PhotoLine: Lots of Features but Lacks that Mac-Like Feel. Photoline is positioned as a Photoshop alternative. It is a commercial app with a large feature set. Its fast, powerful, and stable. I need to know if a MacBook Air can operate as smoothly as an iMac when working with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Muse, and After Effects. I don't plan to have all open at the same time, but I definitely need to be able to have Photoshop, Illustrator open at the same time on the MacBook Air. I know the iMac has almost no issues with.
If you need to make a few tweaks to your images, but do not want to use Photoshop, you are in luck as there are several superb solutions. Here are the 15 best alternatives in no particular order:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 and Adobe Premiere Elements 2021 work with macOS 11.0 (BigSur) but have these known compatibility issues. Previous versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe. Welcome to Adobe Photoshop 2019 for Mac OS. Photoshop isn’t an image-creation program, which suggests that it isn’t acknowledged to form images from scratch. Instead, Photoshop is supposed to vary and improve existing images that are acquired through photography, scanners, or other means.
1. Luminar 4 (Free Trial 7 days)
When time for editing your photos is a luxury, Luminar 4 can help. Luminar 4 lets you transform your photos in a flash and synchronizes all the edits that you have made effortlessly. What makes it so great is that you can easily browse all your photos as it automatically organizes your photos which makes navigation simple. Luminar Libraries also boast a very modern interface which optimizes the viewing experience.
Luminar 4 offers many great adjustable styles, features, and tools that you will fall in love with such as its AI Sky Enhancers, Advanced Contrast, and Dehaze to mention only a few.
2. Pixlr (Free Version Available)
Pixlr boasts an interface that is really not much different from Photoshop. It offers hundreds of overlays, borders and other effects. If you simply want to crop your image or whiten your teeth on your iOS or Android device, Pixlr is the right tool for the job. With Pixlr, you can complete all the editing tasks that a good basic photo editor will allow.
3. PicMonkey (Trial 7 days)
The beauty of PicMonkey is found in its easy-to-use interface. If you need to put together a collage, this is your tool to use. All you have to do is upload your images and drag them into the right spot.
4. Adobe Photoshop Elements (Free Trial 30 days)
Do not be fooled by the name, Adobe Photoshop Elements is not the actual Photoshop. However, countless users have experienced that the Adobe Photoshop Elements app offers all the tools that they require to enhance their images. In short, this app has been reduced to the essentials.
With the help of its Adjustment and Blend layers, you can turn any photo into the most amazing image in barely any time at all. Thanks to its guided mode, it is also geared towards beginners.
When it comes to finding a Photoshop alternative, your only challenge will be to identify the software solution that works the best for your unique needs. Why not give them all a try? You might just discover that the best course of action will be to use a couple of these tools instead of just one.
5. Sketch (Free Trial 30 days, MacOS only)
If you are working on a Mac and in need of a budget-friendly alternative to Photoshop, Sketch is the answer. Sketch is a vector graphics app that has the design field all excited, specifically website designers. As it is so popular, you will be able to access countless plug-ins that have been created by the community that will make this app even more functional.
Its user interface is easy to understand and boasts several features such as gradients and layers that are similar to Illustrator and Photoshop. What is more, it also offers a color picker and style presets. You can use one of the basic shapes to create your own graphic or start from scratch with the help of the pencil tool. This app is really so flexible!
6. GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
GNU is an open-source cross-platform image editor. As its interface is very similar to Photoshop, it will not take you too long to familiarize yourself with GIMP. Though, users who do not have any image editing experience will find the different GIMP tutorials very useful.
It offers color correction, enhancement as well as painting tools to mention only a couple of its features and is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac.
7. Acorn (Trial 14 days)
Mac users who are searching for image editing software need to look no further than Acorn. It is a cost-effective solution if you do not have access to Photoshop. What makes it so great is that it is quick, enjoyable to use and offers useful features.
Some of its features include non-destructive filters, custom brushes and layer styles to mention only a few. Can you get word and excel on a mac. The software is easy to use, but, you can rest assured, there are tutorials available for both beginners as well as image editing experts.
8. Affinity Photo (Trial)
Affinity Photo is for sure one of the best Photoshop alternatives. It is ideal for professional designers and photographers as it is completely compatible with Photoshop as well as other file formats. What makes it such a great alternative is that it is not nearly as expensive as Photoshop. Though, users can rest assured as it will still deliver the same performance (if not better).
It is compatible with Mac and Windows. If you are using an iPad, you will be happy to know that Affinity Photo for iPad is also available.
9. Pixelmator Pro (Trial 30 days)
Pixelmator is not a new Photoshop alternative, but recently the Pixelmator Pro version which uses a user-friendly single-window interface has been added to the mix. On top of that, the Pixelmator Pro version also boasts non-destructive image editing and offers features that include split view and a hidden interface that allows you to view your images without any distractions.
It is only available for Mac users.
10. SumoPaint (Online + Desktop)
The different standard features that you would expect in a Photoshop alternative, SumoPaint has to offer. There are shapes, brushes, gradients, text, and pencils that you can effortlessly access.
Though a word of warning to Photoshop users - a couple of its tools work differently and there are some limitations. Overall, this image editor remains very capable and can load in a flash.
11. Paint.net
Paint.net is a powerful and practical tool that Windows users can rely on instead of Photoshop. It is a capable and functional tool that concentrates less on artistic creation and more on photo editing.
It offers a decent variety of tools and special effects that include brightness/contrast and repeat selections. It might not boast all the serious editing tools, but that only means that it is not as difficult to master making it the ideal image editor tool for beginners.
12. Canva (Free Basic Plan + Trial 30 days)
Canva is where you will find countless layouts, stock photos, fonts and other great design elements. The best part is that several of these you can use at zero cost. You can use this app to design your business card or put together a birthday card.
13. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite (Trial 15 days or Full Paid or Monthly sub)
Windows users will love the tools that CorelDRAW has to offer. This Photoshop alternative boasts an interactive tool that will help you to straighten your image or adjust the perspective. Though, one of its most impressive features is its stylus control that reacts to a different pressure.
If you are working with Windows 10, this is the perfect fit. Windows users will also be happy to know that it supports 4K displays and multi-monitor viewing.
14. Photolemur (Free Version with watermark available)
Best choice for beginners or people who have no time to edit photos. Enhancing your images has never been easier thanks to Photolemur. By using AI, this automatic photo enhancer app enhances your images without you having to lift a finger. You simply need to import your images to Photolemur and it will get the job done automatically. This means that you do not require any prior editing experience to complete tasks like getting rid of imperfections. It is oh-so easy and available for both Mac and Windows.
15. Serif PhotoPlus
Many people have already relied on this app for years. It is ideal for users who are only starting with image editing now as it offers great support for new users in the form of videos and tutorials. What is more, users can get great tips on their active forum for fellow users. Thanks to its latest release, Serif PhotoPlus users will be also able to work with their RAW image files much easier.
The following known issues are specific to macOS Big Sur.
Important! Until these issues have been resolved, you may want to remain on your current macOS version or test in a non-production partition to ensure all your software and hardware is compatible.
If you do encounter issues not already documented here, feel free to report them on our feedback site.
| Issue | Workaround |
Photoshop freezes when attempting to overwrite a file using Save for Web | Use unique file names when saving with Save for Web. |
| Issue | Workaround |
Photoshop crashes when you use filters like Flame, Picture Frame, Tree, or Liquify | Uninstall Photoshop and reinstall to the standard installation location. This crash is a result of the Photoshop installation path being in a custom location that contains non-latin ASCII characters. |
| Issue | Workaround |
The Pattern option is grayed out when choosing Edit > Fill. | The Photoshop engineering team is investigating a fix for this issue. |
| Issue | Workaround |
While syncing Creative Cloud files or cloud documents, one or more files remain in a syncing state for too long or changes do not seem to sync | See Why is file sync not working or appears stuck for Creative Cloud on macOS? |
For the latest on features and limitations of the current Photoshop (Beta), see Photoshop (Beta) Release Notes.
To provide feedback and report issues, please visit the Photoshop (Beta) community.
Photoshop 22.x will run under Rosetta 2 emulation mode on Apple devices with Apple Silicon M1 processors.
| Issue | Workaround |
When exporting using Export As or Generator, you cannot export some formats (SVG, GIF) | The Photoshop engineering team is investigating a fix for this issue. |
| Issue | Workaround |
You see magenta artifacts in preview or after commit when using filters like Flame, Picture Frame or Tree. | The Photoshop engineering team is investigating a fix for this issue. |
No. Unsupported versions of Photoshop were not designed or tested to work on macOS Big Sur (version 11) or Apple Silicon M1 processors.
Older versions use 32-bit licensing components and installers and will not be able to be installed, uninstalled, or activated after upgrading to macOS Big Sur.
If you have already upgraded to macOS Big Sur, use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to uninstall older versions.
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