If you shoot photos in RAW, you might think you need to shell out for Lightroom or some other expensive image software to process them. But you don't. macOS has lots of options when it comes to high-quality free RAW converters.
Before you delve into third-party RAW photo editors, don't overlook the software you might already have. Most cameras use a proprietary RAW format, so they come with free software to let you process your images.
Best Free Raw Photo Managing Software For Mac
The software on offer varies in quality---Sony's Capture One Express is perhaps the best example---but most does just fine for first-pass editing. Once you've tweaked your image, you'll probably want to throw it into an editor of your choice for further adjustments.
In the free version you can use Picktorial to open, view, and export your RAW images. You can quickly import, sort, and rate your photos, and the A/B and Before/After panels make it simple to compare and find your best shots.
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.
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.
As a photo organizing software, darktable both excels and fails in equal measure. Want to view your images by applied presets? By geotag? darktable makes navigating your photos a fun, intuitive process. Unfortunately, cataloging speed is anything but enjoyable. Compared to RawTherapee, uploading can take up to double the time.
Mylio allows you to import any existing folder structures you may have. But the software also makes it easy to start organizing from scratch. Mylio Photos offers the option to find photos based on dates, places, and even people. Thanks to a handy facial recognition feature, you can tag pictures of your friends and family.
Excire Foto may take a while to get used to, but the interface is relatively simple, and once you understand where the various tools are located, it becomes incredibly intuitive. For large photo collections of either professional or casual snaps, Excire Foto is certainly one of the best photo management programs you can buy.
Since the software often runs with active shoots, managing images is easy via keyboard shortcuts. Keywords applicable to individual images or entire sessions are also included, making it easy to pull up a specific type of image. From there, you can set up Smart Albums, which automatically collect photos with certain attributes.
Mylio and Adobe Lightroom are among the best photo organizer for Mac users. Both are cloud-based services that give you everything you need to edit, organize, store, and share your photos across any device.
The best alternative to Lightroom is Luminar Neo by Skylum. Luminar offers revolutionary tools and AI technologies to power creative photo editing. With Luminar you can explore, rate, and sort all your images in folders.
The Picverse Photo Manager is the best option to organize your photos when you are on a tight budget. Picverse focuses on the memories by automatically creating albums by date or location. It is an essential tool to organize photos, remove duplicates, and edit images.
Apple Photos is a good option and comes pre-installed on Macs. However, if you want more functionality, try Adobe Bridge. Bridge lets you preview, organize, and publish photos and media assets for free.
You could migrate from iPhotos to Photos (see: -8461).Older Macs store your photos in a no-so-easy-to-find folder structure (finder > pictures folder > Photos Library.photoslibrary, right click > show package contents > you will see your photos in a folder structure).You could copy those onto an external hard drive and then re-import in any other photo cataloging software we recommended above.
Hello,For a non professional, what is the best software to import from various folders/ sources and automatically organize the imported photos into an organized folder hierarchy (e.g. by year or by album)?
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.
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. 2ff7e9595c
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