Photoshop Alternative For Mac
There are numbers of photo editors created to improve your pictures, but much fewer could be considered as the real Photoshop Alternatives. In all likelihood, you have considered using Adobe Photoshop, if you will need to edit or manipulate a photograph or picture.
Video games and movies, in addition to works of art, have come to fruition at some stage along the way through the process with the assistance of Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop is so popular that it has become a verb ‘ to Photoshop‘ is now shorthand for editing an image. Although this could give the impression that Adobe’s got the market sewn up with its Creative Cloud packages, this is not true at all.
Photoshop is pretty expensive! You might not want this heavy-weight software to perform your daily picture manipulations, your social media photos or your photo editing jobs. The wide array of features Adobe Photoshop’s offers will keep this tool the professional’s choice, but the rest of us have a superb selection of free and cheap programs like photoshop. As an instance, few photo editing software like Photoshop supports the default PSD format of the Adobe application. Others won’t be able to recognize some multi-layered Photoshop files. Contents. Top 5 Free Offline Photoshop Alternatives 2018 1.
GIMP – Most Popular Open source Photo Editing Program Flexible and powerful, GIMP is the best Photoshop alternative. With advanced filters, masks, layers, colour adjustment, and transformations — all of which are customizable. As like other open-source programs GIMP’s core is created, updated and maintained by a community of developers using an assortment of coding languages. For this reason, it’s a thing that is gorgeous! One of the greatest features of GIMP is its abundance of scripts and plugins. Some of them replicate popular Photoshop tools (like Liquify), and there is a bundle of animation tools for bringing your photos to reside through blending and morphing. You can add GIMP and Photoshop plugins if that is not enough.
Do not worry if that all sounds a bit intimidating — GIMP user manual comprises troubleshooting guides and tutorials to get you started. The newest version of GIMP provides a brand new interface that puts all of menus, palettes and its tool boxes together.
This gives a Photoshop-like look, though its patchwork of tools means you will need to devote some time experimenting and perusing the documentation to understand how to get the best results to it. With its grip over an array of operating systems and community, GIMP stands out as the best free alternative to Photoshop. Even though it does not offer features like Photoshop, it possesses features to allow you to edit your photos with a stint of professionalism to it and in a breeze. Recommended For: Good for professionals and semi-professionals as the complex tasks can be achieved with this tool.
Compatible Platforms: Linux, Windows, Mac. Compatible File Formats: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW formats, BMP, GIF, PSD, etc. Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based). Price: Free 2. Paint.NET – Free Option For Windows Users. A free Photoshop substitute that has a little light on features, but easy to grasp.
This open source Photoshop alternative Paint.NET began life as a replacement for MS Paint, but over the years it has become a powerful picture editor. Like GIMP and Photo Pos Pro, Paint.NET provides an exceptional choice of automatic filters, also manual editing tools for fine adjustments. Though you will want to install a plugin for masks, layers are also supported by it. Default includes batch editing, and its stamp makes it effortless to erase distractions and blemishes.
Paint.NET is a particularly excellent Photoshop alternative for working with several photos because of quick-access tabs which use thumbnails to represent each clear picture in a glance. It’s also extremely fast and runs well even on PCs. Although there are no restrictions on the size of images stored, it requires place because of its range of customizable tools and options. While it doesn’t provide all of the GIMP’s heavy-duty editing tools, Paint.NET’s easier to learn. You will have the ability to get results with this program if you’re completely inexperienced with picture editing. If you are on Windows and require a fantastic program like Photoshop, give Paint.NET a go. Recommended For: Windows users and those who are completely inexperienced with picture editing.
Compatible Platforms: Windows. Compatible File Formats: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW formats, BMP, GIF, etc. Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based). Price: Free 3. Seashore – Free Image Editing Software For Mac Users A free Photoshop alternative that has a little light on features, but easy to grasp. If you’re predicated on Mac and are feeling left out, do not worry, Seashore is a free picture editing tool based Mac’s Cocoa framework. This tool uses the same file formatting that makes the situation for the tools offerings of attributes as offered on GIMP and as GIMP does.
Though not powerful as Photoshop or GIMP, this tool offers editing features like a lot of the fantastic stuff, gradients, multiple layers and brush strokes. Easy to use and an interface is all. While it doesn’t provide all of the GIMP’s heavy-duty editing tools, Paint.NET’s easier to learn.
You will have the ability to get results with this program if you’re completely inexperienced with picture editing. Recommended For: Mac users and those who are completely inexperienced with picture editing. Compatible Platforms: Mac OS X.
Compatible File Formats: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, XCF, etc. Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based). Price: Free 4. Krita – Best Free Alternative Photoshop For Linux Users Krita has won applauds for being among the best image editing tools, based on the open-source platforms such as Unix and Linux. The tool is an excellent selection for all your image editing needs on an open-source platform and comes as a package with the KOffice suite.
Although lacking in some departments when compared to Photoshop or GIMP, this tool is in it image editor is made up for by rights. Krita, photo editing tool is an open source application which has seen its characteristic set expand in the last few years. Having a seemingly endless quantity of brush customizations which may be stabilized to smooth even the handout and a palette, most are supported by this Photoshop alternative. Free to download, the updated desktop program utilizes OpenGL and permits you to control and to author HDR images; among other benefits.
Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Krita boasts a forum containing sample artwork. Recommended For: Linux users and those who are looking for a lightweight program. Compatible Platforms: Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Compatible File Formats: Krita supports metadata for kra, ora, tiff, jpeg, and png file formats. Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based). Price: Free 5.
Photo Pos Pro – Only For Windows Users Another terrific free software like Photoshop. Nicely constructed, with a few limitations. Photo Pos Pro offers layer masks and layers, in addition to clone and healing brushes. The colour-refining tools that are anticipated are present.
There is support for scripts and batch-editing to save time on tasks that are routine; you can import images from the camera or a scanner. Photo Pos Pro provides plugins in the form of templates and frames, and you can create and save your filters. Its main drawback is that the limitation on the size of stored files (1,024 x 2,014 pixels), but if you want the simple version and need to update, Photo Pos Pro Premium can be considered to purchase at very reasonable price for a top-rate Photoshop alternative. Recommended For: Windows users and those who are looking for a simple photo editing software.
Compatible Platforms: Windows. Compatible File Formats: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW formats, BMP, GIF, etc. Online or Offline: Offline. Price: Free Best Free and Paid Online Photoshop Alternatives 1. Pixlr – Best Free Online Alternative To Photoshop A browser-based Adobe Photoshop alternative stronger than many desktop programs. There are numerous versions available, including desktop, the internet (browser based), and mobile programs. Pixlr Editor offers you a toolbox with fills, brushes, choice, recovery and clone stamp tools — all customizable using a ribbon over the workspace.
There’s support for masks and layers, and it can manage many images at once, although Pixlr Editor does not provide batch editing. If you’re among these browser savvy, who does not like for editing a picture to close their browser, Pixlr is the best image editing tool you will ever encounter. If you’re ever going to get without leaving your browser, and without paying a penny, Pixlr is the only image editor. With keyboard shortcuts and features, designs to that of Photoshop, Pixlr is an online iteration of the picture editing behemoth. Although additionally, it boasts over 600 effects, overlays, and you do the things you’d expect from a photo editor and lets boundaries, from cropping and re-sizing to removing teeth.
As it is much the same, and if you are used to using Photoshop you will find Pixlr’s user to pick up fast. Pixlr Editor comes with a prominent ad on the side that restricts the size of your space that is working, but that is its main drawback. This Pixlr app that is free is offered in Android and iOS. The Android program is so popular that it’s been installed on over 50 million devices. For now, it’s an excellent alternative if you don’t have permission or the time to download a desktop program.
Recommended For: Browser savvy, who does not like for editing a picture to close their browser. Compatible Platforms: Browser based, Windows, Mac, Android & iOS. Compatible File Formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, PSD, etc.
Online or Offline: Both. Price: Free & paid for additional features.
PicMonkey PicMonkey, another old favourite: it is much simpler than the majority of the apps we have seen up to now. It is producing collages for creating images for your site or scrapbooking since it’s improving glamour photographs. Creating collages is a breeze upload your images and drag them into position. Unlike the other tools we have seen, PicMonkey is better on tablet or phone than on desktop. Provided that you have a browser PicMonkey allows you to begin your creation or start editing an image file in under a minute and is available on any platform. The free version offers concerning features, but you will have to pay some money if you would like premium access to tools, fonts, and some of the exclusive effects of the app in addition to an experience. The premium version of PicMonkey comes with a 7-day free trial which may be triggered by providing your email address and payment info. With an oft-updated site with a bevvy of ideas and tutorials, you should have the ability to work out whether or not PicMonkey is the correct option to suit your requirements within the week-long trial period.
Alternative For Photoshop For Mac
Though PicMonkey is free of charge, a small monthly fee for the premium version gives you a lot of extras. It is cheap, anyhow, with prices beginning at $5.50 per month. Recommended For: Unlike the other tools we have seen, PicMonkey is better on tablet or phone than on desktop, so it recommended for them.
Compatible Platforms: Browser based (require internet connection to work). Compatible File Formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG. Online or Offline: Online. Price: Free and you can upgrade for premium features beginning at $5.50 per month. SumoPaint – Another Option For Browsers Savvys SumoPaint’s interface will look familiar to photo editing tools if you’ve got some experience. The similarities are more than just skin deep as its wide and functionality range – including types and brushes – make it a powerful alternative.
SumoPaint’s version runs in browsers and is supported by ads. Photos tasks that are intricate might not be acceptable for SumoPaint, and its file service is limited and doesn’t include the default PSD format of Photoshop. Documents can open while edits can be stored in the native SUMO format of the app in addition to PNG or JPEG. Should you believe that SumoPaint is what you have been searching for and try the version that is free, you might choose to provide a whirl to Sumo Guru. The paid version allows for access to additional features and tools in addition to an experience if you pay for a year ahead of time. Sumo Pro also provides a variant of its applications which may be used while offline, in addition to access to cloud storage and a support team.
The project has 20 million users worldwide and now dates back to 2008! I guess they are doing ok with the ads. Additionally, it is an educational tool, used in colleges’ clouds and by Google Edu, in addition to having a community of SumoPaint artists. You get all the editing tools that you would expect the more wacky, in addition to of an image editor features that no photo manipulation tool that is online can do without. The variety of adjustments and tools you would expect are included. Etc, brushes, pencils text gradients are obtained from the floating toolbar. Also, it can open files that are saved making Sumopaint a viable alternative to Photoshop for re-editing and editing. You can upgrade to the premium version of SumoPaint and unlock a host of features, like dedicated help desk cloud storage Sumo offers, and much more.
Recommended For: If you’re looking for browser based photo editing along with cloud storage, then this is for you. Compatible Platforms: Browser based. Compatible File Formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG. Online or Offline: Online. Price: Free and paid version starting at $4/month 4.
Canva – Best Free Online Photo Editing App Canva is relatively a new app in this list, and it goes beyond simple image editing. To this end, the app is packed with tens of thousands of beautiful design components, including fonts, designs, and stock photos. A number of these elements are free. You will pay a fee for others, but far less than you would pay to get an image from a stock photo website. Of course, you can use your images, also.
With the ease of Canva, you may create cover photos, banners, social media graphics, birthday card, business card, or image in seconds. My experience with Canva is that the program is quick, accessible, and simple to use. It may take you from using to getting it optimized for one, a photo to post on Instagram in about five minutes. However, Canva may not be your first choice for performance, if you’re a design guru, but it gets the job done for many.
Not creative? The best thing about Canva is its library of templates. Canva does help with creating Twitter images and Facebook covers. You can use it to design your company’s marketing collateral such as business cards, invitations or presentation slides. Recommended For: Canva may not be your first choice for performance and complex photo manipulations if you’re a design guru, but it gets the job done for many.
Compatible Platforms: Browser based. Compatible File Formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG. Online or Offline: Online. Price: Free and paid for additional features and premium materials.
Fotor – One of the best Alternatives to Photoshop Fotor is another tool that is terrific that you can use as an alternative to Photoshop. The landing page promises “Simple yet strong”, and after a fast play-around, I affirm that Fotor delivers the guarantee. Fotor is a superb photo editor for making rapid enhancements. Fotor filters that do shine, although you will have to go for one of the tools previously if you wish to do a spot of retouching with recovery tool or a brush.
Fotor’s most brilliant function, and one that is sorely lacking in many photo editing packages, is its batch processing tool — feed it a heap of pics and it will filter out the lot of them in 1 go, perfect if you’ve got a memory card full of holiday snaps and will need to pay up the results of a dodgy camera or shaky hand. There are three major sections at Fotor after you have opened a picture: Edit section, which comprises all critical image editing tools like easy edits, the inevitable mad filters and effects, beauty fixes, and finally frames and text overlays. For the last two you will want to update, but at $3.33 (with an annual charge of $39) it is not going to break the bank. Then you get the collage section, which does exactly what it says on the tin: a method to make a collage with layouts.
The design part is also value: It comes with heaps of designs much more and platforms, including banner ads and text overlays which you can edit at your leisure. I enjoy this tool: the interface is incredibly intuitive, and it comes with options that are very useful. Recommended For: Basic photo editing task can be done quickly. Compatible Platforms: Browser based.
Compatible File Formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG. Online or Offline: Online. Price: Free and paid for premium features at USD 39 annually. FotoJet FotoJet is another selected web-based Adobe Photoshop alternative that is easier than most of the programs. It is an all-in-one graphics tool that combines collage maker, photo editor and graphics maker, registration-free and basic-free. Comparing to other Photoshop alternatives mentioned in this article, FotoJet is comparatively easier in the list.
It fully supports social-media artworks, editing images, creating stunning collages and many more. FotoJet offers a set of graphics tools, with which you can almost do anything to a photo, like retouch, crop, resize, rotate, sharpen, color, exposure, dehaze, frame, color splash, etc. It provides 30 art fonts as text choices. Tens of Overlay are worthy of a try, which from our point of view are all about beautiful & epic overlays.
And Clipart in FotoJet meets the need to create amusement images. When talking to an online photo editor, we can say that FotoJet is relatively pleasant and satisfying. If you are looking for YouTube banner maker, or finding brilliant ways to create a Facebook cover, then FotoJet is an ideal graphic maker online that you never want to miss. In its Design mode, you will find the portal to begin a creation of YouTube art, YouTube Thumbnail, magazine cover, and a header for Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ or Email. Imagine that all of a sudden, you feel like to add some sensation to a Facebook post to express yourself, then you can go to FotoJet Social Media Post section in Design.
Unlike other collage makers, FotoJet’s Collage gives users the freedom to control the number of grids. Exceptionally, we would like to recommend its Comic collage and Fun Photo collage. It can be very convenient and enjoyable to create your first comic or your April Fool’s wanted poster.
Although FotoJet has many merits that we can applause for, its current version still lacks high-end support for photo straighten. But after all, photo straighten is not an everybody’s need.
Recommended For: People need to DIY a stunning photo shortly but lack skilled experience with Photoshop. Compatible Platforms: Browser-based, Windows, Mac, Android & iOS. Compatible File Formats: BMP, JPEG, etc.
Online or Offline: Online. Price: Free & Paid for advanced features. 7-day FREE TRIAL on premium version. Best Paid And Cheap Photoshop Alternatives 1. Affinity photo – Most Affordable Option For Mac And Windows Out of all of the tools in this listing, Affinity Photo is the nearest to Photoshop. Causing buzz over the neighbourhood since released, the Affinity Photo is the genuine Photoshop alternative we’ve seen up to now. The key thing, however, is that Affinity is Photoshop with no bloat: it supports all of the very best Photoshop attributes, like mixing styles and adjustment layers, channels for retouching and hiding, pro cut-out methods, vector works and working together with the RAW format.
Completely compatible with Photoshop and other document formats, it is aimed squarely at professional designers and photographers, and although Affinity Photo is enormously cheaper than Photoshop (without a subscription), its founders argue it is better, promising high stability, fewer crashes. There is a Vimeo channel with tons of Affinity tutorials that are quite well-made. Affinity is a one off payment.
And at that a steal in the present offer that is USD 49.99. However, for anyone looking for an alternative Affinity Photo is worth exploring. You will discover more about capacities and the qualities on Affinity Photo at their. Recommended For: Go ahead and buy this beast if you’re looking semi-pro and looking for fastest and complete photoshop alternative at lowest possible price. Compatible Platforms: Mac and Windows. Compatible File Formats: The list is long, but it includes.psd format as well.
Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based). Price: USD 49.99 2. Sketch – Most Popular For Mac OS Users A professional vector graphics program for creatives, lately Sketch has generated enormous buzz in the design community because of approving nods from the likes of Khoi Vinh using Sketch rather than Photoshop. Sketch has many features similar to that of Illustrator and Photoshop, including layers, gradients, colour picker, and style presets.
The development team behind Sketch has made it as flexible as possible, with it supporting zooming and vector shapes that are fantastic for better resolutions. You begin a new one or can construct a graphic. Recommended For: The fluid and fast image tool is something every designer that is a pro would like at any given time. Compatible Platforms: Mac OS X.
Compatible File Formats: RAW formats, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PSD, etc. Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based). Price: USD 99 3. Acorn – Best Option For Mac Users Need a Mac picture editor that’s fun and fast to use? You will enjoy the Mac-only Acorn, debuted back in 2007 and has provided artists and hobbyists on a budget with a great alternative to Photoshop ever.
You may work through Acorn’s if you are a beginner. You can find a tutorial to assist you with tasks that are more complex even if you’re an image editing expert. Features of this software include filters that are nondestructive, layer styles, curves, and levels, blending modes and much more. Recommended For: If you can compromise on some features offered by Adobe Photoshop. Compatible Platforms: MAC OS X. Compatible File Formats: All the MAC OS X compatible media formats. Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based).
Price: USD 30 4. Corel PaintShop (Paid) Paintshop Pro is an alternative to Photoshop that delivers an assortment of graphics and photo-editing creation tools. From Corel, Paintshop Pro comes with a great deal of graphics tools and picture editing under its belt.
This tool is one of the alternatives to Photoshop with an attention and a user interface. Plugins that are supported on Photoshop can easily extend the library of brushes and tools. Its tools and brushes that make it a Photoshop alternative, developed by Painter’s manufacturer. There is support for layers here, and a suite cloning and ‘makeover’ but you will also find art media tools that are advanced using an assortment of vector choices and brush effects. Paintshop Pro supports Photoshop brushes, letting you considerably extend the library of tools. The most recent version promises text and quicker brushes and form cutting tools to 30%. PaintShop Pro has existed for decades and, if you are new to image editing as with Serif PhotoPlus, you will appreciate the instruction that is terrific and support this program provides.
New goodies in this version include Auto Choice, which can help one to make images quickly. If you edit countless images, this app should be considered by you, as it can record scripts that automate tasks.
You’ll also appreciate the countless plugins and filters available for this program. Recommended For: Windows users and if you’re looking semi-pro and looking for fastest and complete photoshop alternative at an affordable price. Compatible Platforms: Windows.
Compatible File Formats: RAW formats, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PSD, etc. Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based). Price: $80 USD (starting) 5. Pixelmator – Affordable PS alternative For Mac OS Users Pixelmator utilizes image editing programs to be created by Mac OS X libraries. It enables the applications to integrate with the likes of iPhoto and Aperture, in addition to iCloud as it’s developed on iOS technology and Mac. Additionally, there are built-in export tools for Flickr and Facebook. There are a variety of tools available within Pixelmator which permit you to draw correctly to paint and retouch images.
Correction tools like Hue/Saturation, Shadows/Highlights, and Contrast are accurate and all present — so the majority of operations are possible. These attributes, ease of use, and combined with its low cost, make Pixelmator appealing. Both new and expert users will enjoy Pixelmator’s many tutorials, including dozens of third party tutorials from enthusiastic Pixelmator mavens. You should think about, given its pricing, by being cheap when compared to Adobe Photoshop, Pixelmator is a strong alternative to Photoshop for Mac users. Recommended For: The fluid and fast image tool is something every designer that is a pro would like, at any given time.
Compatible Platforms: Mac OS X. Compatible File Formats: RAW formats, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PSD, etc. Online or Offline: Offline (Desktop based). Price: USD 29.99 Final Words We will recommend you try GIMP if you’re looking for a free alternative to Photoshop. Got some budget? Go ahead and buy Affinity Photo and you will forget about Photoshop existence. If you’re looking for an online solution, can’t leave your browser while editing photos, and without paying a penny, then Pixlr is the only image editor can help you.
Also, you can try Canva which is good and pretty quick to create graphics with their pre-built layouts and templates. Anyway, you can always address online photo retouching websites like WE edit Photos Photoshop service and receive professionally enhanced photos in several days for the affordable price. If you can’t do with Photoshop or don’t have time for watching YouTube tutorials about GIMP or Pixlr – outsourcing is the best decision We tried our best to write a most thorough guide on Photoshop alternatives available for free and cheap rates.
Now you can experiment to determine which ones that you can incorporate into your workflows for image editing needs. We hope with this guide You do not have to run a subscription that is pricey to have the ability to carry a huge array of picture editing tasks.
Have you got a Photoshop alternative that is open source or free which you like to use for your photo editing needs? It will be good to listen to what you believe? What’s your favorite alternative to Photoshop? Tell us in the comments below. And, be social, and discuss this post with your pals.
But, the industry has changed. Instead of just being one piece of software among many, Photoshop is now the linchpin of, and for the past couple of years, it’s been available only by subscription. Photoshop CC 2015 interface Adobe’s subscription strategy is separating the pros who need it for work from the hobbyists seeking the best help money can buy. Adobe is accommodating pro shooters with its Photography Program for $9.99 per month, which includes sweeteners like Lightroom, Mix and cloud-based sharing, storage and syncing extras. But what if Photoshop is overkill for your purposes today, or a subscription model is unappealing? Several new apps — and updates to existing ones — have emerged that may be even better suited to your needs.
Lightroom Library We poked around and found 10 good prospects spanning Mac, Windows and Linux platforms, and suitable for amateurs and enthusiasts seeking a Photoshop alternative. We stuck to the desktop apps only because it much of serious image editing still takes place on the desktop. Affinity Photo, a brand new app from, has just emerged from an open as the closest pro-level Photoshop yet. Not only does it works with Raw files, unlike most photo editors, it offers CMYK (four-color separation) alongside support for most popular photo formats, including PSD. You can pan and zoom at 60fps using the app’s live previews, even when working on huge images with many layers. I found Affinity Photo very easy to learn and use. Performance is stellar, especially for a new product, and it has many familiar Photoshop tools and adjustments in a brightly colored toolbar that reminds me of Pixelmator — which is a good thing.
You also get a host of filters including lighting, blurs, distortions, tilt-shift, shadows, glows and more. Users get full control over every aspect of a filter’s properties, complete with real-time previews. Filters can be applied as layers, letting you edit effects after they have been applied. The downside? It’s for the Mac only. ➤ (Mac/, $49.99. Special launch edition, $39.99 until July 23.), another newcomer, was launched recently for Windows and Mac, plus both mobile platforms, to manage and sync your photo collections.
The app automatically copies and syncs all of your photos, edits and changes to all of your devices. Mylio builds on your existing albums and file and folder structures, and maintains them from Lightroom, Aperture and Facebook in an intuitive and attractive interface. Mylio is lighter on editing facility than photo management, but it does provide for common fixes most photographers need. Regardless of which edits you make to your photos, changes will appear across all your devices.
For all that organizing and syncing, there is a subscription fee. After the first month free, the fee ranges between $4.17 and $20.84 per month for a choice of three plans covering three to 12 devices and 50,000 to 500,000 photos. ➤ (Mac/Windows, ) is essentially Photoshop Lite — the consumer version of the granddaddy of image editors. Elements borrows heavily from Photoshop in terms of core image editing functionality, but its interface differs vastly — it’s much more accessible, with a bright, friendly consumer feel.
Taking into account the skill disparities among hobbyists, Elements offers three levels of editing functionality: Quick, Guided and Expert editing tabs give you as much heavy lifting as you wish to handle. For the enthusiast set, some of new features like Photomerge Compose and the Refine Selection brush may require a steady hand. The newest version supports also supports High DPI on Windows and Retina Displays on Macs. ➤ (Mac/Windows, $79.99) Adobe’s Lightroom photo manager was basically considered a direct competitor to Apple’s Aperture until the latter was. Lightroom is more of a photo manager than its sibling, Photoshop, but even so, it has a huge variety of image editing features that will likely satisfy most hobbyists.
Lightroom is easier to use and learn than Photoshop and it also has a. And, significantly, Lightroom is one of the few pro-level creative apps that Adobe still sells as a perpetual license. It’s also available as part of the, which includes Photoshop, mobile apps and cloud storage. ➤ (Mac/Windows, $149) is the free Photoshop alternative for Mac. It replaced iPhoto and Aperture on the Mac desktop, providing full-featured organizational tools as well as consumer-level editing capabilities. Fairly nicely and integrates with your iCloud account to share photos across all your platforms. Photos’ organization will look familiar if you use Photos for iOS.
Satechi premium 4 port aluminum usb hub was designed for mac. You will recognize Moments, Collections and Years views for organizing, while a toolbar lets you tap into your shared photos, albums and projects. Photos does have more advanced editing tools than iPhoto, though, in addition to a completely reorganized toolbar that gives you Aperture-style tools in an elegant layout. Controls include Light, Color, Black & White, Levels, White Balance, Definition, Vignette and Revert. While Photos does dive into some intricate edits, most of the professional functions of Aperture are gone.
The emphasis is on iCloud integration, light edits and easy sharing. ➤ (Mac/free on the ) At launch, became an instant favorite of the Mac community. The current version includes support for recent Apple technologies, including integration with the new Photos app, Force Touch trackpad and more. Now, you can access your Photos library right from Pixelmator’s photo browser, paint with pressure sensitivity on the new MacBook and MacBook Pro and remove unwanted elements from your photos up to five times faster with the enhanced Repair tool. The context-sensitive Move Tool lets you move, rotate and distort elements, selections, text, shapes or layers. When you move the layers, smart Alignment Guides appear, letting you neatly align and distribute objects. Let’s not forget Pixelmator’s excellent vector tools that are great for logos, posters, Web layouts and custom shapes. ➤ (Mac/ $29.99) GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open source semi-replica of Photoshop.
This pro-level app is free and lets you accomplish much of what you can in Photoshop. While the interface is improving over time, is not nearly as elegant or intuitive. GIMP was created for the benefit of folks in GNU/Linux and UNIX community who need image manipulation software. The app lets you fix perspective distortion caused by lens tilt, eliminate lens barrel distortion and vignetting with a filter, get rid of unneeded details with the clone tool or touch up minor details with the healing tool. ➤ (Mac/Windows, free) When photographers think about photo management, Adobe’s may spring to mind, but consider Corel’s AfterShot Pro. The app is designed with 64-bit performance to act as a Raw converter, non-destructive photo editor and photo manager. The most recent AfterShot Pro version has an updated interface with an enhanced zoom offering better previewing of smaller images. A new Image Reset button lets you revert to your original photo in one click, even after a series of edits.
Editing tools span the range from Smart Photo Fix, White Balance, Brightness/Contrast, Fill Light/Clarity, Local Tone Mapping, High Pass Sharpening, and Digital Noise Removal. The app’s HDR features let photographers combine multiple exposures to create a single photo. ➤ (Mac/Windows/Linux, $54.99) Flying Meat’s Acorn has been a perennial favorite for years among folks who have a bit of image editing to do for work or personal photos and can manage to organize their photo collection on their own. The newest version of Acorn has better performance than its predecessor and, like Photoshop, Elements and others, it features layer styles and non-destructive filters, curves and levels, working non-destructively with layers and layer masks. A Mac-only app, it is Automator, AppleScript and JavaScript friendly.
It has a heavy vector presence in that you can draw and sketch or add shapes to your pictures. Add subtract points from Bezier paths and rotate your shapes with a wrist action. Acorn 4 also introduced intersect, union, exclusion and difference operations on selected shapes. ➤.5 (Mac/, $29.00) CyberLink Photo Director — like Adobe’s Photoshop, and Apple’s — concentrates on image editing, with some management tools thrown in. PhotoDirector is. Version 6 offers an assortment of new features, including a radial and gradient adjustment mask and improved toning for better detail and contrast. Film-like, a photo merge feature for panoramas with content-aware fill and face swaps for group portraits, and improved skin tone, body shaper, and collage features.
The most recent version supports 54 new camera Raw profiles, 36 new lens profiles for auto correction, Open CL support for swifter exporting of edited photos, a share via email or social media feature and the ability to edit EXIF timestamps. PhotoDirector also has for Android and Windows 8 devices. ➤ (Mac/Windows, $49.99) Each of the above packages are excellent for specific target audiences. It’s up to you to try them and figure out which one is the best for you. Luckily, all of them offer free trials and tutorials to get you up to speed quickly. Four are Mac-only with all the others cross-platform. Did we miss any apps you like?
Let us know in the comments. Read next: Read next.