Using Photoshop is not always the best option for your Mac. Firstly because it is expensive software. Second, because it does not receive automatic updates. If you want the latest news from Adobe, you will have to pay one more license. And last but not least, there are many professionals who do not like working with Photoshop.
If you’re like me and are keen not to use Adobe software, here are some interesting alternatives to use on your Mac.
Obviously, it is difficult to find alternatives with quality and that is free, but the truth is that all these options have excellent quality and are sufficient for any image editing.
Let’s go to the list!
Table of Contents
1. Aperture
If you are a professional and work with photo editing, this is perhaps the most interesting and complete option on the market. Your strongest point is really the learning curve: in a few days, you will know how to use the main tools of this application.
In addition, it is very similar to Photoshop in various functions, which makes it an ideal choice if you enjoy Adobe software.
If you work with iPhoto, the latest version of Aperture has also brought some I interesting news, and now it’s not necessary to download or upload photos: everything is done in a panel of its own.
Another interesting detail is its easy organization. Aperture recognizes the faces of the people in the photos and allows you to organize by a person. If you want to do this organization through the location you can also do this. Click here to download Aperture
2. Acorn
With the motto “The image editor for humans”, Acorn makes its situations very clear: it is meant to be as simple as possible. The focus of this app is not the professionals, but the “normal” people who want to edit some of your photos.
The main advantage of Acorn is its speed. If you have an older and less powerful Mac (like me ..) I urge you to seriously consider acquiring Acorn. It is very lightweight and does not take up too much of your CPU, which is a huge advantage, especially if you compare it to Aperture.
In addition, it has the same as other applications: Layers, Curves and even a PDF that teaches step by step how to work with this application. Click here to download Acorn
3. Sketch
While Acorn is more focused on the average user, Sketch is just the opposite: its focus is the designers. This app won the award as the app with the best design in 2012 by the App Store and has delighted all its users.
It features similar to Photoshop and Illustrator, such as layers, gradients and some style options.
As it is focused on designers, this application has not forgotten to add several types of typography that will leave your image with an extreme quality!
If you do not want to invest in the full value of the app, you can still run the trial version. Click here to download Sketch
4. PixelMator
Despite having less quality than the previous options, PixelMator still remains an interesting option to use on your Mac. It has excellent synchronization with iCloud. You can easily access all of your images through Apple’s Cloud Computing system.
It is much simpler than the other options on this list and is the ideal choice if you want to invest less money and still get quality editing.
PixelMator exists only for Mac and can not be purchased by anyone with Windows or Linux. Click here to download PixelMator
5. Pixel
Pixel is not quite an alternative to Photoshop, because it does not have many functions, but it is in this list because of its ease of use. That is, do not expect the same utility as Adobe software, but it is a good choice if you want to edit your photos, learn fast and still spend less money.
It has the option of Layers, Canvas and a good amount of tools that will be useful in editing the image. If your image editing skills are reduced, here’s a great option. Click here to download Pixel
6. Live Quartz Photo Edit
Another simple and very interesting application. Live Quartz brings you an app with a different but equally effective design.
In this app you can count on:
- Gradients
- Selection Tools
- Layer Duplication
- Various types of image formats
- Exclusive filters for the Mavericks
And much more. It is a little harder to be used at the beginning because of the different design, but it is ideal if you are one of those people who hates the structure of Photoshop for example. Click here to download Live Quartz
7. Pixel Pro
Pixel Pro promises a little more than previous image editors. This app aims to help you edit images but also to build your own images. Check out some things you can do with Pixel Pro:
- Add effects to your images
- Select and remove some elements from the images
- Cut objects and move from one image to another
- Open images in all types of formats
- Export to PDF file
- Add circles, rectangles, or squares to your images.
Click here to download Pixel Pro
8. Gimp
Perhaps the best known free application on the market. Gimp gets millions of downloads every year and is very easy to use. It has almost everything that was mentioned in previous applications. However, it has a less well-designed design and often presents some bugs, which is not advisable for a professional who intends to work with image editing.
However, if you do not understand much about image editing and want to get started, this might be an option to consider. Click here to download Gimp
9. Skitch
This is the app I use to edit some images, and I advise you to experiment if you want to color your image edits. I mainly use this app for editing articles for Techkhiladi, in which I need to put arrows, circles or even text.
This app was created by Evernote and its purpose is that you can create edits of images in a few seconds. With Skitch you can also crop images, make screenshots and still erase your images. Finally, Skitch also has the ability to save your images in Evernote . Click here to download Skitch
10. Pixlr
If you were looking for an online image editor, here is an interesting option. Pixlr works completely online, so you can edit images in a few seconds without even having to open any application.
As it is completely free, it does not offer a large number of options, but it is those sites that can be used in emergency situations. It allows you to resize images, enjoy and work with multiple layers, among other options. Click here to use Pixlr Online.
If you need help, have doubts or concerns, do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment box below and we will try to help you as soon as possible!