The Best Mac Photo Software

This page takes a look at the best Mac Photo Software currently available via the Mac App Store. We review a lot of software for the Mac, but only software that we like the look of!

Most of the time it lives up to our expectations, but occasionally we are disappointed. Either way the review finds it way onto these pages.

The software in this category covers any applications that are deemed to be useful for the photographer and includes tools for handling, editing, browsing and then distributing your precious photos.

Against each App listed below you will see a black Mac App Store button, which when clicked takes you to Apples own Mac App Store. You can then read further reviews and purchase the App by simply clicking the button! All transactions are handled by Apple and not us.

We are happy to confirm that we make a small affiliate commission from each sale through our website. Please note that all reviews have been performed on the real application, purchased by us, from the Mac App Store. Commissions enable us to buy more software to review.

Mac Photo Software - The Top Ten Paid Mac Apps

The list below is the top ten paid for Mac Apps in the Photography category of the Mac App Store at the moment. The list is updated each time this page is loaded, and is generated from an RSS feed supplied by Apple.

iPhoto - Apple

iPhoto is the a very powerful tool for handling your photo albums and has been part of iLife'11 which is bundled with every new Mac computer.

When Apple launched the Mac App Store, back in 2011, they decided to split iLife'11 and put iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband onto the Mac App Store as individual Apps. You only need to buy them if, like me, you have a relatively old Mac and need to upgrade!

But why upgrade? Well, 2011 was a very busy year for Apple, they released the usual new products but also updated Mac OS X to Lion and launched iCloud, the replacement for MobileMe.

The latest version of iPhoto can take advantage of these upgrades. For example, iPhoto is now a full screen App, taking advantage of the OS X Lion features. Also, it has access to the Photostream where photos from your iPhone are automatically stored, up to 1000 for a month.

Of course iPhoto can still handle your photo collections like it always has. You can create albums, import images, export in various file formats, but now you get some new features;

• New Full Screen
• Facebook Enhancements
• Emailing Photos to friends and family
• Books and Letterpress Cards
• New Slideshows
• Access to the Photostream

The screenshot below shows iPhoto running as a full screen App, displaying the contents of an album.

iPhoto running Full Screen

Aperture - Apple

You might wondering why you would need Aperture when you have iPhoto bundled with your Mac? I did, it is a very reasonable question.

The decision whether to go with Aperture really hinges on your level of interest in photography!

If you are passionate about photography, never stop clicking, and as a result handle a lot of images in many different libraries, then Aperture is probably for you.

iPhoto is intended for the masses. Don't get me wrong iPhoto can certainly cope with hundreds of images, in many albums, it can handle location, faces, and simple editting. But Aperture can do all this and much more.

• Image editing tools
• Sharing via Facebook and Flickr
• Integration with iCloud and the use of the Photostream
• Grouping in Albums
• The ability to tag faces and places

The screenshot below shows the Apple Aperture software running on my MacBook Pro and is displaying the places window. This shows you on Google maps where each photo was taken, and when.

Apple Aperture Software

Click here to visit our Apple Aperture dedicated page

Color Splash Studio - MacPhun LLC

Color Splash Studio is aimed at the Mac user who wants to tweak the colours in their photographs. This is a very powerful application. We have all seen photos produced by the photography expert where the whole picture is black and white and a single flower is in colour. Well now you can achieve the same effects!

Color Splash Studio can interface with iPhoto, Photoshop and Aperture allowing you to edit your photos easily without having to keep track of which photo was edited, when, and where you put it.

Another nice touch in our world of social networking is the ability to share your photos from within Color Splash Studio.

You can share on Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, Twitter and by Email, all through a simple Share window.

This is a very well thought out piece of Mac Photo software. Let's take a moment to capture a few of the main features available in Color Splash Studio;

• Integration with iPhoto, Photoshop and Aperture.
• Share over social networks including Facebook, tumblr, flickr and twitter.
• High resolution support upto 32 megapixels.
• Monochrome layers including black and white, sepia and blue tone.
• Adjustment of brightness, contrast, blur, hue, saturation and exposure.
• Support for almost all file formats, including RAW.

The screenshot below shows Color Splash Studio in action with a striking rally car picked out in colour. This shows what you can achieve with your own photos.

Color Splash Studio in Action

Adobe Photoshop Elements - Adobe Systems

Adobe Photoshop has been around for many years, and is well renowned amongst professional photographers as the best tool for editing images. The only drawback is that the full version is very expensive, well outside the scope of the amateur photographer.

Enter Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, still a member of the Photoshop family but it comes with less of the advanced tools only required by graphic designers or professional photographers. But don't go away thinking that this version is inferior as a result, it isn't.

So what do you get? As you would probably expect you get the usual editing tools including layers, tools for cropping, selecting, rotating, retouching and adjusting your image, and of course much more in the way of tools.

The version in the Mac Photo software category at the moment is a Special Edition which includes all of the editing features of the full version, but not the Elements Organizer, and is available with a choice of languages including English, French, German and Japanese.