters and other auto adjustment tools for instant editing.
Pixlr is the best free photo editing software for those Mac users who want a completely online image editor that can handle basic to moderate editing needs.
2. Google Photos
Google Photos isn’t a very powerful online photo editor but it is pretty good at what it does. You wouldn’t normally expect it to be on a list of free photo editing software for Mac because it’s mainly a photo storage service. However, for basic photo adjustments, it is a good free photo editing software that you can use in a browser.
With Google Photos, you can adjust the brightness and contrast of your photos while also being able to make some basic color-related edits. The interface of this online image editor, like most things Google, is clean and straightforward, making it easy on the eyes and easier to use. If your photo editing needs are very basic and you want a photo storage service as well, then Google Photos is a worthy choice as the best free image editor.
3. BeFunky
BeFunky is an online photo editor for those of you who want something to get creative with their photos. It allows you to do some basic editing in a pleasing interface and works quite quickly. It’s actually one of the best online image editors as far as performance is concerned. BeFunky’s true strength lies in its ability to help you make collages, postcards, and more.
There are a number of tools available in this free photo editor to help you convert your normal photos into works of art. If you’re into posting fun stuff on social media, or if you have an online page where you like to regularly post visual content, BeFunky is one of the best free image editors you can find online.
What to Look for in a Photo Editor for Mac
Now that we’ve gone over some of the best free photo editing software for Mac, let’s go over a few aspects that you must look out for while choosing a photo editor for your Mac. Every good free photo editing software should offer you solid performance above anything else. That’s because even the best free photo editor won’t have all the editing tools that a paid Mac photo editor will have.
However, every free photo editing software will have all the basics covered, which is why you need to make sure that the free photo editing software for Mac that you choose performs well so that you can actually make the most of those features.
The other thing you should look out for in any Mac photo editor, whether it’s an online image editor or otherwise, is that it should have a solid user base behind it. This helps you not only get to know the software better but also when you run into any issue. It also means that the Mac photo editor you’ve chosen will get regular updates, giving you new features that turn a normal editor into the best free image editor for your needs.
And lastly, you need to make sure that you are clear about your needs. If you don’t need all the latest editing tools and advanced features, then a simple online photo editor might work for you after all. If you do need a whole lot of editing tools, then the Mac photo editor of your choice should have whatever you need, or at least the possibility of adding features for some money, like with Apple Photos or Paint.NET.
However, if you need the best photo editing software for Mac, one that combines countless editing tools with a clean and intuitive interface, then you might need to pay a little money to get something like Luminar, which really is the Mac photo editor to beat at this point.
- January 02, 2020
- 28 min to read
A comprehensive review of the best RAW photo editors on the market
There are many RAW photo editors available, and they get better every year. It can be hard and time-consuming to try all of them, so we’ve tried them for you and come up with a list of the best RAW photo editors you should consider right now.
Professional photographers shoot in RAW to preserve as much detail as possible. They want high-resolution images with a wide dynamic range, natural-looking colors, and sharp details. RAW files are large files that need powerful editors. A good RAW photo editor is able to edit RAW files while preserving image quality and color accuracy.
The first criterion in choosing a RAW photo editor is how good the RAW processor is and how well it renders the RAW data. But there are also other criteria to consider, such as support for batch processing, digital asset management, preset libraries, layers and masks, and local editing tools. Practicality is also important. Consider system requirements, processing speed, the user interface and workflow, and, of course, the price.
Because RAW editors are sophisticated software that require a long time to develop, you’ll hardly find free RAW photo editors. The only free editors on our list are darktable and RawTherapee, cross-platform image processing programs with enthusiastic communities around them. Nevertheless, all paid RAW photo editors on this list offer free trials that allow you to test them before buying.
The best RAW photo editors on the market
1. Luminar 4
Released at the end of 2019, Luminar 4 is a RAW photo editor that includes AI-based technology. Yes, it provides support for most RAW file formats and all the basic adjustments you need, but it also provides content-aware automatic adjustments. Its smart features and friendly interface have already convinced many professional photographers to become Skylum Ambassadors.
Luminar’s AI-based features analyze your images and make decisions based on their contents. Luminar 4 recognizes objects and people and applies custom adjustments for different types of pictures. It includes AI-based features for sky replacement, skin and portrait enhancement, structure enhancement, general image enhancement, and adding sun rays.
Moreover, Luminar 4 comes with more than 70 built-in presets, called Looks, that provide easy access to the most popular artistic styles. You can also create your own presets and download Signature Looks designed by renowned photographers from the Luminar Marketplace.
Luminar 4 allows you to fine-tune every aspect of an image, which is great because in RAW editing, every detail counts. Luminar works with layers and masks and provides easy tools for controlling opacity and blending modes. The workflow is fluid and easy to learn, and you’ll find features such as batch processing, adjustment synchronization, digital asset management, and image rating and labeling.
Luminar 4 works as standalone software, a plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and an extension for Apple Photos. It’s available for Mac and Windows and costs $89.
2. Aurora HDR
Aurora HDR was the first Skylum solution for RAW photo editing and is one of the most appreciated HDR photo editors. It’s the perfect choice if you want to create images with a wide dynamic range. Aurora provides tools for bracket merging that create high-quality images without halos, chromatic aberrations, or artifacts. It also includes basic tools such as color toning, a polarizer filter, detail enhancer, and LUT mapping.
Like Luminar 4, Aurora HDR makes use of AI technology to separate noise from detail and deliver exquisite denoising and detail enhancing tools. As Aurora is a RAW photo editor, its support for layers and masks is especially useful. Also useful are the presets designed in collaboration with professional photographers, which deliver amazing effects in seconds.
In terms of practical features, Aurora HDR offers batch processing, support for most popular cameras, and the ability to run as standalone software or a plugin for Adobe and Apple products. Aurora HDR is available for Windows and Mac and costs $110.
3. Adobe Lightroom
Due to its prestigious producer, Adobe Lightroom has been the standard in RAW photo editing for a long time. But it has lost many fans since Adobe introduced the monthly subscription plan. Yes, Lightroom is a RAW photo editor that gives you access to cloud space and synchronizes your edits across all your devices. But it’s expensive, and people have started to look for cheaper alternatives. Adobe Lightroom costs $9.99 per month, which means almost $120 per year. That’s more than other software costs for a lifetime license.
For this money, Adobe Lightroom offers endless sharing capabilities, image synchronization, exquisite image management tools, and easy-to-use image editing tools. It also has many presets, and you can find more in the large Adobe community, which also offers books, tutorials, and video materials.
Adobe Lightroom is available for Windows and Mac, but check the system requirements before you buy it because it requires relatively new operating system versions.
4. ACDSee Photo Studio
ACDsee is known for its image organizing software, but its latest products show that it has become a powerful competitor on the photo editor market. Photo Studio is a complete editing solution that includes RAW processing, image editing tools, and the amazing ACDSee digital asset management.
ACDSee Photo Studio Professional 2020 supports more than 500 camera models and offers RAW editing tools such as LUTs, non-destructive color grading, lens corrections, noise and haze removal, contrast and brightness adjustments, layers and masks, selection tools, and local adjustments. It’s fast and supports many file formats, offers batch processing, and has a lot of tools for zooming, previewing, and reviewing images. In terms of the interface and image management, it’s one of the best RAW photo editors.
ACDSee Photo Studio Professional 2020 is available only for Windows. There’s also a separate ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac 6. You can choose between a monthly subscription at $8.90 and a lifetime license for $99.95.
5. PhotoDirector Ultra
With PhotoDirector Ultra, Cyberlink aims to deliver a photo editor that accumulates the functionalities of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom at a better price. PhotoDirector Ultra supports many RAW file formats and provides AI-based tools for image retouching, layer editing, and presets.
This software is aimed at a wide variety of users, from professional photographers to the general public. It mixes powerful content-aware image adjustments with tools for making videos out of images, frame templates, and 360-degree photo editing. Delivering a wide variety of features isn’t always the best idea, however. Professional photographers are more interested in color accuracy, noise reduction, and detail preservation than in applying brushstrokes that simulate painting styles.
But despite the features unrelated to RAW editing, PhotoDirector Ultra is very good at recovering blurred images, eliminating haze and fog, and retouching portraits. It also provides image management tools, cloud storage, and additional products such as special effects and dedicated plugins.
PhotoDirector Ultra is available for Windows and Mac and costs $74.99.
6. Capture One Pro 2020
Capture One develops a RAW photo editor that supports many RAW file formats and has dedicated versions for Fuji and Sony camera users. Capture One Pro 2020 is a complete photo editing solution for all cameras, and it provides tools for image editing and management.
Best Free Photo Editing Software For Mac 2019
While Capture One Pro 2020 isn’t very easy to learn and use, once you get to know it, you’ll have full control over every aspect of your images. This software’s features range from tools for basic image adjustments (fixing exposure, color, and contrast) to HDR tools, advanced color adjustments, and presets. Essential for a RAW editor, Capture One Pro 2020 works with layers and masks and provides non-destructive editing.
Capture One Pro 2020 is a powerful photo editor even if its workflow isn’t for beginners. It provides lens and camera profiles, lens correction, high color accuracy, and tools for printing and creative artwork. All these features come with a price, however: Capture One Pro 2020 costs $27 per month. It’s available for Windows and Mac.
7. DxO PhotoLab
Like Capture One Pro, DxO PhotoLab is a complex RAW photo editor for professional photographers. It focuses on color accuracy and camera compatibility. DxO PhotoLab matches the rendering of over 60 camera models and provides optical corrections and custom lens profiles. Can macbook air run microsoft office.
Among its best features are exquisite color tools such as ICC profiles, Moiré removal, and the new HSL tool, more than 40 presets, haze removal based on colorimetric component analysis, noise removal that’s been optimized to process RAW files at high speed, and local adjustments. DxO PhotoLab is an editor for color perfectionists and aims to satisfy the most demanding professionals.
DxO PhotoLab provides digital asset management with all you need for organizing images in a neat interface. It’s available for Windows and Mac and costs $140.
8. PaintShop Pro
PaintShop Pro is one of Corel’s solutions for photo editing that includes RAW functionalities. Keeping to Corel’s long tradition in graphic design, PaintShop Pro provides not only photo editing tools but also graphic design tools. So if you want tools for creating artistic compositions, drawing, and painting onto images, PaintShop Pro is the best editor for you.
In terms of RAW photo editing, PaintShop Pro offers a powerful RAW processor, lens correction, HDR editing, geometric transformations, basic adjustments for image retouching, and layers and masks. It doesn’t have too many filters and presets, but it offers support for third-party plugins such as the NiK Collection from DxO and Topaz Labs plugins. This may cover the need for extra features, but these plugins come with an additional cost.
In terms of useful functionalities, PaintShop Pro doesn’t have digital asset management, but it does provide batch processing and support for many file formats. PaintShop Pro is easy to learn and has a customizable workspace. But if you don’t need graphic design tools, they’ll only slow you down.
PaintShop Pro is available only for Windows and costs $79.
9. AfterShot Pro
Another RAW photo editing solution from Corel is AfterShot Pro. Designed to compete with Adobe Lightroom, AfterShot Pro focuses on increasing processing speed while delivering high-quality images.
Unlike PaintShop Pro, however, AfterShot Pro is dedicated to photography. This means is has RAW camera profiles, lens corrections, a large library of presets, and highlight recovery for images with a wide dynamic range. It also provides efficient digital asset management and integrates with other editors. In exchange, it doesn’t have graphic design tools.
Free Photo Editing For Mac
In terms of RAW photo editing, we’re more interested in color accuracy, noise reduction, and HDR tools than in drawing tools. Still, the advanced selection tools provided by Corel’s programs are always welcome for local adjustments and subtle image retouching.
AfterShot Pro is a better option than PaintShop Pro for RAW editing. It’s also more expensive, as it costs $99.99. But if you compare it with Adobe Lightroom, you’ll see that it’s worth the money.
10. Darktable
Darktable is an open-source, free RAW photo editor available for Linux, Mac / macports, BSD, Windows, and Solaris 11 / GNOME. It’s designed to be a virtual darkroom and allows you to view negatives through a zoomable lighttable.
Aiming to be more than a RAW convertor, darktable provides tools for image enhancement, batch processing, and tethered shooting. It also allows you to develop your own image processing modules and add them to the program.
For a free editor, darktable offers exquisite tools, from an optimized RAW processor that can manage large files to non-destructive edits and professional color management. It has ICC profiles, several demosaicing methods, base and tone curves, lens corrections, and tools for dithering, haze, fringing, noise removal, color, contrast, and white balance adjustments. It also offers a few filters for creative effects.
However, darktable has minimal image organizing functionalities. It does allow you to search for images by tags, stars, and labels, and it works with metadata.
11. RAW Power
Gentlemen Coders offers a RAW photo editor for Mac and iOS called RAW Power that can run as standalone software or a Photos extension.
RAW Power uses Apple’s RAW decoder to provide high-quality images. Among its best features are support for hundreds of camera models, precise curve adjustments, white balance recovery, lots of presets, and perspective and chromatic aberration corrections.
RAW Power also provides digital asset management, batch processing, synchronization between devices via iCloud Photo Library, multiple editing windows, and batch export. It comes as an extension to Apple Photos and costs $29.99
12. RawTherapee
RawTherapee is a free RAW photo editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It provides high-quality images with high dynamic range and uses state-of-the-art demosaicing algorithms. Although it’s open-source software, RawTherapee supports most common RAW file formats, including those from Pentax and Sony.
Among its best features are RAW histograms, adjustments for fixing exposure, contrast, detail, and color, color profiles, and advanced controls. RawTherapee also lets you save your current editing profile for later use or batch editing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support layers, and you have to apply all adjustments to the same layer, which may be confusing.
RawTherapee has a neat workspace that allows you to find all you need in seconds. It’s intuitive, well-labeled, and has shortcuts for everything. It also provides file browsing, ratings, and color labeling, and it supports metadata. For those who want to see how printed images will look, RawTherapee runs a simulation with a specific printer profile.
13. Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo provides powerful photo editing and graphic design tools. Alongside RAW editing, it provides HDR editing and focus stacking, panorama stitching, support for editing Adobe Photoshop files, and painting tools.
In terms of RAW photo editing, Affinity Photo’s big advantage is its ability to process very large files (more than 100 Megapixels) and to offer smooth zoom at 60 frames per second. It gives you full control over the smallest details of your images and provides editing tools such as levels, curves, HSL, and exposure and white balance adjustments. All edits are non-destructive because Affinity Photo works with layers and masks. You can perform local adjustments using advanced selection tools, analyze histograms, and edit EXIF information.
Affinity Photo provides lens corrections, noise reduction, and hot pixel removal, which is essential for RAW editing. It also provides presets and effects, including brush libraries and text and vector tools. It’s one of the best RAW photo editors for creating artistic compositions and collages.
Affinity Photo is available for Windows, Mac, and iPad and costs $49.99 respectively $19.99.
Best Free Mac Photo Editor
In conclusion
We’ve tested the most powerful RAW photo editors on the market, but the final decision is yours. Choose the best editor for your needs. Consider your budget, frequency of use, skills, and artistic preferences. For example, you shouldn’t buy an editor with graphic design functionalities if you don’t do abstract photography and strong editing. If you work with large amounts of similar images, batch processing is a must. So is digital asset management when you have lots of albums and catalogs. Keep in mind that trying before buying is the wisest thing you can do.