| Best overall |  | Adobe Lightroom | Check Price | Adobe’s raw workflow software has become a standard for photographers. | |
| Best for raw photos |  | Capture One Pro 22 | Check Price | Pull every last bit of image quality out of your raw files. | |
| Best for beginners |  | Photoshop Elements | Check Price |
Photo editing software will help you improve your photos even more and can allow you to stretch your creativity. With the exception of a handful of photography professions, most of us consider the photograph straight out of the camera as a canvas of sorts, waiting to be touched up and enhanced in some way. Whether that be simply adjusting color and contrast or doing more in-depth edits like skin retouching or composite work, the best photo editing software for Macs will help you see your photographic visions through.
- Best overall: Adobe Lightroom
- Best free: Apple Photos
- Best for beginners: Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021
- Easiest to use: Skylum Luminar 4
- Best for professionals: Adobe Photoshop
- Best for Raw photos: Capture One Pro 22
Things to consider before buying photo editing software for Macs
Experience level
Some photo editing software is much simpler to use than others. Apps like Apple Photos and Photoshop Elements are very beginner-friendly and are easier to use. Others, however, have seemingly limitless tools and controls that may take a higher experience level to utilize fully.
If you are a beginner and want to dive right in with no fuss, choosing a simple editing software geared towards beginners will be your best bet. However, if you want to learn and improve and have a program to grow into, going with something more advanced will be beneficial. Just because a program can be a bit convoluted to use doesn’t mean that beginners can’t use it, but they should be prepared …