Photo editing software for mac? Photo editing program for mac free? There are plenty of photo editing programs to choose from which can be overwhelming. I’ve been searching and trying out different photo editing apps and software for years and have found the best photo editors for mac free as well as photo editing software free.
I know lots of us want to edit photos, but how many people actually spend the time to actually do it? Most of us are just too busy with work and other tasks & responsibilities. But don’t feel bad. The truth is, there are tons of free photo editing software for mac that you can use on a daily basis in order to make your life easier. Photography is so much more than just taking pictures – it is about telling a story and creating something others will want to see. In this article we will take a look at some of the best photo editing app for mac free.
GIMP
Where you can use it: Browsers for Mac, Windows, Linux
Why we love it: GIMP — short for GNU Image Manipulation Program — has long been a contender for the best free image editor. In fact, it’s been consistently ranked the best free photo editor for Mac, or close to it, since not long after its debut in 1996(!). Originally developed for Linux, this open-source online image editor provides a rich array of tools, with capabilities for everything from image retouching to image format conversion to drawing and graphics creation. The interface echoes Photoshop in many ways, so if you’re used to Adobe software, you’ll find it easy to switch to GIMP.
What could be improved: Because of the open-source, volunteer-run nature of the program, there are occasional bugs that you wouldn’t see in professionally developed software. But that’s not nearly enough to knock it off our list of the best free photo editing software for Mac.
Luminar
Where you can use it: Mac and Windows
Why we love it: Luminar boasts 60-plus filters for maximum results with minimum time and tinkering. The app comes with all the photo editing tools standard in professional-grade software, including layer functionality, transforming and cloning, and a collection of versatile brushes. It’s available as a standalone app or as a plugin for Lightroom and Photoshop. Luminar has been ranked among the best photo editing software for Mac by CleverFiles and Photolemur, among others.
What could be improved: Mobile users might consider a mobile-specific app for an on-the-go photo editor, since Luminar is desktop only. Also, it doesn’t quite qualify as a free photo editor, but you have 7 days to try it out risk-free. Curious about what Luminar can do for your photos? Start your free trial now.
Adobe Photoshop Elements
Where you can use it: Mac and Windows
Why we love it: While not truly a free photo editor, Photoshop Elements does have a free trial, and it’s far and away among the best photo editing software for Mac and Windows. The suite of automated editing tools — including for exposure, color balance, and reducing the effects of camera shake — make short work of the most common photo issues. This program allows you to move well beyond basic image editing into more creative work, so it comes as no surprise that Photoshop Elements is close to the top of our list of the best free photo editors.
What could be improved: Elements is not as powerful as the full version of Adobe Photoshop (which, of course, is exactly the point). At about $100 for the 2021 version, it’s also among the priciest options on our list of Mac photo editors.
Darktable
Where you can use it: Mac, Windows, and Linux
Why we love it: While many online photo editors are streamlined and fairly basic, Darktable is free photo editing software that can hold its own against professional tools. Its cataloguing and photo organization features are comparable to Lightroom (which is a major compliment). It works with JPEGs as well as RAW files, and the perspective distortion and lens correction features are impressive. Darktable also offers non-destructive editing, which is a huge plus.
What could be improved: The interface isn’t quite as polished as it could be, so it’s not as easy to pick up as some of our other contenders for the title of best free image editor. But considering it’s free photo editing software, that’s about all we can complain about.
Photolemur 3
Photolemur is a relative newcomer on the photo editing market but it has all the chances to win the favor of beginner photographers and hobbyists. Running on Artificial Intelligence, Photolemur is a completely automatic photo enhancer, meaning that it does all the editing for you in no time. It has the simplest interface, with only a few buttons and sliders to adjust the enhancement to your liking and view the before and after results.
All you need to do is choose a photo (or a few) that you want to improve, drag and drop or import them using the Import button, and let the program make enhancements. After it’s done, you can compare the edited version with the original image by using the before–after slider and, if you want, adjust the skin tone or even enlarge the eyes using additional sliders. Pretty easy, huh?
Photolemur also offers a number of impressive styles to touch up your photos and give them a sophisticated and professional look. With this app, you don’t need to stuff your head with photo editing nuances and terms. Just run Photolemur and watch the magic happen!
Aurora HDR
As you probably can tell from the name, Aurora HDR is designed to help photographers enhance their HDR photos, making them even more detailed and beautiful. It’s an ideal tool for editing your photos, with an extensive collection of more than 20 tools including details, tone, mapping, color, glow, and vignette. Each tool has its unique selection of controls to adjust its effects.
Aurora HDR enables you to work with brushes, layers, and masks, and provides a number of automatic AI tools for recognizing and removing noise, enhancing colors, lighting, and details, improving clarity, and adding contrast to dull areas while leaving other areas untouched.
Aurora HDR does a great job dealing with difficult lighting situations and creating full-of-life images while being easy to use.
Pixelmator
Where you can use it: Mac
Why we love it: Pixelmator shows up in just about every conversation about the best free photo editing software for Mac. This software is powerful and versatile, with layer-based functionality that empowers users to create graphics as well as edit photos. With the latest version, Pixelmator Pro 1.4 Hummingbird, you’ll get access to a rich array of features and tools. Our favorites include machine-learning-enabled color matching, a sleek new Free Transform tool, and new templates sized for iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch. As a true Mac photo editor (i.e. one built from the ground up for macOS), Pixelmator is right up there with the best of them.
What could be improved: It’s only the trial that’s free — you’ll need to purchase the full version of Pixelmator to use it beyond the first 30 days. The effects and filters are impressive, but not as intuitive as some other options, so there’s a bit of a learning curve for those who are new to Mac photo editors.
Conclusion:
All the best image editing software listed above are great choices for anyone who wants to get a free image editor for windows. But if you are looking for free photo editing software, you are going to run into problems since most of them are paid programs. Learning the ropes of photography and photo editing is not an easy thing to do. There are many options to choose from when you look for copy photo editing software mac free, and it can be difficult to make sense of all the jargon, as well as pick a program that is right for you.