Even if you can't afford to purchase photo editing software, you can still find free software to create and edit images. Some are developed by individuals, and some are feature limited or an earlier version of a more advanced program. In some rare instances, there are no strings attached, but most often you will need to provide information to the company by registering, or endure ads or nag screens.
Though these are all stand-alone applications you also might want to take a look at the free mobile apps from Adobe. They include:
The Best Free Photo Editors app downloads for Mac: Adobe Photoshop CC PhotoScape X Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended trial Pixelmator Gimp GraphicConverter.
Also don't forget there are also mobile apps from SketchGuru, Skitch, and a number of other Android and iOS imaging apps such as Instagram which gives you the ability to play with images by applying a variety of preset effects and filters to your images.
Finding the Best Photo Editing App for You
The key decision behind using any imaging application lies with what the requirements are for the task at hand. You need to closely research the product and get really clear on both the product's strengths and its weaknesses. Also, take the time to look at the work others have created with the product. For example, if you are looking to create simple graphics or to touch up family photos, then an application without a serious number of filters and effects may just fit the bill. On the other hand, if you want to do compositing and add effects then a limited feature set may not be ideal for your needs.
Also, it is important that you check out whether the application has been updated recently. A lack of updates is the first clue that this software may just be on its last legs. Also just doing a simple Google or Bing search around the application will tell you volumes. For example, Picassa, one of the apps mentioned in this piece has been withdrawn. That's the bad news. The good news is its feature set has been folded into Google Photos which is free.
GIMP for Mac OS X
What We Like
Interface familiar for Photoshop users.
Fully featured, despite being free.
What We Don't Like
Might not be updated frequently.
Lacks adjustment layers.
GIMP is a popular open-source image editor originally developed for Unix/Linux. Often lauded as the 'free Photoshop,' it does have an interface and features similar to Photoshop.
Because it's volunteer-developed beta software, stability and frequency of updates could be an issue; however, many happy users report using GIMP for OS X without significant problems. GIMP is not compatible with Mac OS 9 and earlier.
Pinta
Pinta is a free pixel-based image editor for Mac OS X. One of the most interesting aspects of Pinta is that it is based on the Windows image editor Paint.NET.
Pinta offers the basic drawing tools that you'd expect from an image editor, as well as some more advanced features, such as layers and a range of image adjustment tools. These features mean that Pinta is also a viable tool for users looking for an application to allow them to edit and improve their digital photos.
Image Tricks
Image Tricks is a fun and easy to use free image editor for Mac OS X. It is an application that encourages experimentation and offers the ability for a wide range of effects to be combined and applied to pictures.
Image Tricks is an ideal application for less experienced users to achieve creative results, thanks to the range of filters and masks that are available. There is also a paid Pro version that offers more filters, though you can see the effects that they produce in the free version, without saving them.
GraphicConverter X
What We Like
Works with a huge variety of formats.
Cocooner function allows non-destructive editing, preserving original image.
What We Don't Like
Can be difficult at first.
Cluttered interface.
GraphicConverter is a multi-purpose graphics tool for converting, viewing, browsing, and editing hundreds of image types on the Macintosh platform. If there is a file format or image processing task that your existing software can't handle, chances are that GraphicConverter can do it if you're willing to tackle the learning curve.
GraphicConverter is a worthwhile tool to have on hand but needs some serious work in the usability department. The application is not free, but you can use the shareware without time limitation if you don't need batch processing features.
Today's best Apple Photos deals
Apple Photos, a free program built into the macOS and iOS systems, is our choice for the Best Free Photo Editor for Mac users, because it lives up to the company’s philosophy of fun technology that's simple to use. Compared to Corel PaintShop Pro and Adobe Photoshop Elements, Apple’s application is simpler and less powerful, but it fits the Apple lifestyle. As such, it's a playful app for saving, organizing and sharing your photos, and it offers a nice set of editing tools and easy access to your entire photo library on your various Apple devices through iCloud.
A No-Nonsense Interface
Apple Photos' interface is clean, simple and direct, so that your creativity is enabled by easy, uncomplicated shortcuts rather than the deep layers of functionality found in more feature-rich programs (such as Affinity Photo or Photoshop Elements).
The iOS version has four main tabs: Photos, Shared, Albums and Memories. The desktop version adds a fifth section: Projects.
Photos and videos are organized by years, collections or Moments (individual days), and can come from a variety of sources: your phone or camera, your iCloud account, other people’s iCloud accounts (shared with you) or your computer (synced via iTunes). Because iCloud works with Windows, Apple Photos can even access photos and videos stored on a PC.
In Memories, the app uses various algorithms to create 'surprise' collections or movies of images that are related by date, place, people and so forth. Periodically, the auto-created Memories offer a pleasant visual recollection; other times, they combine a hodgepodge of images that are not very meaningful.
In the desktop app's Projects section, you can create photo books, greeting cards, calendars and prints. The options for these projects are very limited compared with those offered by other photo print services. (To find out what we liked and disliked about Apple’s print services, check out our reviews of Apple Calendars, Apple Photo Books and Apple Photo Cards).
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Organizing and Finding Your Photos and Videos
Apple Photos gives you some control over organizing your photos, videos and albums. Specifically, you can create, name, rearrange and delete albums; add or remove individual photos or groups of photos and videos to or from an album; mark favorites; and hide photos or videos. On the desktop version (but not the mobile version), you can also add a description and keywords, which then can be used as search criteria on all devices.
The search engine is nice, but it doesn't extend to full object recognition. For instance, when I searched for 'dog,' it found most, but not all, of my dog pictures. When I searched for 'tree,' it found none of my tree pictures.
As on Google Photos, Apple Photos has a map view that shows where your images were captured (if you had geolocation features enabled when you took them). A very nice extra feature of Apple's geolocation is that when looking at the map detail for a specific photo or video, you can click to view nearby images, too.
Apple Photos did a pretty good job of recognizing faces, but it was no better or worse than every other app we've tested. More useful is its People album and functionality, which make it easy to find, identify and group specific individuals in all of the pictures of people in your library.
Memories
The most significant recent addition to the app is the new Memories section. Apple Photos scans through your library of photos and videos to create a collage card or slideshow movie of images that the app thinks are related (based on location, event, scene categories or people). These Memories pop up almost as surprise gifts, and after Photos is installed, it can take days for any to be displayed (even if your iCloud library is already quite extensive). If you like what you see, you can save the Memory to your Favorite Memories album and share it. You can also create your own memories from an Album or Collection.
A handful of Memory options let you choose a different 'mood' from 11 styles that define the title font, soundtrack and transitions. If you save the Memory, you have access to more meaningful custom options: change the title, choose a font style, select different music, set its duration, and add or delete images.
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Photo & Video Editing
Apple Photos' editing tools don't require much skill or time, but they are deeper and richer than what Google Photos offers.
In addition to tools for auto-enhance, red-eye removal and crop/rotate, the Apple Photos mobile app has thumbnail sliders to easily alter multiple aspects of a picture. For instance, under Adjust, you can simply slide an indicator over a thumbnail variation to alter the lightness or color intensity of a picture. The one-click filters are coarse, but they can create some nice effects. You can also trim a video and save it as a new clip, adjust the slow-motion section of a video and mark up a photo by typing text or using your finger on the screen.
The desktop version of Photos adds sharpen, white balance, levels and a clone-like retouch tool to the mix. There are also Apple and third-party extensions that can plug into Apple Photos.
Sharing & Compatibility
Free Pdf Editor For Mac
Sharing is as simple as can be. With just a couple of taps or clicks, you can share your photos and slideshows via Message (text), Mail (email), iCloud Photo Sharing, Notes, Twitter, Facebook or Flickr, and you can even save a PDF to iBooks or share across Apple devices through AirPlay.
Apple Photos organizes, edits and shares not only photos and videos, but also Live Photos (the iPhone's burst capture of sound and movement before and after a photo is snapped on an iPhone 6s or later).
The newest version of Apple Photos is compatible only with more recent hardware that has 64-bit processors, such as the iPhone 5s or newer. Even if your older phone or laptop can update to the newest operating system, the new Memories tab will be missing from the app's interface.
Best Free Photo Editing Software For Mac
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iCloud
When you set Apple Photos to use iCloud to sync your image library, any changes you make to a picture or video in the app are updated on all of your devices that use iCloud, including your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Mac, iCloud.com and, yes, your Windows PC.
Best Free Photo Editor For Macbook Pro
You get 5GB of iCloud storage for free, but that isn't enough for most people's image libraries. It costs 99 cents a month for an additional 50GB of storage, $2.99/month for 200GB, $9.99/month for 1TB or $19.99/month for 2TB.
The My Photo Stream feature, which doesn't count against your iCloud storage limit, uploads your newest photos to iCloud, which holds up to 1,000 Photo Stream images for 30 days. If you want to keep those pictures, you need to download them to your computer or mobile device.
Free Photo Editor Mac Os
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Bottom Line
For Mac and iPhone users who want to have and share the fun of their photos and videos, Apple Photos is a great choice. It's easy to use, and offers uncomplicated sharing and full access to your image library on your various devices. What's more, it provides a nice level of editing options to give you a sense of fun personalization and even some artistic satisfaction. However, for consumers who want more control over the finer details of photo editing, we recommend either Photoshop Elements or, for advanced users, Affinity Photo.