Earlier this week we took at look at some great free web based alternatives to Photoshop. Since we don’t always have web access (this can be especially true during our favorite photo editing time: while riding on a plane), we decided it was a good idea to look at some free photo editing options available for download.

We tested 10 Mac photo editing programs for over 50 hours by comparing editing capabilities. We imported the same group of photos to each software and applied the same edits. Each program's ease of use was an important factor in our recommendations, as we the best programs should be powerful yet easy to learn. The following are a selection of free third-party RAW editors for editing RAWs that have come straight off your camera, on your Mac. RawTherapee A true cross-platform editing monster, RawTherapee is available in 64 and 32 bit flavours for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux (including binaries for Ubuntu and Gentoo, to name but a few). PixelStyle Photo Editor for Mac Best Photo Editing Software for Mac. PixelStyle Photo Editor for Mac is an all-in-one photo editing and graphic design software, providing professional high-quality photo processing tools to edit the photos, enhance and touch up photos on Mac OS X; Mac Photo Editor PixelStyle comes with a huge range of high-end filters including lighting, blurs, distortions.

• Best Layer-based Image Editor for Mac. Paint.NET may be the best photo editing software for Windows, but Pixelmator takes its position on Mac OS X. The Layer palette is one important reason for that.
• New version of award-winning photo editor created by Skylum team for Mac & PC. Order Luminar today and get an exclusive price for the most advanced image editing software.
• Top 5 Free Image Viewer for Mac OS If you used to be a windows user, and now switch to Mac OS, I'm sure you will miss the good and free Image Viewer program on window. They are simple, clean and you can do some basic photo editing with it easily.

In this list we’ve broken our software down just like we had with our web based list. Basic applications will perform basic photo editing tasks like cropping and resizing, while the More Robust applications will be more akin to Photoshop with options such as working with layers. Applications built for the Mac will have an “M” at the end, Windows a “W,” Unix a “U.”

• iPhoto: Since iLife comes free on every Mac, it makes our cut for a decent free basic photo editor. Of course iPhoto also boasts great photo organization in addition to the simple editing. M
  
• PhotoFiltre: This simple editor is like a pared down Photoshop and would have made our More Robust category had it included layer support. W
  
• Picasa: Think of this software as Google’s answer to iPhoto mashed with flickr. M, W
  
• PhotoPlus: Yet another basic photo editor, bonus for the lay users, this one comes with a tooth whitener tool. W
  
• Photoscape: This basic photo editor allows for RAW conversions to JPEG and has a tool for creating animated GIFs. W

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Best Free Photo Editor For Macbook Pro

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• Gimp: Easily the most popular free robust Photoshop replacement, and it is easy to see why. With an amazing array of editing tools and thriving developer community, Gimp is a fantastic choice for a real Photoshop replacement and is the one we most frequently use here at Unplggd. M, U, W
  
• LiveQuartz: This easy to use editor has a surprising amount of tools including layer management and multi-touch support. M
  
• Seashore: Another open source editor, Seashore, features gradients, textures, and anti-aliasing for both text and brush strokes.
  
• Paint.Net: Originally intended as a free replacement to Microsoft Paint software, Paint.Net has grown over the years into a much more powerful tool that includes layer support and several editing tools. W
  
• Pixen: This open source editor is designed specifically for pixel artists and features elegant layer support and great animation tools. M

Did we miss your favorite free photo editing application?

(Lead Image: flickr member William Brawley editing photos, licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Photos are part of people’s lives in modern times. They can be taken from cell phones, computers & cameras. Organizing and fixing them according to personal tastes can be tricky. Luckily, there are many applications that can assist Mac lovers with these tasks.

Here below is a picture of 5 best tools in 2019, each of them with different features, which allow readers to choose according to their needs.

1. Photos

Photos is a photo management and editing app developed by Apple Inc. Its great characteristics are simplicity and ease of use. Even its name is a beautiful and direct indicator of its usage.

This Mac photo editing software has been available since 2015 for OS X Yosemite 10.10.3, and since 2016 for tvOS v.10.

This app has several easy-to-use editing tools, such as filters and Smart Sliders. In addition, it has the Markup tool, which can add text, shapes, and create sketches and signatures. Other extra tools include Light, used to reveal hidden details; and Revert, used to compare with the original version.

However, where Photos surpasses all other Mac photo editing software is in its integration with iCloud Photo Library. This excellent facility allows users to fill in their libraries, and not their devices. This is done by keeping photos and videos in sync with other Apple devices, such as iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. This integration works in such a way that for example, a photo taken by an iPhone is immediately available on other devices.

As an organizer, Photos uses moments, which can be used to create collections and years. Moments are combinations of time and location metadata attached to the photo. Moreover, features such as face recognition, allow users to create groups by a person, and many more.

The editing and organizing abilities are wonderfully complemented by themes, which enable users to create calendars, photo books, and other creations.

The app also includes tools for professional quality printings. On the downside, many Apple fans have criticized the absence of some features, which were available in the previous iPhoto and Aperture.

Overall, this powerful and intuitive tool has been designed with the modern-user needs in mind: great integration, easy editing, and professional photo management tools. Definitely, Photos must be included among the best photo editing software for Mac.

2. Luminar

Luminar is an all-in-one photo editor with excellent RAW editing capabilities. It is aimed at both beginners and professionals alike, thanks to its intuitive and customizable interface that has something for everyone.

Other than providing advanced image editing tools like noise reduction and selective adjustments, Luminar contains 45 filters that are all geared to achieve professional-quality images in a single click. These are paired with over 60 presets that can each be used as a base on top of which users can make their own adjustments.

Luminar is also very quick at what it does, up to 6 times faster than other image editors of its calibre. It’s also available as a plugin for software like Lightroom and Photoshop, providing users with unmatched flexibility in the way they edit their photos.

As a result, Luminar is quickly becoming the preferred image editor for photographers at various levels of expertise. It is especially recommended if you are new to the world of photo editing and need something that lets you get to grips with advanced editing tools and allows you to take your editing to the next level when you are ready.

3. Fotor

Fotor Online Photo Editor is packed with features that make creating beautiful images as easy as executing a few clicks on your computer. It is free to use and also offers a modestly priced Pro version with enhanced capabilities.

Getting started with the photo editor requires you to sign up for a free account. Once that is complete, you have access to a wide variety of tools that enable you to edit your photos and design stunning collages and images using their large selection of templates.

You begin an editing session by importing the photograph of your choice from your computer, Dropbox, Facebook, or the Fotor Cloud. Within the editor, you can modify any aspect of the photo that you desire, including size, coloration, brightness, and contrast to name just a few.

Taking advantage of the large selection of templates lets you easily create photo cards, invitations or leaflets. Add clip art to your creations and choose from hundreds of fonts to achieve the exact design you want.

A great feature of this tool is the ability to beautify a photograph by taking actions like eliminating wrinkles and blemishes. You can always look your best by touching up your photos before posting them.

Fotor provides users with informative tutorial videos which walk you through the process of editing your photos and creating graphic designs. This makes it easy to discover the features that will make your images stand out from the crowd. You should add Fotor to your photo editing toolbox today.

4. Pixelmator

Pixelmator is a photo editing for Mac app developed by two Lithuanian brothers and based on a combination of open source and Mac OS X technologies.

This software has many features, including more than 40 tools for selection, painting, retouching, navigation, color correction, and color management, GPU-powered image processing, pixel-accurate selection, and more. Just for color correction, it has 16 tools and more than 50 filters.

This set of powerful tools allows users to edit photos, sketch, draw, paint, and add shapes and more than 160 effects. Thus, the tool allows not only photo processing but also graphics creation, such as logos, etc.

The app works on a layer-based image editing technique, where different layers can be arranged and grouped for processing.

The combination of technologies used includes Open GL, Core Image for Mac’s graphics card, Open CL for parallel computing, and 64-bit architecture. The result is a noticeable fast image processing.

Overall, Pixelmator is a great Mac photo editing software that can produce stunning results in the hands of the gifted artist.

5. GIMP

GIMP is an open source free photo editing software for Mac. Its name means GNU Image Manipulation Program, and it is a raster graphics editor developed by volunteers worldwide.

GIMP can be used for image retouching and editing, drawing, conversion between different image formats and more.

Its main strength is in its scripting language Script-Fu, which can be used to automate repetitive tasks. Scripting can also be done through Perl, Python, and Tcl, by using an external interpreter.

In addition, it also excels at a large number of file formats that the program can handle, such as BMP, JPEG, PNG, GIF and TIFF among others. The app can also import PDF files and raw formats of many digital cameras.

Best Free Photo Editor For Mac

GIMP works through a set of layers, each containing several channels. These layers are used to add effects and filters, edit images using brushes, and other choices. Within these set of features, Path tools stand out, as they can create vectors, which can be used in complex selections.

This photo editing for Mac app also has the advantage of being capable of handling colors in a variety of ways, such as RGB, CMYK, Water-color formats, and hexadecimal formats. CMYK is very useful when working with printers.

GIMP also has a set of Smart tools, that although not so easy to use, may become very handy for the expert user. Among them, is the clone tool, which copies pixels; the healing brush, used to correct tone and color; and the dodge and burn tool, which can lighten (dodge) and darken (burn) pixels.

However, according to many users, this Mac photo editing software falls short in ease of use.

Overall, GIMP is the best free photo editing software for Mac, and presents a good alternative to those users looking for a sophisticated tool that is free, and are capable of overcoming its complications.

6. Adobe Photoshop Elements

Adobe Photoshop Elements is a raster graphics editor for entry-level users. For this, it has most of the features available in the professional version, but in a simplified manner.

The app can create collages, slide shows, calendars, scrapbook pages, and cards. It can also organize, manually or automatically, based on subjects like birthdays, cats, etc. Added to this, it lets the user share pictures via the main social Internet sites, such as Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter and more.

Free Image Editor For Mac

This Mac photo editing software lets users make changes varying from quick-one-click fixes to artistic creations.

In brief, Adobe Photoshop Elements is a great tool for those photo enthusiasts that don’t want to get into very technical stuff.

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