# Best photo editing software for MAC?



## NCAFLeo88

Hey guys, I recently got a MacBook Pro and was wondering what would be the best photo editing software I could get?


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## Forkie

"Best" is rather subjective, but I like Phtotoshop CS5.  Don't really have that much experience with anything else.


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## SlickSalmon

It depends on how deeply you want to dive into photo editing and photo illustration.  Photoshop Elements is a sophisticated editor and provides most of the photo editing features of CS5, at about a tenth of the price, although you give up a lot of 16-bit features.  I've been happy with it on a MacBook Pro.


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## Village Idiot

NCAFLeo88 said:


> Hey guys, I recently got a MacBook Pro and was wondering what would be the best photo editing software I could get?



Holy **** dude, do you know machine code? You want editing software for your Media Access Controller?

Now that that's out of the way.

What's your budget? Best editing software and the standard is Photoshop. Light Room and Aperture can do lower level editing and can sort and help with workflow. Pixelmator is offered through the app store and is a cheaper alternative to Photoshop. Gimp is a free version.

Take your pick for whatever fits your budget.


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## KmH

Laptops are notoriously poor devices to use for image editing, because of the limited accurate viewing angles the displays have. Good luck.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 (Win/Mac) only has about 40% of the editing features that Photoshop CS5 has and you can pretty much forget about doing 16-bit depth edits.

Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 is an inexpensive alternative.

Many choose the free, open source application www.GIMP.org


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## SlickSalmon

KmH said:


> Laptops are notoriously poor devices to use for image editing, because of the limited accurate viewing angles the displays have. Good luck.
> 
> Photoshop Elements 9 only has about 40% of the editing features that Photoshop CS5 has and you can pretty much forget about doing 16-bit depth edits.


 
Just to clarify, Elements has about 40% of the full feature set of CS5, but it has most of the tools you need for routine photo editing.  It's like the shop in my house -- it has about 40% of all the tools a guy can own, but 100% of the tools I need to repair my house.

If there were one thing that would drive me to CS5, it would be 16-bit editing.  There are some 16-bit features in Elements, but all the Layers functions are 8-bit, as well as a bunch of others.

The MacBook Pro doesn't have the viewing angle problem that characterizes so many Windows machines.  In fact, I find myself using the laptop screen more and more and my accessory monitor less and less.


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## inaka

Download the 30-day trial of Aperture, to see if you like it.
It offers Adobe Lightroom-like editing and cataloging.

Obviously Photoshop CS5 is the gold standard, but it comes at a hefty price if you don't need all of that power.

I personally use a combination of Aperture and Photoshop CS5, so in some cases, it's not even either/or.


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## jay125

using DPP (digital photo professional, came with 60D), Photoshop elements 9 and Lightroom 3.  All work great.  I also use iPhoto and Preview for quick things.


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## photocist

The best is photoshop, hands down. while it may have some features that will never be used, it is called PHOTOshop for a reason.

actually, I would not call it the "best." I would say it has the most features and can achieve effects that just about no other program can. I find that it allows me to do anything I need to my photo, which I would bet that any other editing program isnt able to say.


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## CNCO

basic - iphoto/gimp
imtermediate - aperture
advanced - CS5


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## Village Idiot

CNCO said:


> basic - iphoto/gimp
> imtermediate - aperture
> advanced - CS5



Well, your classifications are all wrong. Those programs aren't even for the same purpose, so classifying one as an intermediate version of another program that has a completely different function is very misleading. And what about Light Room? It's like aperture, even though it's an organizational/workflow program and not a major editing program.

iPhoto couldn't even hold a candle to Gimp in terms of features.

Are you trying to classify based on price or some other obscure criteria?


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## CNCO

know what you are talking about before you comment on my post. i would not take computer help from someone in west virginia.


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## Village Idiot

CNCO said:


> know what you are talking about before you comment on my post. i would not take computer help from someone in west virginia.


 
Your post obviously shows you don't know what you're talking about. Would you take computer help from some one in NC? Russia? China? India? Kentucky? You're just ignorant. I work in an IT department for a major branch of the government. I've done everything from program development and coding to network administration. 

I would not take help from someone that thinks that iPhoto and Gimp should even be considered in the same category of photo editing software..

Edit: But then again, your Photoshop gallery shows you really know a ton about editing photos. :roll:


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## CNCO

different strokes for different folks, agree to disagree.


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## Village Idiot

CNCO said:


> different strokes for different folks, agree to disagree.



Thanks for bringing your tone down there bud.

OP - If you feel limited by Aperture, then Gimp, Pixelmator, and Photoshop are going to be your best bets. Either way, you can pick up books, youtube tutorials, and websites that can teach you how to do pretty much anything. The easiest way to learn is to push yourself and try new things out of your comfort zone.


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## KmH

Asking for assistance to commit software piracy sucks.

Software is copyrighted work, just like photographs are.

Photographers complain about the theft of their photos all the time, but many also seem to have a double standard.


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## Bitter Jeweler

Village Idiot said:


> Are you trying to classify based on price or some other obscure criteria?



Moar people use Photoshop on TV, so it's moar better. Duh.


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## inaka

NCAFLeo88 said:


> inaka said:
> 
> 
> 
> Download the 30-day trial of Aperture, to see if you like it.
> It offers Adobe Lightroom-like editing and cataloging.
> 
> Obviously Photoshop CS5 is the gold standard, but it comes at a hefty price if you don't need all of that power.
> 
> I personally use a combination of Aperture and Photoshop CS5, so in some cases, it's not even either/or.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I torrented Aperture but to me it feels like its kinda limited...
Click to expand...

 
I didn't know money was no object if you're pirating stuff....

Yes, Aperture is somewhat limited compared to Photoshop CS5, but if you're going to pirate it, then get the full CS5 version of Photoshop and be done with it.


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## CCericola

You can download a demo of Photoshop CS5. You will have 30 days to decide if it is right for you. Please do not pirate software. Save up to buy it legally.


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## inaka

Bingo.

CCericola knows what's up.


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## DerekSalem

I've tried out many photo-editing programs and always come back to Photoshop. Then again, I use Lightroom probably more than I use Photoshop now...so take that information as far as it matters too.

Lightroom basically offers the ability to make general edits (sharpening, noise reduction, contrast/brightness/color sliders, etc...) but without a lot of fine detail edits (you can do simple small edits, but things like removing parts of the picture skillfully is almost impossible). For that we have Photoshop.

If you want something to just liven up your pictures and be able to make edits without having the know-how to do it all manually...try out Lightroom 3 (which is similar to Aperture, but I like LR *much* more). If you want to do the actual edits yourself and you want to dig deep into the photos...get Photoshop.

Then again, with what seems like a torrent fetish you're probably going to download them all illegally anyway. In that case make sure to notify the authorities which program you like the most.


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## adversus

I don't own Photoshop, but I'm also not a professional so haven't the need.  All of my photos are edited 99% via Aperture 3.  For heaving lifting like removing objects, "fancy" graphics work, I use Pixelmator.

You can buy Aperture and Pixelmator directly from the App store for $79 and $49 respectively (I think, I'm too lazy to check).  That's still a fraction of the price of photoshop.  

But, I try to avoid Adobe when I can.  I loathe their software with a passion.


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## billthesaint

I've always liked ACDSee Pro, which I used for Windows for years, the when I switched to a Mac, I got their Pro Mac version. Its has loads of editing features (not as many as Adobe stuff, but then again its a third the price), but its also a management tool too. Depends if you're looking for purely editing software.


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## D-B-J

Personally, i use Photomatix Professional, Adobe Lightroom Three, And Adobe Photoshop CS5. &nbsp;Oh, and Portrait Professional from time to time.  And i run all these on a Macbook Pro


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## mjhoward

Holy resurrected thread Batman!


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## mangtarn

I would say photoshop cs5. i use it on my imac. but if you can't afford it (it cost as much as my 60D) get photoshop elements, much cheaper.


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## CaptainNapalm

I tried GIMP and didn't like it. I was told that Lightroom would potentially run slow on my MacBook Air so I passed on that. Got photoshop elements 11 for 79$ a few months ago and have been really happy with it since.  Good thing a out elements is it offers a free 30 day full functioning trial. Give it a shot and see if it suits your needs.


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## Light Guru

NOT something you wanna say on a public forum. Aperture is inexpensive!


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## KmH

benlinus said:


> PhotoScape was launced just 3 years back and it has gained a lot of popularity as a freeware photo editing program[/COLOR] among (tech) users and critics for many good reasons. It supports RAW and almost all common image formats, i.e  JPEG, PNG, and GIF for animated images.Loads fast and is good for moderate level use. Not for very advanced photo editing. PhotScape is really good software to try as free image editing software.


This is apparently from - Top Ten Photo or image editing Software free (Photo editors) - VIKAS TIPS N TRICKS ONLINE



> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism
> Plagiarism is not a crime _per se but in academia and industry it is a serious moral offence,[SUP][7][/SUP][SUP][8][/SUP] and cases of plagiarism can constitute copyright infringement._


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## Light Guru

Your seriously asking that on a public forum?

Thats TWICE Ive seen you talking about torrenting applications on this thread.


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## AaronLLockhart

KmH said:


> Laptops are notoriously poor devices to use for image editing, because of the limited accurate viewing angles the displays have. Good luck.



That's a 100% incorrect statement when it comes to MacBook Pro. In the early generation MacBook Pro and Powerbooks, what you are saying is right. However, in the newer models (The ones with glass screens), viewing angle does not alter contrast/saturation/tint.  You can walk in a 180&#729; radius around the screen, and the view does not change at all.


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## KmH

Few laptops have, or offer as an option, IPS type displays.


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## Twosheds

If you are serious about editing, full Photoshop and Bridge.  Then you'll want a a management program with a top end RAW engine.  As a professional I use Capture One.  I use it with my main camera, a Phase One and my Canon.  Lightroom is also a good option.


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## snowbear

Twosheds said:


> If you are serious about editing, full Photoshop and Bridge.  Then you'll want a a management program with a top end RAW engine.  As a professional I use Capture One.  I use it with my main camera, a Phase One and my Canon.  Lightroom is also a good option.


Thread is from 2011, I'm sure the OP figured out what to use.  Pease look at dates for the question type threads.
Locking it.


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