Best pro photo editors for Mac 2018

Best pro photo editors for Mac 2018

Few people would dispute the near-magical features of Photoshop, as well as ancillary apps like Lightroom and Camera RAW, but there has been criticism about its high subscription fees. However, there are plenty of challengers for the photo editing crown, especially on the Mac. We take a look at some pretenders to the crown here, and their benefit is chiefly in terms of value for money most charge one-off purchase prices, rather than monthly subscription fees, and some are ridiculously inexpensive considering what they offer. Adobe, on the other hand, charges an arm and a leg. True, you can get just Photoshop and Lightroom for around 120/US$120 per year via the , but even this is considered by many to be a form of extortion. Generally speaking, there are two categories of apps reviewed here: actual image editors, and image processors. The latter category includes apps designed to take images straight from a camera and improve them by fixing things like distortions introduced by lenses, or correct colour balance. Some might include basic image editing tools, but they're not about unbridled creativity like the actual editing apps, which typically offer toolbars offering direct image-editing tools. Many image-processing apps focus on improving RAW files, which is the data taken straight from the camera's image sensor prior to any processing taking place within the phone or camera itself. This offers the most scope for improvement because as much of the image data as possible is present and none has yet been discarded or manipulated. For this group test we were only interested in professional products aimed at the photo editor who needs power and flexibility. But if you're looking to pay even less than this and can compromise on features, take a look at our roundup of the .