Open source high-end image-editing software is an unlikely concept when you think about it. For one thing, anyone who really needs an industrial strength image editing application for professional purposes can probably afford and will more often than not have the undisputed king-of-the-hill in bitmap graphics software, Adobe’s Photoshop CS, and most users – professional or amateur – will for that matter never test the limits of even Adobe’s much more affordable Photoshop Elements.
Alternatives to Photoshop CS
Photo Editor For Mac
Why we love it: We thought we’d start with the OG of Mac photo editors. Photos made its first appearance in 2015, on OS X Yosemite 10.10.3. Since then, it’s cemented its reputation as the best free photo editing software for Mac. The tools are intuitive and simple to navigate, and the integration with iCloud Photo Library is seamless.
However, Photoshop CS is astronomically expensive at its list price of $649 (Elements 6.0 for Mac is more than a bit of a bargain at just $89.95). Then there’s Pixelmator, an aspirant Photoshop (at least Photoshop Elements) challenger that has a ton of power, a super attractive interface, and sells for an even more friendly $59.95.
- All-in-One: Photo Editor, Batch Editor, Photo Viewer, Cut Out, Collage Maker, Animated GIF Creator, Combine, Print, Screen Capture, Color Picker, RAW image and More. PhotoScape X is a fun and easy photo editor that enables you to fix and enhance photos.
- Photo editing apps for Mac come with a huge variety of features and at many different price points, but some great image editors are completely free to use. While a few of them have a steep learning curve, and others push in-app purchases, all enable you to turn drab, lifeless shots into photos that pop.
And if you’re on a tight budget and really need advanced, full-featured image-editing capability, there is a robust and powerful freeware image editor alternative to Photoshop with the cumbersome moniker of GNU Image Manipulation Program (the GIMP, for short), an advanced open source bitmap imaging program available free for the downloading. Like Photoshop, the GIMP can be used to correct and retouch photographs, compose multiple images, and create artwork from scratch.
The GIMP: Freeware
The GIMP Is the image-editing standard for the Unix world, and because Mac OS X is Unix-based, you can run it on a Mac as well, but there is a major caveat, namely that the GIMP does not run in OS X’s Quartz/Aqua user interface layer, but rather in X Windows under X11, a program that enables X Windows applications to run under OS X.
X11 is an option that can be specified during an OS X install, and the a standalone X11 installer is also downloadable for free at:
The GIMP is also a free download, but a mighty big one – about 120 MB – and you can also download the GIMP HTML manual at:
Macintosh Photo Editor
X11 is addressed through a Unix command line, although you can configure the GIMP to be launchable without command line intercession after the initial setup, but that’s still a lot of hassle.
The GIMP’s graphical user interface is more Spartan (and Windows-ish) than OS X Aqua, and there are no Mac OS X menu bars. Rather, the program depends heavily on contextual menus. To print from the GIMP, you will need Gimp-Print and ESP Ghostscript software installed.
There is also a hacked version of the GIMP by Scott Moschella called GimpShop, in which Scott has renamed and reorganized GIMP’s tools, options, windows, and menus to closely resemble Adobe Photoshop’s menu structure and naming conventions. Many of the menu options and even whole menus were recreated to faithfully reproduce a Photoshop-like experience.
Here are the Photoshop and GimpShop Image menus side by side:
And the respective Tools Palettes.
It’s an improvement, and if you’re a Mac user, GimpShop is probably the most comfortable way to go, especially if you’re familiar with Photoshop. However, you’re still going to have to install X11, etc. GimpShop is supported by Mac OS X 10.3 and up.
For more information and/or to download GimpShop, visit http://www.plasticbugs.com/?page_id=294
The GIMP is by all accounts an able and deep-featured image editor, and the price is certainly right, but if its user-demands sound too geeky for your taste (they are for mine), it is still possible to get some of the GIMP’s power in a much more user-friendly wrapper in the form of an excellent freeware program called Seashore.
Seashore
Seashore is an interesting and capable Open Source bitmap graphics program in Cocoa for OS X by Mark Pazolli that for many users could be a viable free image editing application.
From my personal perspective, I’m a big fan of the venerable Color It! bitmap image editing program, which dates back to the early 90s and which I find fast, slick, and pleasant to use. Color It! is still available to consumers in it’s last Classic iteration, version 4.3, but recently has been released in a $59.95 OS X-native (Carbon) version (4.5). It looks and works pretty much like Color It! always has, and I still love it, although for the same price you really want to give totally contemporary Pixelmator a look.
One of my very favorite things about Color It! is that it starts up almost instantly, and I’m happy to report that Seashore, while not quite as quick to get up and running as Color It!, is no slouch in launching either, as opposed to Photoshop Elements 6.0, which I love dearly, but which takes forever to start. Pixelmator is somewhere in between.
I’ve been playing with Seashore off and on for a couple of years now, and I like it, but it’s no Photoshop – or even a Photoshop Elements or Color It. Most notably, although Seashore has a nice selection of basic painting tools and layers support, there are no automated photo image cleanup and optimization and enhancement tools. Even the (very cool and exceedingly useful) freeware image utility ToyViewer is more capable in terms of button-click image correction, although Seashore has basic tools to correct things like brightness, contrast, color hues, saturation, and values, and so forth.
Like MacPaint for OS X
Seashore arguably is what the wonderful old MacPaint program that shipped with the original Macs back in the 80s might be like updated for the OS X era. The Seashore interface is strongly reminiscent of MacPaint’s attractive, clean, quick, and user-friendly look and feel.
However, Seashore is a more powerful and capable program than MacPaint ever evolved to being, featuring gradients, textures, clone and smudge tools, and anti-aliasing for both text and brush strokes. It supports multiple layers and alpha channel editing. It is based around the GIMP’s technology and uses the same native file format.
Seashore’s features include:
- Full support for the GIMP’s native XCF file format
- Read and write support for the TIFF, PNG, JPEG and JP2000 file formats
- Read-only support for the BMP, PICT, PDF, XBM and GIF file formats
- Layers with over 20 merging effects
- Individual primary and alpha channel editing
- Thorough transparency effects including semitransparent gradients
- Arbitrary selection regions
- Anti-aliased brush strokes
- 6 basic gradient effects with 16 variations
- Tablet support
- ColorSync support (including embedded profiles in TIFFs and CMYK previewing)
- Plugin filters
Seashore is sleek-looking and a lot better-documented than many of today’s commercial software programs, with a thorough and detailed user’s manual in PDF format. It also integrates tightly with the Mac operating system and is thoroughly object-oriented. It is intended serve the basic image editing needs of most computer users, rather than to provide a replacement for Photoshop, which is more the GIMP’s (or GimpShop’s) role. However, parts of the GIMP are present in Seashore in everything from the code that drives the brush and gradient tools to the brush shapes and textures themselves.
Using Seashore
You can create a new image from scratch or from the pasteboard (previously known as the clipboard) by selecting “New from Pasteboard…” in the “File” menu.
Seashore works with two color modes – full color and grayscale. Images can be converted between the color modes using the “Mode” submenu of the “Image” menu.
Images can have an alpha channel that specifies what parts of the image are transparent. Seashore creates all new images with an opaque background – creating a new layer and then deleting the opaque background layer allows images with transparency. When saving, Seashore will automatically include or exclude the alpha channel of an image based upon its utility.
Seashore, like Photoshop, also supports layers, which are like images (or slides) piled one on top of another to form a grand image. Apart from drawing, layers can be manipulated in a range of ways, some of which involve using the layer buttons. All layers in Seashore have their own boundaries. You can reveal a layer’s boundaries using the “Show Boundaries” menu item in the “Window” menu and you can adjust a layer’s boundaries using the “Boundaries…” menu item in the “Layer” menu.
Each layer in Seashore has either two or four channels. In the case of a grayscale image, these are the grey and alpha channels, and in the case of a color image, they are red, green, blue, and alpha channels. Seashore typically works on all channels at once. For example, dragging the paintbrush across a layer adjusts both the layer’s primary and alpha channel together.
Seashore also allows you to edit the primary or alpha channels individually using the radio buttons under the “Channels” tab in the layers and channels panel.
Seashore’s Tools
The 14 tools available in Seashore can be accessed through the toolbox. You can reveal a tool’s options by double-clicking on its button in the toolbox. A number of tools also support textures, including the pencil, the paintbrush and the paintbucket. A number of tools also rely upon a brush shape to work, including the paintbrush, the eraser and the smudge tool.
Selections can be made using the selection tools, and also by using various operations in the “Edit” menu. Selections can be either anchored or floating. The selection tool can select using three possible shapes: a rectangle, an ellipse, and a rounded-rectangle. The ellipse and rounded-rectangle are anti-aliased, so when they are filled their edges appear smooth to the user.
The Lasso tool allows you to select an arbitrary shape. To do so, simply click at the point where you want the shape to begin, trace out the shape with the mouse button down, and release once complete.
The Color Selection tool selects all pixels on a single layer that surround a given pixel and are within a given tolerance range. This allows the user to select all nearby pixels of similar color. To use the tool simply click on the desired base pixel.
The Position tool allows you to adjust the position of a layer on the canvas; it also allows you to scale layers and floating selections – and to rotate floating selections.
The Zoom tool allows you to zoom in on any part of the canvas. To do this, simply point-and-click on the part of the canvas you wish to zoom in on. You can also zoom out by holding down the option key while you click.
The Pencil allows you to draw squares on the current layer. The squares can range in size from 1 to 21 pixels. The pencil deliberately does not use anti-aliasing, as it is intended for users who wish to edit a handful of pixels in a very precise manner.
The Paintbrush allows you to draw various brush strokes on the current layer. By default, Seashore comes with a range of brush shapes and, using Brushed, users can add their own. The Paintbrush uses anti-aliasing so as to create smooth flowing brush strokes.
The Paintbucket allows you to flood an area of similar color with a single color or texture. To determine what area of the layer to flood, the paint bucket relies on a tolerance range that works the same way as the color selection tool.
The Text tool allows you to place a line of text anywhere on the current layer. To place the text, simply click where you want the baseline of the text to go. Then type the text in the following dialog that you want written and press the “OK” button.
The Eraser allows you to erase pixels from the current layer. In the case of a layer with its alpha channel disabled, this means setting pixels to the background color.
The Color Sampling tool allows you to set the foreground color to that of a pixel or a group of pixels on the canvas. To achieve this, simply click on the position of the pixel or pixel group that you want to use for the foreground color.
The Gradient tool allows you to create a gradual shift from the foreground color to the background color. The area affected by the tool is constrained to the selected area of the active layer – or the whole layer if no area is selected.
The Smudge tool allows you to smudge part of the current layer using the current brush shape. To smudge part of the layer, simply click the point where you want the smudge to begin and drag to the point where you want the smudge to end.
The Crop tool allows you to adjust the boundaries of an image so that they match a particular rectangle. This rectangle is formed by a click-and-drag operation similar to what you would use to select items in the Finder. Once you have selected the desired rectangle, press the “Crop” button (from the tool’s options box) to finalize the change.
Seashore’s Effects
- Blur (Blur) – Blurs the image by mixing colors from surrounding pixels. This is repeated a user-specified number of times.
- Gaussian Blur (Blur) – Blurs the image using a Gaussian blur. This is faster than a standard blur applied multiple times and produces a similar result.
- Brightness and Contrast (Color) – Adjusts the brightness and contrast of the image according to user input.
- Grayscale (Color) – Turns part of a color image to grayscale using Apple’s ColorSync. Not available for grayscale images.
- Invert (Color) – Inverts the primary channels of the image.
- Posterize (Color) – Reduces the number of colors per channel to a user-specified amount.
- Threshold (Color) – Makes the image black and white. The user-specified region of the histogram becomes white.
- Sharpen (Enhance) – Sharpens the image according to a user-specified value.
Seashore and ColorSync
Seashore uses Apple’s ColorSync technology to allow you to transfer images between devices while ensuring that the colors appear similar.
When loading images, Seashore is aware of embedded ICC profiles in all TIFF and JPEG files. When saving images, Seashore embeds the main display’s profile in all TIFF files and in certain JPEG files, depending upon the selected options. Currently, Seashore does not embed ICC profiles in JPEG 2000, PNG, or XCF files.
To create a JPEG with an embedded profile, select “Export…” from the “File” menu then in the following save dialog press the “Options” button in the accessory view. A dialog should appear giving you the option to target the Web or print. If you elect to target print, the JPEG you save will be embedded with the ICC profile of your display. Conversely if you elect to target the Web, the JPEG you save will not be embedded with an ICC profile.
SVG and JPEG 2000 Support
The Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format is an image format that uses shapes as opposed pixels to describe images. SVG is fast emerging as an important image format industry, and there are already a number of SVG collections available online. Seashore supports the SVG format through a Java add-on based on the Apache Software Foundation’s Batik project. The add-on requires Java 1.4 or later to be installed on your computer. You can download it from http://seashore.sourceforge.net/The_Seashore_Project/About.html
The JPEG 2000 format is an image format that supersedes JPEG. Unlike its predecessor, JPEG 2000 supports alpha channels and lossless compression, as well as featuring better results at low compression values. As of Mac OS X 10.4, Seashore supports JPEG 2000 without the need for additional add-ons. Support for JPEG 2000 is still limited in many browsers, so use for this format is limited. JPEG 2000 is not supported on systems running Mac OS X 10.3 or earlier.
Seashore supports the GIMP’s XCF file format. It ignores but preserves the GIMP’s vector paths and ignores and destroys the GIMP’s selection channels. It also destroys the mask of a layer by composting it on to the alpha channel of that layer. Seashore may inadvertently interfere with other aspects of an XCF file, so make sure to keep a copy of important XCF files before editing them with Seashore.
Unfortunately, Seashore’s save options are pretty basic, and, for example, there is no option to save just the selected area of an open window.
The Information Panel
The information panel presents the user with information on the current cursor position, selection size, and pixel group color. Both the cursor position and selection size can be quoted in any of three measuring units: pixels, millimetres, and inches. To toggle between the units, press the numerical values in the information panel.
An Options palette with three tabbed panels lets you select image attributes, brush sizes and textures.
The image window can be displayed with or without rulers.
Seashore isn’t perfect by any means. Minor to middling annoyances include the inability to save just a selected area of an open window, and you can’t select-copy and drag a portion of an image using a keyboard modifier (i.e.: Option in Color It! or Command Option in Photoshop) while leaving the original selected area undisturbed. You have to copy and paste, which is a lot more cumbersome.
I’m also not enamored with Seashore’s feature of graying out all but the selected area of a document window.
Conclusion: Seashore is a basic (and free), more Mac-like “the GIMP lite” for the less-geekily-oriented, but it’s no Photoshop (or GIMP) replacement for photo correction or advanced image editing. Rating: 4 out of 5.
System requirements: Most features work on Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and later, with the exception of JPG 2000 support, for which Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger is required.
Rating:
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Recently, more and more people began to solve the problem of Mac or PC for photo editing more radically, changing not the old processor to a new and not outdated Windows on the newly appeared, but a stationary PC to the laptop, the traditional x86 on Apple Macintosh and the familiar set “office-Photoshop-Internet Explorer” for analogs for Mac OS X.
It’s no secret that modern photography consists of two parts – shooting and processing, and post-processing takes no less, and often much longer time than the process of photographing. For example, you can read the article “The secret of beautiful photos – what’s left behind the scenes photography” and make sure, that preparation to the photo session takes a lot of time too. Back to our post-processing, modern processing requires modern methods, methods are usually meant software, and for proper and fast work of the programs you need the appropriate hardware.
For example, most salons offering photo editing service with various additional services mainly works for Windows in Adobe’s 2 most popular programs, it’s Lightroom program and universal appeal Photoshop. But progress forges ahead and retouchers, designers and photographers choose “Apple” in increasing frequency, as it is the best Mac computer for photo editing, in the arsenal of which there are their own programs for adjusting photos.
You know perfectly well that modern photographers are quite helpless without a computer. Although the main tool, it’s still a camera. But without a lot of programs, it would not be possible to get beautiful pictures. So now we will understand which computer or laptop is best suited for processing photos.
First let’s talk, why photographer needs a computer. For example, you took a picture of a person. Without any processing on the photo, skin defects will be visible, even minor, perhaps excessive shine, some unevenness. And all this must be removed. Make the skin perfectly smooth, adjust the chiaroscuro, depth of field. And in this we are helped by the world famous program Adobe Photoshop. With it you can change the picture, as you need. You can add absolutely any effects or completely replace the background of the photo. Accordingly, this requires a lot of computer resources. And here any person asks himself: Mac or PC for photo editing?
To select a suitable laptop you need to determine the purpose of its use. For example:
1. Use as a stationary computer for processing photos with the ability to take it with you on a trip.
2. Increase the speed and efficiency of work in photo sessions. The opportunity to see the footage on the spot, quickly send photos to the client via the Internet – now these are the standards in the advertising photo.
3. A means of demonstrating the results of filming the client, friends, relatives.
Functions can be either combined or divided. It is also necessary to forecast further use of the laptop. This directly affects both the selection process and its cost.
10 things to go back from Windows in favor of Mac machines
The fact is that Mac, unlike most other computers of other brands, uses not traditional Windows from Microsoft, but own operating system OS X.
1. One global creator.
The licensure of its operating system is more cost efficient for developer (we can see at Microsoft example) that is why Steve Jobs chose one right way to produce both hardware and software and made it the ace of trumps. But when it’s not about the benefits, but about the convenience of the user – Apple’s choice is better for everyone: and for users who do not need to worry about program compatibility and do not need to rush between the hardware manufacturer’s service center and the OS developer’s support, if something does not working.
One company “Apple” is responsible for all their jambs. It’s convenient for the manufacturer too-again, he does not have to worry about supporting the Chinese hardware that is unknown, do not puzzle over what inconceivable combinations the highly educated user will come to mind to plug in expansion cards and do not have to release a million patches fixing the compatibility problem with some rare application.
2. Autonomy of MacBooks.
However strange it may sound, OS X is much more power efficient than Windows. So, the computer running OS X consumes much less electricity. Here the MacBook Air can work more than 12 hours in normal operation. One more thing of photo editing Mac vs Pc: Haswell PCs have already come out, but they still work for 5-7 hours.
3. Versatility.
Sometimes it so happens that you need to use multiple operating systems on the same computer. If you can work on the Mac with Windows easily, then the reverse situation causes a lot of problems.
Of course, virtual machines are for any system. But as effective as Parallels Desktop – is just for the Mac. You can work with any Windows-based applications as if they were written for Mac. But on Windows this is not. Well, which system is more functional now?
By the way, the myth about the limitation of OS X is just a myth. Often people, who talk about some kind of banal fencing in OS X, confuse this operating system with iOS.
4. This is Unix
The OS X general processor unit is called XNU, and XNU is essentially a modified FreeBSD – a Unix-like operating system, like GNU / Linux, for example. Operating systems, called Unix-like, are characterized by increased stability and high performance due to optimal interaction with computer resources.
5. Cheap and high-quality software.
When you install yourself Windows (or buy a computer with Windows) – which programs are at your disposal, other than the OS itself? Well there is Notepad, Clock, WordPad, Calculator… There is also a set of programs of the Windows Live family (Windows Live, Windows Live mail) that expand the functionality of the computer, but not many of them really want to leave, and they need to be installed separately, spend it your time.
In general, company “Apple” believes that the user should not waste his time tuning the computer – and we fully agree with this. The user needs to write texts, read and analyze data, adjust Images, draw, install video, and not install programs and patches and do not dig into configuration files.
To get more from a Windows computer – you need to put additional software, some of which costs a lot of money. Office applications are also not cheap. All this makes one think, that all the same the best Mac computer for photo editing.
But if you buy a Mac, it’s different. Only turning on the computer, you get the opportunity to use and a full-fledged office suite from “Apple”. There is also an iMovie video editor, its functionality is not compared to the simple Windows Live Movie Studio. And, all this is already installed on your computer and ready to go.
In addition, you can buy (literally two clicks in the Mac App Store) RAW-converter, in combination, the cataloger Aperture, which is more than twice cheaper than the similar Lightroom. And the application Pixelmator, which will be enough for most “masters” Photoshop.
6. Single logical interface.
Microsoft, it seems, still cannot decide what is better: the new-fashioned tiled Metro or the classic “Desktop”. From this suffer users: only get used to tiles, it is worthwhile to launch an application that does not support Metro, as it is necessary to return to the old one. Especially inconvenient to users of tablets: in the classic interface, the fingers are a pain.
OS X does not have such problem. “Apple” did not confuse the essence: the tablet is a tablet. It runs under mobile iOS and is controlled by fingers. A PC – is a PC, it has smart OS X with a familiar graphical interface: the cursor, the window.
Do not think that we are against innovation – perhaps sometime in the computers there will be a touch interface. Perhaps even the release of such PCs will be occupied by “Apple”. But it should be a thoughtful interface, so that if not any application, then at least 90% of all programs support it.
By the way, a single top panel with menus for all programs in OS X is also a very convenient thing. All settings are always in one place.
7. Updates.
OS X, unlike Windows, will never say when shutting down or, more importantly, when turning on the computer: “Hey, user, I do not care about your business, I need to update here, so just wait a minute. Or 10 minutes. Or half an hour, well, you understand, right? Go for a walk”. Of course, you can turn off automatic Windows updates, but why, because you always have an up-to-date OS – it’s convenient and safe.
Most of the updates to OS X are put in the background and do not even need to be rebooted. And if you still need to reboot – the OS will ask if you want to complete it right now or wait until you finish your work.
After all, the OS is for the user, not the other way around.
8. You can forget about viruses.
No, of course, companies that make money selling antivirus software will scare you: you, the user, cannot feel safe anywhere! You are attacked by malicious viruses from all sides and on OS X and iOS and even your Casio digital clock is not protected from malicious infection!
Antivirus companies can understand: the growth of the PC share is gradually decreasing, while the growth of the Mac share is rapidly increasing. So they panic. So official representatives of these companies often act ugly, calling any malicious program a virus, although they themselves know perfectly that this is not so. People just used to be afraid of a virus, that’s why they use this terrible word.
So go to the Mac and forget about viruses and antiviruses. Let your OS X always get the latest updates (after all, you will not be bothered at all, as we have already found out) – and “Apple” will take care of you. Because unlike Microsoft, it does not blame anyone, in which case the user will come to complain to them.
9. Expensive Mac? Cheap Mac!
There is another myth that “Apple” computers are expensive. People who believe in this myth either did not study the market themselves, or consider that the computer consists of a processor, a hard drive, a motherboard and memory slots. A screen (if it’s a laptop) consists of battery, body and other does not matter.
Well, maybe someone really does not care what size a laptop or desktop PC is, how much it weighs, what quality the screen is and how it all looks, after all. But whatever priorities the user has, everything costs money – this cannot be avoided. Two different computers with the same performance will cost different money if one of them is more compact. Compactness is worth the money because a lot of computer nodes (the same hard drive) take up a lot of space. Pushing it all into a compact case, so that nothing overheats, is not so easy – it’s a serious task for engineers who need to pay money. And if the company does not like the first solution, like “Apple”, and it is ready to re-evaluate the concept over and over again until it reaches the optimal proportions that are close to ideal, it also costs money.
If you try to find competitors MacBook Air in all parameters, carry out an analysis of Mac vs PC for photo editing, you will find that these competitors are worth not less than the MBA itself, and even more expensive. And the competitors of the MacBook Pro and iMac for price, performance and size you do not find at all. Some manufacturers (we will not once again point fingers) sell huge heavy boxes at the price of the iMac, with a much less qualitative screen at the same time.
10. Ecosystem
The most obvious thing we left for a snack. Even if other arguments in favor of the Mac did not convince you, then this one is simply obliged.
All Apple devices have a similar design, the principle of operation, and most importantly – they perfectly interact with each other literally at the touch of a button and completely without wires. For example, you can easily connect to the MacBook desktop next to your iMac and transfer files from one desktop to another as if it were a single computer. And portable devices: iPod, iPad and iPhone can be synchronized with the computer also by pressing one button. Just place a check mar – what songs, photos, movies and programs you want to see on your device.
Of course, there are some analogues of such an ecosystem under Windows, but there, alas, everything is far from being so deliberate and to make it all work sometimes you need to press not one but a lot of buttons. Also constantly “google” on the Internet – which button to press, and then did everything according to the instructions, but it does not work. Yes, and Microsoft itself is constantly changing the solution: then it releases the Zune for synchronization, then replaces it with the Windows Phone application.
Mac vs pc for photo editing – Try the Mac machines
“Apple” is the most successful IT corporation in the world. Sales of iOS devices are breaking records. IPad – the most popular tablet, iPhone – the most popular smartphone, and iPod – the most popular player. It would seem that a complete monopoly. But all these are mobile gadgets. In computers, “Apple” does not have everything so smooth. Microsoft still owns the lion’s share of the OS market for computers.
Today there is a trend of transition from PC to “Macintosh” everywhere. The company “Apple” every day expands its range and offers all new and advanced products for its customers. Despite the higher cost, the best Mac for photo editing computers are assembled from traditionally high-quality parts, their design is well thought out, they are not becoming obsolete due to the manufacturer’s policy.
The software on the “Macintosh” also features high stability, convenience, it is well optimized. On “Apple” computers running Mac OS X there are no viruses. Due to the thoughtfulness of the platform, the user does not need to know the details of the settings of the installed programs, think about network administration, cares about the interoperability of utilities, etc.
Nevertheless, the ease of use and beauty of design solutions in the design and interface programs is still secondary. Like any computer, “Macintosh” is useful only as much as you personally benefit from the programs available on this platform. And there are a lot of programs on the “Macintosh”: office packages, development environments, graphics editors, various utilities, games, but not all of them deserve close attention – even in light of the possible purchase of “Apple Mac”. But we will tell you about the iconic products, programs that have the right to take the place of a convenient, everyday tool.
To make sure you are finally convinced that the best Mac computer for photo editing, we will tell you what programs for processing and cataloging photos are offered by Mac.
“Apple Aperture” is a program for complex processing of digital photo images, combining the capabilities of RAW-converter, simple image editor, cataloger and utility for preparing images for printing and posting on the Internet.
The Aperture program was received by users of the Macintosh, fond of photography, with great approval. True, there were also voices of critics – especially since many alternative programs were already presented for professionals on the “Macintosh” and PC, many photographers put Mac vs PC for photo editing, because both has Adobe Lightroom, and a built-in Photoshop converter RAW-files.
Summarizing the above, it can be argued that “Aperture” is aimed at professional photographers and is called upon to compete on an equal footing with competing RAW-converters on PC and for programs of photo editing Mac vs PC. But “Aperture” is winning thanks to expansion the audience, its mission to fill out niche programs for processing and cataloging photos combining ease of use and powerful potential.
Super-tools for demanding users
From the “amateur” functions of programs for photo editing Mac vs PC, let’s move on to tools that are likely to be of interest to both the mass public and the more demanding users. Like any self-respecting program for “end-to-end” photo processing and publishing, “Apple Aperture” editor can help us design and print photo albums of various sizes directly as one of the stages of processing photos. There are several sizes available for page layout, several themes, and the ability to download new themes. Yes, now we do not need to run cumbersome programs, delve into the subtleties of layout, and all this lead to conclusion that the best Mac for photo editing.
Of the essential and unique features of “Aperture” in terms of image processing capabilities, we would like to mention, for example, the possibility of dotted retouching with the help of the “brushes” mechanism. This mechanism allows you to locally reproduce all the effects of “general” editing (lightening, darkening, changing exposure etc) – supporting for this such “thin” things as the degree of pressure on the pen (when working with a graphic tablet) and self-recognition of the edges of the object. Brushes also allow blurring the edges of the objects depicted, improving the skin texture in portraits, correcting light and chromatic problems.
As a true large graphics processor, “Aperture” allow you to change the color ratio in a photo using the finest “curve” setting. The tool “Curves” in skillful hands is able to draw out literally any cadre, turn a good image into a masterpiece.
So, add together all mentioned above, we can say that a very simple and convenient interface with clear logic of actions is the traditional property of most programs for Macintosh, excellent optimization for the hardware of the current line of models of Apple computers and the use of all the features of the 64-bit operating system Mac OS X, the widest set of tools for fine-tuning images from any The complexity of changes, the mass of options that allow dramatically improve the photo and effectively teach it in the network and on paper, accurate and high-quality algorithms for RAW-conversion and support for almost all modern photo formats A tome-meter – that’s what “Aperture”. It is a worthy continuer of the line of fine programs for “Macintosh” and one of the best modern developments of its kind.
7 best Mac-applications for photo editing
Probably often, looking through your digital photos, you said to yourself: “Not bad. But you can do a little better if something is corrected”. Useful utility iPhoto, built into any Mac, allows you to remove the red-eye effect, crop the image and play with color to understand that Photoshop Mac or PC applications are different. But if these functions are not enough for you, we advise you to familiarize yourself with more complex programs.
• Acorn 4
Acorn is an easy-to-use editor, a kind of alternative for those who do not need expensive and complex editors, such as Adobe Photoshop. In addition to a variety of standard functions and filters, Acorn allows you to overlay text over an image, as well as use various drawing tools, including vector graphics. The application supports Automator, AppleScript and JavaScript for more advanced users. Acorn costs money, but fully justifies its price thanks to numerous useful features. The application includes learning the basics, so you will never get lost in it. But if you face some problems and hesitations which program to choose, look at this video “Mac vs PC: Which One Is Better for Photo Editing?”, and Jerad of “State of tech host” will tell you some peculiarities.
• GIMP
GNU Image Manipulation Program, abbreviated GIMP, is a free alternative to Photoshop. This program is not available in the Mac AppStore, but it can be freely downloaded from the official developer site. And also you can download it on PC, try it both and decide where Photoshop Mac or PC works better? The menu is very different from the standard one, which we are used to seeing in other programs. However, its functions largely coincide with Photoshop. There is also a brush, a pencil and a stamp, there is an opportunity to work with text, apply various filters, and work with exposure and improve photos in other ways with just a couple of clicks. For some users, the program may seem too complicated; in this case, they should pay attention to other graphical editors.
• Adobe Lightroom
One of the main advantages of “Lightroom”, of course, is working with files in the RAW format. When working with photos, their originals remain unchanged, and you can very easily return to the original picture, canceling all previous actions. The difference from its older brother Adobe Photoshop is that “Lightroom” is great for cataloging and processing multiple photos. If you need more in-depth editing of individual photos, in this case, Photoshop is indispensable. In “Lightroom”, you can easily and quickly view the entire extensive library of photos, select or reject images, and then adjust their contrast, brightness, white balance or other important parameters. Any self-respecting company of photo processing has a part of photo editing prices, where they point what type of adjusting they offer, but almost no one share their secrets in which program they fix images.
• PhotoLine
PhotoLine is another alternative to Photoshop, but, this time, it’s not free. This editor is also designed for an advanced user and professional photographer-retouchers, who has already edited a lot of photos, knows the subtleties of processing and the tools he needs. Its user interface is a little weak, but despite this drawback, PhotoLine has an impressive set of useful functions. You can easily download a demo version of the editor from the official website of the developers, try out its features and make about it your own impression.
• Photoshop CC
What to say, this is the king of image editing programs and it does not matter which Photoshop Mac or PC you use. As you can already see, all the listed programs are somehow compared with Photoshop, and this already speaks for itself. This is a truly golden sample for all photo editors. Of course, it is not designed for the average user, but is an incredibly complex tool with many functions. But if you, having spent a lot of time, will understand it, you will get really beautiful photos.
• Photoshop Elements
If your needs are modest enough, and you do not need a full-fledged version of Photoshop, we suggest that you pay attention to another product from Adobe – Photoshop Elements. It also has many useful tools, but the interface of the program is more friendly and understandable. Here you can easily move objects to photos, remove the red-eye effect, enhance the color or create a panoramic image. And for customary user we can offer you to read the article about interesting effects “Best Photoshop manipulation ideas to try” to turn your photos into magazine’s cover.
• Pixelmator
In our opinion, this is one of the most convenient graphical editors for Mac. It supports many formats, it allows you to work with layers, apply various filters and other useful tools and for this is the best Mac for photo editing. Here there is a complete set for a full-fledged photo editing, starting with different ways of selecting objects and many brushes, finishing with the overlay of shadows and applying various effects. On the official site you can download a free trial version and evaluate the convenience of Pixelmator.
Perhaps we have not listed the main features and benefits of Windows, but you probably know about them. Of course, you can read a lot of such articles and eventually choose: Mac or PC for photo editing?