Top 5 best simple free photo editing apps for macOS

Photoshop is clearly one of the most comprehensive, professional photo editing tools available today. However, to know how to use Photoshop, you must have time to learn as well as learn really seriously. In case you just want to make a quick, simple tweak to the images on your Mac, check out the following free photo editing apps.

1. DarkTable

DarkTable is a free and open source image editing program that is very popular among the Linux user community, and is of course also available with macOS. Besides the basic options, DarkTable also offers many advanced photo editing functions, as well as features to create efficient workflow. With an easy-to-use interface and great compatibility with a wide range of high-end cameras, DarkTable is a name worth checking out.

Top 5 best simple free photo editing apps for macOS Picture 1

The application is filled with feature modules, such as the Tone Equalizer and RGB modules… that can give your professional photos quality new variations.

DarkTable also supports RAW image post-processing. So, if you're looking for quick edits, you'd better check out the other options on this list. If you're really serious about your photo editing business but don't want to splurge on something like Adobe Lightroom, DarkTable is the way to go.

2. Preview

Preview is an extremely useful application for macOS users. Not only does it act as a versatile tool that allows users to open various types of documents, such as text, PDF, images, RAW images, etc. Preview can also support fast file format conversion, file extraction and even even perform a variety of tweaks on the file, including the ability to edit photos from basic to relatively complex.

If you open an image with Preview, you'll immediately find tons of options to rotate, resize, add borders, add text, adjust image colors, and more. In case you can't find these editing tools, click 'View -> Show Markup Toolbar' to show them.

Preview's strength lies in its speed, ease of use, free and no installation required.

3. Photos

Apple released Photos in 2015 alongside OS X 10.10 Yosemite to replace iPhoto as the default photo manager for macOS. In addition to managing your photo library, Photos can also help you make a series of quick and simple edits to your images.

Of course Photos does not support layers, select partitions on images, or intensive RAW editing like Photoshop. In turn, the app integrates well with iCloud photo library, providing users with non-seamless photo editing, and even supports RAW photos to some extent. Photos still owns a series of basic editing tools such as sharpening, blurring, adjusting layers, correcting white balance, applying filters, removing red-eye .

4. Fotor Photo Editor

If you're looking for a simple photo editor on your Mac, don't miss Fotor Photo Editor. This application is extremely easy to use. Everything is set up right from the start, and you don't need to deal with complicated settings.

As soon as you access the application, you will be presented with three options: Standard editing, creating a collage from a selected number of photos, and batch editing many photos at the same time. You can also actively select the image(s) you want to process.

The editing interface is also very simple. You'll quickly find all the tools you need for your work, such as rotating, compositing, cropping, adjusting, and adding effects. Clicking on one of these tools will give you even more options.

5. Pixlr

If you are someone who likes to share photos on social networks, Pixlr is probably the right app. Pixlr is a great cloud-based photo editor developed by Autodesk, co-manufacturer of products like AutoCAD, Cloud, and 3DS Max. This application has dozens of artistic effects, attractive lighting options, vector graphic shapes, stickers, etc. And is the perfect choice for those who want to create flashy photos without having to Face-to-face with in-depth aspects like white balance, saturation, or hue. You can quickly share your favorite photos on social networks with just a few simple tweaks.

Micah Soto

Update 18 July 2021