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Best Mac Photo Editing Software - Free/Trial or Cheap Most free photo editors available on the App Store are quite basic, offering just a limited number of filters and allowing you to easily and quickly liven up your photos before posting them on social media.
While the stock Photos app on Mac packs a few photo editing tools, it is not meant to replace a robust and professional photo editing app. If you want your photos to look good, you need to start looking at third-party photo editors that offer more features and control. I understand that extensive photo editing is not for everyone as most of the people don’t want to spend hours editing their photos. But that’s the beauty of having options. You can choose as intensive or automatic photo editing app as you want. You can even get photo editing apps for Mac that can enhance your photos with a click. I have tested and collected a list of 8 best photo editing apps for mac, both free and paid to help you on your photo editing journey.
Jan 24, 2020. Jan 15, 2020.
Best Photo Editing Software for Mac in 2020
Different people have different requirements when it comes to photo editing and not one app is the best for everyone. That’s why, to make things easier for my readers, I have divided the 8 photo editors into different sections. The sections are not totally exclusive because as these photo editing software come with a huge set of overlapping features. That being said, the sections will help you get a clear idea of what you are looking for.
- Affinity Photo
- Luminar 4
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC
- Pixelmator Pro
- GIMP
- Fotor Photo Editor
- Photolemur
- AuroraHDR
- darktable
Best Pro Photo Editors for Mac
Best Free Editing Software For Mac No Watermark
1. Affinity Photo
The first photo editing app on our list is something that I am using for the last two years and is one of the two photo editing apps that rely upon. The app features professional tools and supports almost all the know file formats including JPG, TIFF, PNG, GIF,PDF, PSD, and RAW photos. It comes with all the basic photo editing tools that you can expect from a pro photo editing app such as red eye removal, cropping, selection, painting and drawing tools, color correction tools, masks, filters, layers, and more. It also features an uncluttered UI with clearly marked tools which are both easy to find and use. Affinity Photo also brings support for extensive keyboard shortcuts which makes the photo editing more enjoyable and fast once you put some time into learning the software.
While there is a bit of learning curve, which is understandable, the developers offer tons of written and video tutorials which is more than enough to get anyone started. I am also fond of its non-destructive photo editing approach which keeps the original photo intact until you manually override it with your edited photo. There’s also support for extensive history and users can easily undo/redo changes up to 8000 steps.
Finally, it also offers an Apple Photos plugin allowing you to do minor adjustments right inside the Photos app. The only missing feature here is a Digital Asset Management or DAM which means you can not use it as a photo repository, something Adobe Lightroom users will surely miss. If that’s not a concern for you, I can recommend this app without any hesitation.
Get Affinity Photo:Free trial, $49.99
2. Luminar 4
Luminar 4 is a full-fledged pro photo editing tool for Mac which is also the easiest to use. Since I switch from Affinity Photo to Luminar, I have more than halved the time I used to spend on photo editing without any drop in quality. That is a deal that I am going to take any day. The before and after photo that you can see in the Affinity Photo section took me around 5 minutes to edit, while the picture you are seeing below took me just one click. It is because Luminar 4 comes with a set of more than 60 filters, some of which even use artificial intelligence, to enhance your photos with just a click.
The filters use a set of pre-configured presets that change depending on the subject of the picture. In my experience Luminar 4 works best for portraits and scenic shots. Luminar 4 also lets you adjust the presets if you don’t like the results. You have access to all the photo editing tools such as masks, layers, gradients, color correction, and more. You can use them to make manual changes to your photo just as you do with any other pro photo editing app. The filters allows you to get quite near to your end result with just one click. From there, you can make the minute adjustments to get your perfect photo. One of my favorite features of Luminar 4 is its before and after slider. I can instantly visualize the changes that I have made and compare the edited image to the original image.
Luminar 4 also has a built-in DAM. You can organize, rate, browse, and sort photos just like you can do on Adobe Lightroom. Like Affinity Photo and other pro photo editing apps mentioned in this section, Luminar 4 is a beast when it comes to photo editing. However, it’s a beast that can be easily tamed and used to perfection without creating any problem for us. Whether you are a professional photo editor who needs to save time or an amateur who wants to learn professional photo editing, Luminar 4 is a great photo editing tool for either use-cases.
Get Luminar 4:$89.99
3. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC
No photo editing app list can be complete with mentioning Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC as it is one of the most powerful photo editing app that you can get on your Mac. Apart from the obvious photo editing features, the biggest benefit of using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC is that it comes with a fully functional Digital Asset Management or DAM which allows users to not only manage their entire photo catalogue but also upload it to cloud so they can access it from anywhere. That is one of the biggest strength of Adobe Lightroom and if that is something you want, currently, there’s no better app out there.
Coming back to the photo editing tools, the Adobe Lightroom CC is packed with them. It might not be as easy as Luminar but it doesn’t lag behind when it comes to power. You get access to all the usual tools including blend, blur, layers, color correction, color matching, and more. I love its easy-to-use sliders that give users complete control over the light and color properties of their photos. It also lets you shift focus and sharpen your photos to highlight your subject or reduce distraction in the image. My biggest problem with Adobe Lightroom CC is its subscription-based pricing system which makes this only viable for people who are using this to earn money. If you are just using the app for yourself, both Affinity Photo and Luminar will serve you better as far as return of investment is concerned.
Get Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: $9.9/month
4. Pixelmator Pro
Pixelmator Pro is another pro photo editing tool for Mac which you should try. The app not only brings an extensive collection of tools for editing and retouching photos but it also allows you to paint, create graphics design, add effects, and do so much more. However, since we are focusing only on photo editing software for Mac here, we will keep our interested limited to those features only. I used Pixelmator Pro for about a month and I found that it has everything that you might need from a photo editing software. In fact, the new 1.5 update of Pixelmator Pro also brings a ton of other features that you won’t find on most of the photo editing tools on this list. For example, it now supports multi GPUs (looking at you Mac Pro) and RAW editing workflows with the new Pro Display XDR.
Pixelmator Pro comes with a new ML-Enhance mode which uses artificial intelligence trained on a catalog of 20 million professional photos, to automatically fine-tune 37 individual color adjustments. Just like Luminar, this feature gives you a great starting point for making fine-tuned adjustment to your photos. That said, the ML-Enhance, only has one pre-set and I like Luminar’s approach far better. I do like the new ML Denoise feature which removes noise and image compression artifacts from photos. Not many photo editing apps for Mac can boast of this feature. I quite enjoyed using Pixelmator Pro and if you don’t like any of the above-mentioned software, you should give a chance to Pixelmator Pro.
Get Pixelmator Pro:Free trial, $39.99
Best Free Open Source Photo Editing Apps for Mac
5. GIMP
GIMP is Adobe Photoshop for people who like open-source software. GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program is packed with features and allows you to make pro-level editing of your photos. Since it is an open-source app, it is completely free of charge. That said, GIMP also comes with the problems that most open-source app suffer from which is to say that it’s UI looks old and is not at all user friendly. In fact, GIMP is one of the hardest image editing apps you will find on this list. You will need to spend quite a bit of time in learning its ins and outs and only then will you be able to take full advantage of its potential.
I found GIMP to be too hard for my taste. I remember one time I mistakenly made a change to its workspace and it took me almost 15-20 minutes to get it back to the version I was familiar with. That being said, thousands and thousands of Mac owners are using GIMP everyday for their photo editing needs, so, I might be an anomaly here. Once you put in enough time to learn GIMP, you will find that it has all the features that you need now and might need in the future.
Get Gimp:Free
6. Fotor Photo Editor
If you are looking for a free yet accessible photo editing software, take a look at the Fotor Photo Editor. It might not be as powerful as GIMP but it is fairly easy to learn which makes this a great image editing app for beginners. The app supports importing and exporting of a wide range of image formats including TIFF, JPEG, and PNG, and even RAW files. When it comes to features, Fotor brings enough tools that you won’t find it dragging you down unless you are a pro user.
One of my favorite tool of Fotor is batch processing.It allows me to apply preset conditions to images in batches thereby saving me a lot of time. Other features of Fotor include effects, borders, the ability to create collages, tilt-shift, and more. To explain simply, Fotor is basically an easier and watered-down version of Lightroom, Luminar, or other pro image editing apps for Mac on this list. While the app is free, recently it has also released a Fotor Pro version which brings more features and costs $39.99/year. You can compare the free and paid version of Fotor by clicking on this link.
Get Fotor: Free
Best One-Click Photo Editing App for Mac
7. Photolemur 3
I thought long and hard whether I should include this app on the list or not as the app technically doesn’t allow you to edit photos. Still, I know that there are users who don’t want to spend time on editing photos but also want their photos to look decent. Well, if you are one of those people then this is the app for you. To use, Photolemur, all you need to do is drag and drop pictures on it. You can do it in batches or one by one. Once you drop images on it, it will apply AI to identify scenes, colors, and faces and enhance them automatically.
Remember, you will not have any control over the retouching what-so-ever. However, in my testing, the app produced respectable images in 90% of the cases, hence, it made the list. The one place it fails 100% of the times is when you already have high-contrast images with popping colors. Apart from that, it works fairly well. I will say it again, it’s not a photo editing app which you should use if you want total control. However, If you really don’t want to spend even a minute on learning to edit and editing your photos, this is your best option.
Get Photolemur 3:$35
Best HDR Photo Editors for Mac
8. AuroraHDR 2019
If you work with HDR or High Dynamic Range photography, AuroraHDR 2019 is the best app you can get. For those who are not familiar, HDR combines multiple images (low exposure, medium exposure, and high exposure) to create an image with better dynamic range. What it means is that your photos will have better ratio of light and dark. Your iPhone already does this if you have this setting turned on while you are taking pictures. However, In a more traditional sense, a photographer takes three photos in different exposures and combines them in an HDR photo editing app to get the best results.
![Best Free Editing Software For Mac Best Free Editing Software For Mac](/uploads/1/1/8/6/118668606/231765029.jpg)
For that work, AuroraHDR 2019 is the best tool out there. AurorHDR 2019 is made by the same developers who make Luminar and hence I found that both apps had more or less same user interface with a focus on different photo editing styles. Remember, if you don’t work with HDR photos manually, you really don’t need to get this app. That being said, I used it with same photos that I use on other photo editing apps and the results were quite impressive. This app is definitely not for everyone, but some of you might enjoy using this.
Get AuroraHDR 2019:$99
Bonus: Best Free Raw Photo Editing Apps for Mac
darktable
If you read the article thoroughly, which I hope that you did, you will know that all the pro photo editing apps that I mentioned above, including Lightroom, Luminar, Affinity Photo, and Pixelmator Pro support RAW files so it wasn’t really necessary to create this section. Especially because if you are a professional who works only with RAW photos, you must be already using quite pricey RAW photo editor. Still, I was so impressed with this app that I didn’t, not want to include this on my list, especially when it’s completely free to use.
In fact, the description on its website articulate things about this app far better than I could so I will just post it here, “darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer. A virtual light-table and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, lets you view them through a zoomable light-table, and enables you to develop raw images and enhance them.â€x9D If this is something you need, you should click on the link to download it right now.
Get darktable: Free
Best Image Editing Apps for Mac: Final Thoughts
While all these photo editing apps are good, you will find that some of them suit you better than the others. For me, Luminar and Affinity Photo work the best and hence I am still sticking to those two. But you should choose the one that fits your editing style and needs. If you find this article informative, comment below to tell us which photo editing app you found to be the best for you.
Remember those days when we had to rush to a professional video editing expert just to get our simplest home videos edited and made into a CD? Well, not anymore! A big thanks to the technological revolution and advanced software innovation, video editing has become like child’s play. Now whether you want to create a beautiful birthday composition or a musical parody from camcorder, video editing doesn’t feel like hassle anymore. If you’re looking for a useful video editing software for Mac, you’ve landed at the right place. So, without wasting any extra minute, let’s explore these 15 best software to edit videos on Mac you would like to sink your teeth into.
15 Best Video Editing Software for Mac
1. Filmora
Filmora has established itself to be one of the best video editing software for Mac by being as good as iMovie. Filmora comes along with a simple user interface designed to be accessible to anyone of any age group. All you need to do is simply drag and drop, cut and chop your videos until you get the desired effect, ideal for home movies to share with the family.
2. iMovie
Yes, it surely had to be #1 on this list. Apple iMovie’s simple interface makes it quite easy to use—even for amateurs. You can edit your video clips, apply a background music, or add some funky captions however you like it to be. You can also take advantage of advanced features that allow changing the speed of a video, the addition of split-screen effects and picture-in-picture capability. You can instantly grab it from Mac App Store.
Best Free Pdf Editing Software For Mac
3. Adobe Premiere Clip
Adobe Premiere Clip makes it fast and fun to create quality videos that can be easily shared on social platforms. With Adobe, you can work with anything from virtual reality to 8K footage in native format. Adobe has always been a pioneer in image or video editing which is one of the fine reason what makes this tool one of the best video editing software for Mac. Get it now:
See Also: 10 Best Video Converter Software for Mac
4. Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro combines revolutionary video editing with powerful media organization and incredible performance to let you create at the speed of thought. No, it doesn’t end right here. It uses all the GPUs in your Mac for superior real-time playback performance and fast background rendering. Get it now:
Read More – 10 Best Video Editing Software for YouTubers
5. Avid Media Composer
When it comes to video editing software then Avid Media Composer is one professional piece of choice. With its unique Source Browser feature you can navigate through your clips, have a glimpse of the previews and import media files as well. Get it now:
Also Read: Best Free Batch Image Resizer for Mac
6. DaVinci Resolve
The Studio rendition of Da Vinci Resolve costs about $1,000 — however the basic version is totally free. Better still it incorporates a similar high quality image creating capacities in the pricier adaptation, an enhanced video editor, some portion also includes color amendment abilities. And the best part is that it even supports external hard drives for faster video editing. Grab it now:
See Also: 10 Best Duplicate File Finder Tools for Mac
7. OpenShot
If you’re looking for a cross-platform tool, then OpenShot can prove to be one of the best video editing software for Mac in this category. It quickly trim down your videos, and find those perfect moments. Get it now:
8. ShotCut
It is another free, open source, cross-stage video supervisor; however currently it is still under dynamic improvement. The components are similarly as noteworthy as OpenShot, yet Shotcut additionally includes a simple looking interface that more nearly takes after a genius level application than a free open source effort. Get it now:
9. Blender
Blender is a free 3D demonstrating and compositing application that has been utilized as a part of some entirely prominent creations. What many don’t understand is that it’s additionally a proficient non-linear video editor, provided you’re willing to undergo an opportunity to learn. Get it now:
Also Read: Best EXIF Data Editor for Mac: Photos Exif Editor
10. iSky Soft Video convertor
iSkysoft Video Converter is another prominent and amazing video editor for MAC. It converts video 30X speedier particularly changing over H.264 encoded video, like, mov, m4v, m2ts, mts, mkv, flv, ts, mp4, vob and avi. One of the best component of this video editing application is that it converts videos in 3D designs including AVCHD MTS/M2TS and others as well. Grab it now:
11. Total Video Convertor
Best Free Editing Software For Mac
Total Video Converter lets you trim, edit, enhance and watch video after editing. You can easily convert video more than 200 formats with 30X times faster conversion speed. It is easy-to-use screen recording tool which records lossless videos. Get it now:
See Also: 10 Best Mac Cleaner Software to speed up your Mac
12. Movie Edit Pro
Movie Edit Pro is a well known video editors for MAC which enables you to merge recordings, pictures and sound to make another video. You can undoubtedly create stunning and fabulous family film utilizing the pictures and sound. It is easy to use and helpful for the individuals who love to video shooting and editing. Get it now:
13. Video Editor Redux
Video editor Redux has some uncommon video editing highlight which let you to alter and line together video cuts, music and content, apply effects and create an expert looking home film in less than now time. You can without much of a stretch apply stunning moves, channels, and more on your video to alter it on your MAC. It has astounding features like trim, yield, split video into sections, switch play and others. Get it now.
14. KdenLive
Kdenlive has grown significantly throughout the years, and now looks more like an expert video editing suite than the it used to. The most recent rendition highlights multi-track video altering, bolster for an extensive number of video configurations, impacts and moves, the capacity to include titles, support for keyframes and a customizable interface. Grab it now.
Also Read: How to Send and Receive iPhone Text Messages on Your Mac
15. Shred Video
Shred video is free for all users you can without much of a stretch download it from app store and utilize it on your Mac for Free. One of the best element of this is to share your shred video to your shred profile as well. You can easily access and get to and watch it anyplace on web. So, what are you waiting for? Start making great movies in seconds! Get it now:
So, fellas, here were the 15 best video editing software for Mac that caught our eye. If we missed out your favorite one, feel free to drop us a comment!
Best Video Editing Software Mac
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