Mac Video Effects Software. Best Free Photo Editing Software For Mac [UPDATED]

You want your photos to look their best. And ideally, you want to make that happen without spending a lot of time learning a new program or dropping a lot of money on software. We get it. Mac image editing is very simple if you choose the right software.

Some of the winners on our list are available as desktop apps, while others are strictly available as online photo editors. Some are free trials of paid programs, and others are genuine, no-strings-attached free photo editors. So let's take a look right now at free photo editing software for mac like Photoshop.

Why we love it: While many free online photo editors are streamlined and fairly basic, Darktable is free photo editing software that can hold its own against professional tools.If you need a free photo editor download for Mac, consider Darktable. Its cataloguing and photo organization features are comparable to Lightroom (which is a major compliment). It works with JPEGs as well as RAW files, and the perspective distortion and lens correction features are impressive. Darktable also offers non-destructive editing, which is a huge plus in photo editor on Macbook Pro.

Why we love it: Now on version 4.0, Picktorial is free photo editing software with a suite of impressive graphic features. The built-in photo organization tool is a nice touch, and the filters and effects hold their own against more expensive photo editing programs. Picktorial can even be used as an extension to Apple Photos, so you can use it to complement one of our other picks. Here you can quickly and easily organize your photos.

We hope our list has helped you select the best free image editor for your next project. If you want to learn more about Skylum software, we invite you to find out whether Luminar Neo is the picture editor for you.

No matter which online image editor or photo editing software for Mac you choose, we wish you the best in your photography ventures and photo enhancement. May you never need to fix it in post. Choose the best software from the list above with your needs in mind.

PowerDirector Essential is the best free video editing software for Mac because it offers the functionality and features of an advanced, paid program without the hefty price tag. You can get most of its features for free, or subscribe to PowerDirector 365 if you want to take advantage of its creative design packs and a full range of export formats. Its intuitive interface and design make PowerDirector an easy-to-use free Mac video editor. Detailed Review >

Compatibility - Does your free Mac video editor support your operating system? Does it export in the video, image, and audio formats you need to use? The best free video editing software for Mac should at least support the most common formats like MP4, MP3, and WAV.

Features - Does the free Mac video editor include the effects you want to use in your videos? For example, a chroma key tool if you use green screen effects, or a video stabilizer if you film lots of action footage. Also, does your free video editing software for Mac include templates and AI tools to make editing easier?

No matter your experience level, you won't have any issues using the best free video editing software for Mac, PowerDirector. It's designed to be simple enough for beginners yet powerful enough for professionals. If you're new to the video editing world, you will appreciate PowerDirector Essential's comprehensive free features. It introduces you to the program's mechanics and lets you dive into fundamental free Mac video editing tools.

If you want to add effects or transitions to videos without paying for hundreds of advanced features, you will find that PowerDirector suits all your free Mac video editing needs. Its wide range of editing tools includes a video collage designer, speed controls, chroma key, and a title designer.

PowerDirector offers the most features in its free version, a 30-day free trial of its premium version, and a very affordable paid version, so the software can grow with you as your editing skills and budget grow too. It has advanced features for advanced users while staying beginner-friendly for new editors. For these reasons, we think PowerDirector is the best free video editing software for Mac.

VideoPad is one of the best free video editing software for Mac, because like our top choice PowerDirector, it offers some advanced tools in a beginner-friendly package. However, unlike our top free Mac video editor, its free version contains annoying ads and is not available for commercial use. VidePad is in the middle of our top 3 free Mac video editors, offering fewer features than PowerDirector, but more than iMovie.

iMovie is a free Mac video editor that comes pre-installed on your Mac and makes it a convenient choice if you need to make basic edits. It includes a set of audio and editing tools that can produce polished videos for free. This is one of the best free video editing software for Mac for absolute beginners.

If you have never edited before, you won't have any issues using this for free Mac video editing. However, the one big downside to iMovie is the lack of advanced features and tools you can find in other free video editing software for Mac, such as PowerDirector.

VideoProc Vlogger is the best free video editing software for Mac if you often shoot with an action camera or drone. It has fisheye removal to correct the lens aberrations that are a side effect of using a wide-angle lens. It also comes with video stabilization, advanced speed adjustment tools, and motion simulation. Basically, this free Mac video editor has everything you need to make amazing action videos.

We chose VideoProc Vlogger as one of the best free video editing software for Mac because it is beginner-friendly, yet filled with advanced motion and color correction tools. Like our top choice, PowerDirector, it also has good customer service and user supports, such as a learning center with blogs and tutorials.

This free Mac video editor is an excellent choice for anyone with a travel vlog since it has amazing tools for GoPro, drone, and other action-style footage. However, VideoProc Vlogger lacks general editing tools and effects, so if you make any other types of videos, we would recommend you choose a different free Mac video editor from our list.

Shotcut is one of the best free video editing software for Mac for editors who have moved on from base-level editing software like iMovie. Shotcut offers advanced effects and filters that will help you produce a high-quality video for free.

The program is open source, so once you download it, you will have access to all its features and you can customize the interface to your liking. In addition, this free Mac video editor has unlimited undo and redo for edits, including a history view. This makes it easy to step back to any part of your editing process, even if it has been hours since you started making changes.

Shotcut is the best free video editing software for Mac for intermediate editors who want professional features without the professional price tag. However, the program can lag and freeze when dealing with large files. It also has a slight learning curve, so those new to free Mac video editing should stick with one of our top 4 options.

Animoto is a cloud-based free Mac video editor with free and paid versions. This program is for busy influencers who need to churn out a lot of content quickly. Animoto has hundreds of time-saving templates that adhere to social media best practices. With this free video editing software for Mac, you can quickly add your own video clips, or use one from the media stock library.

We chose Animoto as one of the best free video editing software for Mac because it is quick and easy to use for beginners, busy creators, or those with little creative or design know-how. You can customize any template with over 40 professional fonts and add music or voice-over.

HitFilm is the best video editing software for Mac for beginner to intermediate editors interested in visual effects. Future VFX artists and hobbyists will love trying out over 180 editing effects, including compositing and 3D tools.

If you enjoy editing with effects, but also need a free Mac video editor with basic editing tools, HitFilm is your one-stop-shop. It comes with everything you need to complete a video from start to finish, such as transitions, stock music, audio tools, and presets for social media.

Avidemux is an open-source program for beginners to try out free Mac video editing software. We think it is one of the best free video editing software for Mac because it can convert and save video or audio in almost any format. It can also encode and decode a wide range of video, (including multi-threaded videos), and audio (including TrueHD).

While we think Lightworks is great for anyone hoping to become a professional editor, DaVinci Resolve is a free Mac video editor for anyone who is already a professional. It is a clean, intuitive program that you would never guess is free. It offers a wide range of advanced features, including intelligent color correction, motion graphics, and visual effects.

This free Mac video editor is not for beginners as it is designed for industry professionals. If you are thinking of buying Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro for professional jobs, you should give DaVinci Resolve a try first. It could save you hundreds of dollars and potentially better fit your editing style.

This free Mac video editor offers more professional tools than many paid options. With Media Composer First, you can use green-screen effects, stabilize footage, add transitions, adjust speed, mix audio, and much more. It even has direct uploads to social media, although using this free Mac video editing software for a Facebook post seems like overkill.

We know there are advanced editors out there who are stuck working on independent and low-budget films. Hollywood films and TV shows keep passing them by, simply because they want an editor proficient on Avid. Avid Media Composer First makes learning the Avid system a much easier prospect. However, this free Mac video editing software still has a steep learning curve, even for advanced editors used to other software. For this reason, it is behind Lightworks and DaVinci Resolve on our list since they are easier for advanced editors to use. 1e1e36bf2d