Are you a professional photographer? The robust platform provided by Apple’s Mac computers can bring your creative vision to life through exceptional photo editing applications. Besides a wide range of editing tools, the Mac ecosystem offers retina displays that have a higher pixel density compared to traditional displays.
Before looking elsewhere, you can check out the macOS default photo editing application called Preview. The application offers basic editing capabilities so you can refine your photos and give wings to your creativity. Some of the steps to edit photos on the Preview app are:
- Open the image in the app by double-clicking on the image file. Or you can right-click on the file and choose the Open With Preview option.
- Click on the Show Markup Toolbar button to go through all the editing tools.
- You can moody the contrast, exposure, temperature, tint, and saturation by clicking the Adjust Color button.
- You can resize or crop the picture. Wondering how to resize an image on Mac? Click the Show Edit Toolbar and choose the Selection tool to resize or crop the image. Get rid of all the unnecessary items in the picture and make the picture compact.
- You can add text or annotate the image by clicking the Sketch, Shapes, and Text tools. It is also possible to include signatures in the picture.
- The app offers various filters that you can apply to alter the appearance of the images.
- Finally, when you are satisfied with the changes, click File > select Save. You can also choose to Expert the edited image file to a format of your choice.
Remember, Preview offers basic photo editing functionalities. If you want more intricate and more advanced editing capabilities and options, check out the following photo editing software designed for pro photographers.
- Affinity Photo
Ever since Adobe changed to a subscription-only pricing model, Affinity Photo became a great budget alternative for professional photographers. The software includes professional tools like panorama stitch, HDR merge, and 360-degree image editing. Also, you can edit PSD with plugin support, full layer integrity, and smart object import.
Affinity Photo offers full format compatibility; hence, you can work across multiple devices. However, the software has a slight learning curve. If you only want to do basic editing, this isn’t the application to use.
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Without the mention of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, a list of photo editing applications will be incomplete. This is one of the most powerful applications you can get on your Mac computer. Besides the basic editing capabilities, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom comes with DAM or digital asset management that allows photographers to seamlessly manage their entire photo catalog. Additionally, they can upload it to cloud storage.
DAM is one of the biggest strengths of this application. If this is what you want, there’s no need to look elsewhere.
Adobe Lightroom is packed with extraordinary features, such as blur, blend, color correction, layer, color matching, etc. Expert photo editing tools included in this application are automatic subject selection, object remover, custom categorization, customizable presets, etc.
- Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is a photo editing staple and has been around for a long time. In fact, this is the editing software that started it all. This is one of the most powerful applications at your disposal and comes packed with cutting-edge features, such as AI-powered object selection tools. Furthermore, the application includes features like shape tools, masking, complex layering, filters, gradients, and more. All these features are highly loved by professional photographers.
Adobe Photoshop is for serious image editing professionals and enthusiasts. The application is not for people who run away from complexity. The interface of the app is flexible, but it does take some time to get used to the way the app functions. You may need to see several tutorials and read blogs to learn how to unlock the full potential of this application.
The only drawback is the app’s hefty subscription fees. But if you don’t mind coughing up the high fee, go for it.
- Capture One Pro
Capture One is considered one of the best alternatives to Adobe Lightroom. It is a robust professional photo editing software that efficiently interprets a camera’s raw image data into an accurate, sharp photo. The application includes an abundance of local edit and adjustment tools. Advanced color grading and layers are also included in the application to add that special touch to images.
The application’s speed edit feature is much-liked by users as it allows them to use the needed tools with a single key press.
This application is aimed at professional photographers. Although the interface can be intimidating, mastering the features and tools can help you bring your photos to life. The app is available as a one-time purchase and a subscription.
The Bottom Line
So, there you have it. These are some popular image editing applications for professional photographers. Which one do you use? Leave a comment.