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Best Photo Editing Software for MacBook: Free and Paid!

Diana Ford
Diana Ford Originally published Nov 19, 24, updated Dec 10, 24

Want to master photo editing? Whether you love taking perfect photos, post some snaps occasionally on your Instagram account, or use photos in your work, it is crucial to have a proper photo editor for a MacBook.

Now that there are many options available, comparing the best photo editing software for Mac is a difficult task.

edit photos on mac

But do not worry, we have got you here sorted out! In this guide, we'll cover both Mac photo editors for you to use as free tools and those that come with a price, and basic to advanced tools and artificial intelligence-based ones that will help save you time on your Mac or iMac.

It's time to delve deeper, improve your visuals, and let everyone freak out by applying your incredible edits!

In this article
      1. Wondershare Filmora for Mac (Free/Paid)
      2. Photos (Free)
      3. Adobe Photoshop (Paid)
      4. Movavi (Free/Paid)

Part 1: Significance of Having a Professional Photo Editor for MacBook

Selecting the appropriate and professional photo editing software for Mac isn't only about making your images look good; it is a lifesaver for anybody operating in the sphere of image improvement. Here's why having the right photo editing software is significant:

professional photo editor mac

Boosts Creativity: Supercharge your creativity with the editing features that allow you to add filters, modify the color, and touch up images. If the work is being done for oneself or for clients, all these tools enable enhanced creativity and make it easy to implement the ideas.

Saves Time: Most professional photo editors have attributes that will simplify your work. Even if you want to apply minor adjustments to some images at once with batch processing or enhance with AI, you will certainly save time for more interesting things in photography!

Enhances Quality: You are able to adjust the exposure, remove flaws, and adjust the texture of the pictures to the best possible.

Customizable Options: As you will find out, there are a number of tools to enable you to edit and suit any genre, including portraits, landscapes, or even product genres. The right software lets you do what you want to do!

User-Friendly Interfaces: Photo editing software of most current types provides you with graphic interfaces, which are generally easy to navigate. Thus, no matter if you have heaps of experience or are just beginning, you will find that drowning in the editing is not a problem at all.

Professional Output: With time and practice, editing skills become more developed, and you can deliver outstanding pictures that will catch the eyes of the audience—be it readers of public profiles or potential customers. Great edits can improve your professional portfolio and might open new opportunities.

Living in the thousands of photos and digital communications world, having an effective photo editor on an iMac is not a convenience; it's a necessity. Moreover, you will be able to fully express your personality by using the new tools and beautifying photos with splendid edits that will make your photographs look interesting and engaging.

Part 2.Best Photo Editing Software for Mac: Free and Paid!

After going through why you need professional video editing software for a MacBook, now you must be searching for the best software for your project. We will introduce you to the 4 best photo editing software for Mac that includes free as well as paid.

1.Wondershare Filmora for Mac (Free/Paid)

filmora photo ediot

At the top of our list is Wondershare Filmora, an exceptional photo editor for Mac that fully supports Apple Silicon, including the latest M1, M2, and M3 chips, ensuring optimized performance tailored for Mac users. With a powerful yet user-friendly interface designed for both beginners and experienced editors, Filmora stands out in the crowded field of multimedia editing tools.

Its intuitive features make it easy to enhance photos while providing advanced options for creative projects. Whether you're retouching family photos or crafting stunning visuals for your creative work, Filmora delivers the tools you need to elevate your editing experience.

Key Features:

  • User-Friendly Interface: A drag "n" drop capability to help in photo imports and edits.
  • Advanced Color Grading: Comes with a trove of presets and color adjustments to enhance photo aesthetics.
  • Overlay and Text Tools: Use overlays to transform photos and add professional animations and text.
  • Live Photos and Cinematic Mode Video: Easily edit live photos or videos shot in cinematic mode from your iPhone, complete with effects, transitions, and text.
  • Filters and Effects: A quality assortment of filters and effects finely tuned for both images and videos.
  • Export Options: Choose from multiple file formats and resolutions for exporting edited images.
Pros
  • Optimized for Mac: Leverages the power of Apple Silicon for fast, smooth editing.
  • Intuitive Learning Curve: The interface is designed for easy navigation, making it accessible for users of all skill levels.
  • Frequent Updates: Regularly adds new features and enhancements tailored for Mac users.
Cons
  • Limited Free Version: Some advanced features require upgrading to the paid version, which may not suit all budgets.

For Mac users seeking a versatile and powerful photo editing solution, Wondershare Filmora is the standout choice that combines efficiency with creative freedom.

Stabilize Videos with Wondershare Filmora
  • Superb video stabilization with low distortion.
  • Vast video/audio effects and creative assets.
  • Powerful AI for effortless content creation.
  • Intuitive, professional yet beginner-friendly.
  • Works on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
box filmora

Step-by-step Guide to Edit Photos on Mac Using Wondershare Filmora

Step 1: Get Wondershare Filmora for macOS: First, go to the official Wondershare website and download the program on your Mac. Launch Filmora and click on “New Project.”

new project

Step 2: To upload your photo, click on the "Import" button on the toolbar or drag and drop the photo into the media library.

import media

Step 3: To edit a photo, you want to drag it onto the timeline for the editing process.

drag media to timeline

Step 4: Work with the filters, effects, and texts on the filters.

adding filters and effects

Step 5: Correct color using the color correction controls.

correcting colors

Step 6: Check out what your changes will look like, then fine-tune them. Finally, click on Export to download the edited photo in the format of your choice.

export output

2.Photos (Free)

photos editor

Photos is an application that is already integrated into macOS, providing the interface for editing and sorting photos. It will be especially attractive to amateurs and enthusiasts, such as photographers searching for basic editing software with no need to purchase a license to premium versions or waste time learning new interfaces.

Key Features:

  • Basic Editing Tools: This encompasses cropping, rotating, exposure adjustment, color and sharpness, and filter options in an image.
  • Seamless Integration with iCloud: With iCloud, it organizes all the photos in your account and automatically pushes the pictures across all Apple devices.
  • Photo Organization: Gives strong tools for tagging, album creation, and perfect organization of the photo library to make work on it comfortable.
Pros
  • Completely free of charge for Mac users and thus favorable for everyone.
  • The interface can be easily operated by anyone since the program is user-friendly.
  • A great facility for photo sorting increases utility value.
Cons
  • It does not have all the sophisticated value-added tools provided in artistic software like Adobe's Photoshop.
  • However, there is very little in the way of filters and effects that may prove inadequate for users who want a great deal of creative freedom.

3.Adobe Photoshop (Paid)

adobe photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the software that is still a top choice among people who work with photos and graphic designs. It is most suitable for those people who require a variety of tools for basic as well as advanced editing features, including retouching, composing, and graphic designing.

Key Features:

Comprehensive Editing Tools: Cuts, composites, layers, masks, filters, and brushes are some of the professional additions to this tool.

Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud: Integration with other Adobe applications and other storage services.

Photo Retouching Capabilities: Major features for year-round photo enhancement.

Pros
  • There are more standard ones with powerful and versatile features in the industry.
  • Free and extensive tutorials and a strong supporting community.
Cons
  • Unfortunately, subscription-based pricing models can sometimes prove to be expensive in the long run.

4.Movavi (Free/Paid)

movavi photo editor

The last tool in the present list is Movavi, which is photo editing software suitable for all types of users, even professional ones. It offers a combination of usability and powerful features that will undeniably suit anybody who wants to improve their photo editing. As for the volume of services available to users, they can be divided into basic (free) and paid with a higher level of functionality and additional capabilities.

Key Features:

Intuitive Interface: In its design, much consideration has been given regarding its usability by any potential user, regardless of their level of expertise.

Special Effects and Filters: A wide variety of creative uses to enhance the looks of your photos.

Batch Processing: Enables the editing of a large number of pictures in the fastest possible time.

Pros
  • It has been ranked highly for beginners because of its easy operations.
  • Easy to use and offers a lot of flexibility regardless of the package you go for—the free one.
Cons
  • Certain features are only available in advanced mode, so you get a basic idea regarding the limitations.
  • The free version is limited in some ways; for example, it adds watermarks when exporting the images.

Thus, the five photo editing software programs featured here, whether free or paid, will provide you with the option to fulfill your editing requirements.

Part 3: How to Create a Consistent Look Across Your Images Using AI Color Palette for Mac?

Having a consistent look and feel of the images used is important in building your brand and image consistently. On Mac, one of the best ways of making sure that any videos produced have a good consistency with the intended colors is by applying the AI Color Palette feature found in Filmora. Here's how to use this feature to ensure your images have a harmonious look:

Step 1: First, load the reference image and the target video into the media panel. As soon as you find the "Import" button, click on it and then choose the necessary files for the upload.

import files

Step 2: Open the video for editing and drag and drop the reference image and the target video on the same timeline.

drag and drop media

Step 3: Select the "Color" button located in the settings panel. In this submenu, one must turn on the "AI Color Palette" option under the Color options.

ai color palette

Step 4: Meanwhile, on the preview screen, there is the palette generator. The reference image will be shown on the left while the preview of the target video will be on the right.

preview

Step 5: After you are done choosing your references, simply click on the "Generate" button to generate your colors.

tap on generate

Step 6: The strength slider should be used to alter the intensity of the palette to the target video based on the set appearance.

alter strength

Step 7: If skin tones in your adjustments are compromised, use the skin tone slider to balance the skin tone properly if needed.

balance the skin tone

Step 8: In the end, place the cursor on the "Save and Apply" button and right-click inside to save the new color palette in your collection.

save and apply

When you adhere to these steps, you will be able to achieve a similar color look to all of your videos and that is always a good thing for the quality of your videos and for the overall appeal.

Conclusion

When there is a greatly expansive universe of digital photography, choosing the best photo editing software for your MacBook means the key to improving inspiration, cutting down on the time spent, and reaching the desired level of professional photo and image fine-tuning. There is much software out there depending on your needs and requirements; Wondershare Filmora is one of the best software. It has an easy-to-use interface; there are many features along with this tool for easy editing.

Regardless of whether you are creating your first photo book with Filmora or have been using it for years, AI and all the tools available will make the images look perfect.

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Diana Ford
Diana Ford Dec 10, 24
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