Editing Of Images For Mac

21-04-2021 admin

Edit your photos on Mac like a pro with these amazing picture editing tools.

Editing photos on iPhone is one thing but editing them on your Mac can take your photography to the next level. It doesn’t matter whether you clicked photos using your iPhone or your camera. Eventually, if you want to edit your image you’ll need an image editing software to step up. An image editing tool helps in brightening a dark photo, removing noise, distracting background and more. For all this, there’s an app.

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. Pixlr, the World’s Favorite #1 Online Photo Editor lets you edit photos right in your browser for Free. Experience next level, intuitive photo editing with AI-powered tools for quick yet professional edits. Our editor opens almost any image format such as PSD (Photoshop), PXD, JPEG, PNG.

Some of these apps are completely free to use while a few of them are paid, that will provide additional image editing features.

For you, we’ve curated a list of best free and paid image editor. So, all you have to do is go through the list and select the best tool for yourself to edit images on your Mac.

Here are the best free and paid image editors for Mac.

Tip: As you learn how to use image editing software you might end up with multiple copies of same photographs: the original the edited one, the one you did not like and more. So, if you want to ready to handle such a situation try using Duplicate Photos Fixer. An ultimate and one of the best duplicate picture finder tools that detect exact and similar image stored in iPhoto Library, Photos and anywhere on your Mac.

Best Free Mac Image Editors

Here are the top free image editors that you can use for Mac. These tools will provide you all the basic features that you are looking for in a photo editor. A basic image editor has almost all the features you want and is easy to use. However, if you are looking for a fully featured editing suite with advanced features check out our list of best-paid Mac image editors.

1. Photoscape X: Powerful Photo Editor for Mac

Photoscape X is an advanced picture editor that helps you fine-tune and edit RAW images. This photo editor makes editing RAW photos really simple and easy. It’s an all-in-one app that lets you make a collage, edit batch photos, view photos, cut out, pick colors and more. Moreover, with Photoscape X: powerful photo editor for Mac you can rotate, resize, crop, add textures, change photos to vignette, sepia, grayscale and do lot more.

Get: Photoscape X: Powerful Photo Editor for Mac Now (Free)

2. GIMP: Free photo editing software for mac

GIMP is a free cross-platform photo editing software that Mac, Linux, Windows users can use. As it is an open source picture editing software it can be distributed by making changes. Moreover, this best free photo editor can be used by the photographer, designer, illustrator, and others. In simple words, anyone who wants a photo editor can use GIMP. This tool comprises of all basic and professional features.

Download: GIMP (Free)

3. Pixlr X: Next-gen photo editor

Pixlr X is an online photo editor designed to provide you the ease of navigation. With this picture editor, you can quickly edit photos online without downloading an image editor. Pixlr-X allows you to crop, cut out, resize, remove background and do lot more. Moreover, if you want to share an image on social media you can draw, doodle or scribe anything on it. Using this free photo editor is easy just visit the webpage, start using it and soon you’ll be a pro. Try it today.

Visit:Pixlr X (Free)

4. Polarr: image editor with basic tweaks

Polarr picture editor offers advanced auto-enhance tools to edit and brighten your photos. This tool can be used by both professionals and novice photographers. If you want to superimpose photos this app gives 10 and more blending modes. Further, it includes filters, brush mask, depth mask, batch exporting, photos extension and more. Beginners will love using its free version whereas if you are Pro then you can upgrade to Polarr Pro to try its exciting advanced features.

GetPolaar: image editor with basic tweaks now

5. Photos: Best in-built picture editor

Photos: best photo editing software for Mac developed by Apple Inc., is a great and easy to use photo editor. This Mac photo editing tool offers multiple easy to use editing tools like Smart Slider, filters, Markup tool to add text, shapes and more. If you’re looking for a tool that will help you with basics edits, then Mac’s built-in toll Photos is for you. In addition to this, Photos organizes images based on moments and it even allows you to create groups by person and more.

So, these were the best free photo editor that you can use on Mac.

Also Read: What Is EXIF Data- How To View And Edit It

The Best Paid Mac Image Editors

If you’ve moved past being a time pass photographer and are serious about photo editing, you’ll definitely need professional tools. Paid photo editing tools are fully featured and will help you enhance the quality of your work. Not only this will help you save a lot of time once you get used to these apps.

1. Tweak Photos: Best batch photo editor for Mac (Recommended)

Tweak Photos make batch editing easy. Using this best photo editor is as easy as 1,2,3. With this tool you can edit any image formats including RAW, can add filters, effects of your choice and more. Furthermore, you can rename, resize an entire batch of photos, auto correct orientation, change the texture, add watermark and more. This professional picture editor allows you to apply filters and edits with a click of a button. Not only this when compared with other picture editing tools Tweak Photos has all the basic and advanced features plus the lesser price.

Get Tweak Photos: Best batch photo editor for Mac

Price: $4.99

2. Affinity Photo – lightweight picture editor

Affinity Photo can be considered as a lighter version of Photoshop. It has similar features like Photoshop – advanced selection tools, brushes, and layer support. Affinity Photos, when compared with Photoshop, is much faster especially on Mac machines without a dedicated graphics card.

Plus, you can edit PSD files in Affinity Photo. If you’ve learned all the basics, then this product is a must try.

Get:Affinity Photo: lightweight picture

Price: $49.99

3. Lightroom: Professional picture editor

Lightroom is a highly appreciated photo editor by professional photographers. Its workflow is what makes Lightroom stand apart and one of the best photo editors. Apart from stellar photo editing features, it has a simple yet intuitive interface. Moreover, you can mark important photos, skim RAW files, edit them, save presets, export to multiple formats and more.

Get:Adobe Lightroom: professional picture editor

Price: $9.99/month

4. Photoshop: Advanced photo editor

When compared with other image editors listed Photoshop stands apart. Photoshop is designed specifically for image enhancement and manipulation. This creative photo editing software for Mac makes impossible possible. It can be used by anyone to make something amazing. Further, whether you want to make a few edits to transform the picture you can use tools like adjust, crop, retouch, repair old photos and more.

Get:Adobe Photoshop
Price: $9.99/month

5. Pixelmator Pro: Elegant image editor for Mac

Pixelmator Pro is a powerful, easy to use image editor designed for Mac. This professional image editor comes with an extensive collection of editing tools that help in retouching images, creating graphic designs, adding stunning effects and more. Pixelmator puts all focus on the images you edit, rather than the background making image editing simple and fun.

Get:Pixelmator Pro

Price: $39.99

In the list above there’s something for everyone. We recommend using TweakPhotos as this tool offers all basic and advanced features. Although this is a paid tool, for the price it comes is nothing it’s just &4.99. This rich photo editing tool is a must to try and is a great choice. We hope you’ll give it a try. Whatever tool you choose you’ll get plenty of options to enhance your images. Do let us know which tool you selected to use from this list.

January 02, 2020
24 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.

Simple Image Editing Mac

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.

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.

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.

Editing Images For Mac

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.

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.

Mac Os Image Editor

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.

Editing Images Mac Os

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.

Free Image Editing Tool

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.

In conclusion