2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:09
In 1987, brothers Thomas and John Kroll began developing image-editing software, which was later acquired and released by Adobe Systems. Initially, Photoshop was exclusive to the Macintosh, but after a while it spread to other platforms, becoming almost the most popular graphics editor in the world.
Most users are probably familiar with Photoshop, or at least have heard of it, but 20 years after the release of the first version of the program, the situation has changed significantly. In recent years, software has been increasingly subject to criticism - from high cost to reduced PC performance due to high consumption of processor resources.
In 2013, Adobe Systems announced it was moving to a new business model that included a subscription to the Photoshop line of applications. This move caused a negative reaction from users, many of whom began to look for a replacement for the graphic editor.
Photoshop is still the king of imaging applications, however, there are quite a few great alternatives for macOS out there today. Nine of them are presented below.
Apple's Photos app
While the built-in Photos app in macOS won't be a complete replacement for Photoshop, it has several advantages. First of all, you don't have to pay for its purchase. A set of standard functions is implemented in "Photos", for example, rotation of elements, cropping, filters, editing and retouching of an image. There is the ability to work with third-party photo editing extensions.
With the release of macOS Sierra (review), a Memories section has been added to the Photos app, allowing you to quickly create and edit slideshows from automatically or manually selected photos with the ability to add a soundtrack.
It is also worth noting the presence of a "smart" search for objects in photographs. The application will be able to find pictures in the library in which there is, for example, a cat or a sunset.
Pixelmator and Pixelmator Pro
The Pixelmator graphics editor, released in 2007 by brothers Saulius and Aidas Dailide, quickly gained popularity among Mac users. The project is developed on the basis of open source software and macOS technologies and is characterized by high performance. Pixelmator has extensive capabilities for working with raster and vector graphics, as well as drawing. In addition, the application is equipped with a simple and intuitive interface that any user can understand.
The basic version of Pixelmator costs 2,290 rubles (2,990 rubles for Pixelmator Pro).
By the way, we do all the work with images on our website in Pixelmator.
Download Pixelmator for macOS (Mac App Store)
Download Pixelmator Pro for macOS (Mac App Store)
Gimp
The GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP, is a free, free software-based graphics editor with a lot of Photoshop features. Developed in 1995 by UC and UC Berkeley students Spencer Kimball and Peter Matisse, the interface of the application inherits much of Photoshop. In addition, it can be customized. GIMP supports Mac, Windows and Linux.
Download GIMP for Mac (developer site)
Acorn 6
"A graphics editor for people" - this slogan fully captures the essence of the Acorn 6 application, developed by Gus Mueller, also known as Flying Meat. This graphic editor is really easy to use - both beginners and professionals can work with it.
Download Acorn 6 for macOS (developer site)
Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo is a powerful graphics package for professionals. The program works with RAW files and supports all common color spaces - RGB, CMYK, LAB and Greyscale. The application uses exclusive macOS technologies - OpenGL, Grand Central Dispatch, Core Graphics, etc., and its speed inspires respect. The package price in the Mac App Store is 3,790 rubles.
Download Affinity Photo for macOS (Mac App Store)
Lightroom
Another product from Adobe that has some Photoshop features. Lightroom is a photo manager with tons of editing options. The application is designed to accompany the entire photo-technical process - from importing an image to exporting a finished photo to the library. The package price is 499 rubles per month.
Download Lightroom for Mac
Polarr
The application, which is a high-quality analogue of Lightroom for Mac, has the ability to correct HSL, support for automatic face detection, numerous image settings (color, lighting, perspective, clarity, saturation, etc.), a library of filters, the ability to work with JPEG and PNG, as well as most RAW- formats and much more.
The application allows you to create your own filter presets.
Download Polarr for macOS (Mac App Store)
Plar for Mac Review
Corel AfterShot Pro
Corel AfterShot Pro is a competitor to Photoshop that combines tools for processing RAW files, organizing and managing photos, editing and mass processing images.
Corel AfterShot Pro for Mac
Seashore
The graphics editor Seashore is the brainchild of developer Mark Pasolli, developed on the basis of GIMP, but with a simpler design. This application cannot be called a full-fledged alternative to Photoshop. The program includes a standard set of photo editing tools and is great for non-professionals.
Download Seashore for Mac
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See also:
- 7 Mac features that Windows users can only dream of.
- 13 great games for Mac.
- How to quickly create PDF on Mac (combine multiple images into one PDF file): 2 ways.
