You want your photos to look their best. And ideally, you want to make that happen without spending a lot of time learning a new program or dropping a lot of money on software. We get it. Mac image editing is very simple if you choose the right software.
Best Free Photo Editors For Mac
Some of the winners on our list are available as desktop apps, while others are strictly available as online photo editors. Some are free trials of paid programs, and others are genuine, no-strings-attached free photo editors. So let's take a look right now at free photo editing software for mac like Photoshop.
Why we love it: While many free online photo editors are streamlined and fairly basic, Darktable is free photo editing software that can hold its own against professional tools.If you need a free photo editor download for Mac, consider Darktable. 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 in photo editor on Macbook Pro.
Why we love it: Now on version 4.0, Picktorial is free photo editing software with a suite of impressive graphic features. The built-in photo organization tool is a nice touch, and the filters and effects hold their own against more expensive photo editing programs. Picktorial can even be used as an extension to Apple Photos, so you can use it to complement one of our other picks. Here you can quickly and easily organize your photos.
We hope our list has helped you select the best free image editor for your next project. If you want to learn more about Skylum software, we invite you to find out whether Luminar Neo is the picture editor for you.
No matter which online image editor or photo editing software for Mac you choose, we wish you the best in your photography ventures and photo enhancement. May you never need to fix it in post. Choose the best software from the list above with your needs in mind.
No. LuminarAI is its own application. While you can use it with photo editors from Apple and Adobe, it is not designed to work as a plugin to other Skylum software. You are able to keep both programs on your machine and use them alongside each other.
LuminarAI is a brand-new program, rebuilt from the ground up. It is not an upgrade to the previous version of Luminar. Moreover, we suggest treating LuminarAI as an alternative to all traditional photo editors, including Luminar 4. Because of that, you will not be able to move your catalog directly to LuminarAI.
SkyAI will work with your own photos if they are in one of the following formats: JPEG, PNG and TIFF. Here are guidelines on preparing skies for best results. Augmented SkyAI will work with your own objects if they are in PNG format with the Alpha channel or JPG format with a fully black background.
However, most Mac image editors are shockingly high-priced. Fortunately, there are several free Mac photo editing software available, and some of them offer all the high-end editing features of their expensive counterparts.
We have done the testing and research to bring you the 13 best free Mac photo editing software. This guide takes an in-depth look at each one, from key features to pros and cons, so you can make an informed decision about which Mac image editor is best for you.
PhotoDirector is a professional-grade free Mac photo editing software made with the consumer in mind. It features advanced tools that are easy to use, so anyone can make stunning photography and swoon-worthy social media posts. Detailed Review >
Pixelmator Pro is a free Mac photo editing software with pro features such as RAW photo editing and drawing tools. Users can share and edit photos on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Detailed Review >
Based on our review, PhotoDirector Essential is the best overall free Mac photo editing software available. A lot of the software on our list will be beginner-friendly but lack advanced features. PhotoDirector Essential offers a comprehensive range of features for both professional and amateur photographers. It also has an easy-to-use interface that lets you jump in so you can start to edit photos on Mac immediately.
This free Mac photo editing software also supports layer editing options and other powerful tools like advanced color replacement, panorama photo merge, and dispersion effects. You also get easy adjustment tools like tone, white balance, level, curve, split toning, and HSL & HDR effects.
PhotoDirector Essential is a free Mac photo editing software suitable for professional use but easy enough for beginners to use. Using the software's guided edits, you can add effects and create professional-level images in seconds. It also includes photo management and efficient workflow features, including tethered shooting, soft proofing, GPS photo logs, and AI facial recognition.
This free Mac photo editing software has an abundance of essential tools. anything a novice could need to edit photos on Mac. Merge, crop, combine, and resize photos, then add stickers, filters, or text. The program also has some impressive color tools, such as Point Color (choose one color to highlight and make the rest of the photo back and white), Selective Color (change vibrancy up or down of each color you choose), and Replace Color (replace one color with another throughout the photo). There is also a gradient map for more precise color changes.
Pixelmator is a robust tool to edit photos on Mac offering various high-end editing features. Beginner to intermediate users will enjoy this free Mac photo editing software for its complete macOS integration. The software has all the default Mac menus and shortcuts and allows users to easily pull photos from apps like Mail, Messages, AirDrop, Notes, and Photos. You can even pull still images from FaceTime. In addition, Pixelmator supports macOS 13 and Apple tools like Magic Mouse, Apple Fonts, Apple Pencil, and more.
The pro features you get with Pixelmator include layer editing, retouching, vector, and AI tools. In addition, this free Mac photo editing software offers various pens, pencils, and brushes for precision image enhancements. As you become familiar with the software, you can customize the main toolbar to contain only the needed tools. You can also organize the various effects and filters in their palettes for quick access.
Fotor Photo Editor is a free Mac photo editing software for beginners. The Fotor editing platform is easy to use, and navigating the menus and editing tools is quick and easy. All effects and edits are automatic, with a slider to adjust intensity. The limited tools are laid out so you can see all options at once, and when you click on a feature, a little box pops up explaining what it is and how to use it to edit photos on Mac.
Like Canva, Fotor is available on any device from your web browser, or as a more stable download to edit photos on Mac or Windows. It is an excellent tool for beginners and offers some fun filters and effects. However, unlike our top choices PhotoDirector and Pixelmator, it will not grow with you as your skills increase. Most tools require a subscription and the premium versions are pricey. We also found the layering tools were more difficult to use than in other Mac image editors.
While not as robust as other free Mac photo editing software on our list, Pixlr does have some professional tools like customizable brushes and a selection of cutting tools like shape, lasso, drag, and magic. There are also tools for painting and drawing, fine-tuning color tools, and support for layer editing. Unfortunately, Pixlr's huge stock library and Remove Background app are separate and require additional sign-in.
Pixlr's advanced features fall somewhere in the middle of other editors of its kind. The software contains a lot of intrusive ads, which is typical of freeware but not seen in the other Mac image editors on our list. And while you can use the software on any device with a web browser and internet connection, the downloadable version you can use offline is only available on Windows.
Darktable is the top open-source free Mac photo editing software on our list and a great option for photographers. It has photo management tools similar to Adobe Lightroom, and RAW image processing for over 400 popular cameras. It also supports tethered shooting and handles 10,000 images.
This free Mac photo editing software offers extremely precise control over edits. It includes advanced tools such as masking, blending, hot pixel fixes, denoise, and many more. Darktable saves your image metadata and processing settings and comes in 21 languages.
PhotoPad made our list of the best free Mac photo editing software because of its image resizing features. This Mac image editor will upscale and change the aspect ratio of your photos with zero quality loss, thanks to AI-powered tools such as Super Resolution and liquid resize effect. If you edit photos on Mac and need to blow up images to poster size then PhotoPad is a great option.
PhotoPad has some unique and helpful features like a Passport photo tool and the ability to colorize black and white photos. The free Mac photo editing software also offers a good selection of clipart, fonts, frames, collage templates, and drawing tools.
This free Mac photo editing software has tons of learning tools and technical support, besides being easy to use to begin with. However, PhotoPad is not for advanced users, and the free version is not available for commercial use. Our top software, PhotoDirector, is equally beginner-friendly with a plethora of learning aids, but also has features for more advanced users.
Movavi Photo Editor is a free Mac photo editing software beginners can use to restore old or damaged photos. It not only removes noise and blur, but also fold lines, stains, and more. It can also add color to antique black-and-white photos. 2ff7e9595c
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