How to Edit Photos on Mac - Top 2 Ways and an Extra Tool You Need

Benefits of using built-in Mac tools for photo editing

• No extra editing cost: Mac's built-in editors, like Photos and Preview, are entirely free, so you can easily edit without having to pay for software. This makes them perfect for daily adjustments.
• User-friendly interface: Apple's editing tools are primarily designed for simplicity, making it easy for beginners to navigate without a steep learning curve. Thus, you can make essential edits with just a few clicks.
• Seamless integration with macOS: The built-in editors work seamlessly with system features, like AirDrop, iCloud, and Spotlight. This leads to a unified workflow without switching between apps.
• Quick and lightweight performance: Mac's built-in tools launch quickly and run effectively, even on older Mac devices. In this way, you can edit photos without slowing down your computer.
• Easy access to the Photos library: Photos integrates directly with your entire photo collection, albums, and synced devices. So, you can edit, duplicate, and organize images quickly, all in one place.

Seeing these many benefits of using built-in Mac tools, you should be interested in how to edit photos on Mac. Stick around as the following section discusses the top 2 ways of editing photos on Mac.

Way 1: Edit photos in Photos app on Mac

The Photos app is Mac's built-in photo manager and editor, providing the essential editing tools, such as cropping, filters, color adjustments, and retouching, all within a simple interface. It's perfect for quick editing and provides enough control to fix lighting, color, and composition, without requiring any external tools.

Let's see how to edit photos on Mac using the Photos app:

STEP 1
1. Import the photo

To begin with, open the Photos app on Mac and go to the "Import" section and click "Import All New Photos." Choose the image you wish to edit and click the "Import" button to add it to your library. You can also drag and drop the photo directly into the Photos window.

STEP 2
1. Edit the photo

Double-click the photo and select the "Edit" option to access all the tools. Utilize "Crop" to straighten, resize, or flip the picture for better framing. Open "Adjust" to fix the lighting, contrast, shadows, highlight, and apply the proper "White Balance." For greater control, use the "Curves" and "Levels" options to refine tones and colors. Before finalizing your edit, you can also elevate the background with selective lighting adjustments.

STEP 3
1. Save the photo

Once satisfied with edits, click the "Done" option in the top-right corner to save your edits. Photos will automatically keep the original version. So, you can revert at any time by opening the editing panel and selecting "Revert to Original."

Way 2: Edit photos in Preview on Mac

Preview is another Mac tool that offers quick and simple editing features. It's lightweight, opens easily, and contains useful tools, such as cropping, rotating, markup, and even background removal. This makes it ideal for fast fixes, annotations, and basic visual adjustments.

Let's see the steps on how to edit photos on Mac using the Preview app:

STEP 1
1. Import the photo

First, open the Preview app and go to "File," then "Open" and select the photo that you wish to edit. You can also double-click any image in "Finder" to open it directly in Preview.

STEP 2
1. Edit the photo

Click the "Markup" toolbar icon to access different editing tools. Use "Crop" to select the area you want, and "Rotate" to adjust the orientation if required. You can add various shapes, text, or annotations, using the Markup tools. To remove the photo background, select the "Instant Alpha" option, drag over the background, and delete the chosen area. You can also adjust the photo colors until you achieve the desired look.

STEP 3
1. Save the photo

Once satisfied with the final photo, click "File," then "Save" to overwrite the image. Then choose a suitable name and click "Save" to save the photo. You can also go to "File," then "Export" to save a new version.

Mac's built-in tools, like Photos and Preview, are excellent for photo editing. However, if you want an advanced editor for Windows and Mac that offers AI-powered features, CapCut is the best choice, which is discussed in detail in the following section.

CapCut - The feature-rich photo editor for both Windows and Mac

CapCut is a powerful, easy-to-use video editing software renowned for its advanced editing and AI-powered features. It is also an excellent tool for editing photos, offering features like AI design and image upload, making it easy to edit your photos. You can further enhance your photos with a variety of editing and AI-powered tools, like inpaint, expand, remove, and upscale. So, download CapCut today and utilize its advanced editing features to upgrade your photos with AI precision.

Key features

• AI design: CapCut's AI design feature lets you upload photos to generate images powered by Seedream 4.0 and Nano Banana models.
• Editing tools: Enhance your photos with a variety of editing tools, like stickers, filters, effects, frames, and designs, to make them visually appealing.
• AI tools: Use CapCut's AI tools like inpaint, expand, remove, and upscale to enhance your photos.
• Background remover: The background remover deletes the existing background, allowing you to replace or customize backgrounds effortlessly.
• Multiple export formats: CapCut supports a variety of formats, such as JPG and PNG, enhancing flexibility across platforms.

Steps to use CapCut to edit photos on Mac and Windows

STEP 1
1. Access the AI design feature

First, open CapCut and select the "AI design" option from the left-hand panel. Then click the "Image upload" option and choose the photo you want to edit. After that, click the "Send" button to enter the editing interface.

STEP 2
1. Edit the AI-generated photo

Once the photo has been imported, click the "+" icon to enhance the image with visual elements such as filters, effects, stickers, frames, and designs to make it more visually appealing.

You can also use different AI tools, like inpaint, expand, remove, and upscale, to make the photos more eye-catching.

STEP 3
1. Export the photo

Once satisfied with the final photo, click the "Download" option at the top-right corner of the screen. Then, select "Download" to download the image or "Copy as PNG" to copy it.

Editing photos on Mac - Addressing common user problems

• Problem 1: Difficulty achieving accurate colors

Solution: Many users struggle to find the right color tone in their photos because Mac displays sometimes show a different color in each app. CapCut provides easy color correction by simply adjusting the brightness, hue, and saturation to create your preferred colors.

• Problem 2: Limited creative effects with the basic editing tools

Solution: While Mac's basic tools (Photos and Preview) offer decent, though very basic, editing, they lack modern effects, aesthetic filters, and noticeable enhancement capabilities. Users who want to apply trending aesthetic effects often feel limited or restricted when using built-in tools. CapCut has a better assortment of trending filters, special effects, and AI-enhancing options for creating a more impactful look for your photos.

• Problem 3: Struggling with background editing

Solution: Changing or removing backgrounds in Mac's basic editors requires many steps and might still look unprofessional. This can be frustrating when creating product images or profile pictures. CapCut's "Remove BG" tool makes the background removal smooth and clean in just one click.

• Problem 4: Difficulty maintaining image quality after edits

Solution: When editing photos on Mac, users often find that expanding, cropping, or exporting reduces sharpness, particularly in large photos. Mac tools lack a built-in upscale feature to enhance the images. Meanwhile, CapCut offers the "Upscale" feature, along with a variety of filters and effects, to improve image quality.

• Problem 5: Lack of AI-powered automation

Solution: Several Mac tools require manual adjustments for exposure, colors, sharpness, and retouching, which can be slow and time-consuming. Users often want quick and automatic editing. CapCut offers a variety of AI tools, like inpaint, expand, remove, and upscale, making editing faster and more accurate.

Mastering editing on Mac becomes effortless if you know the right tools for your needs. This article discussed the benefits and the top 2 ways to edit photos on Mac, including the Photos and Preview apps. We also addressed the common issues users face when editing photos on Mac, such as difficulty achieving accurate colors, limited creative effects, and a lack of AI-powered automation. Although Mac's built-in photo editing tools are excellent, they lack advanced AI features. So, if you want an advanced AI-powered editing tool, CapCut is the best choice, offering features like AI design, editing tools, a background remover, and a variety of AI-powered tools, such as inpaint, expand, remove, and upscale, to enhance your photos. So, get CapCut today and utilize its advanced editing features to transform your photos with ease.

FAQs

1
1. Are the built-in Mac editors suitable for beginners?

Yes, the built-in Mac editors, such as Photos and Preview, are quite beginner-friendly and provide simple tools for cropping, adjusting light, and applying filters. They offer an intuitive interface, making it easy to learn basic edits without feeling overwhelmed. However, they lack advanced editing features. CapCut is the best choice for users seeking advanced editing and AI-powered effects, like background remover, inpaint, remove, expand, and upscale.

2
1. How to edit a video in the Photos app on a Mac and share it across Apple devices?

You can edit videos in the Photos app by choosing a clip and using the built-in trim, crop, adjust, and filter options. The interface is quite simple, and you can edit the video using the "Edit" menu. It offers features such as cropping, rotating, trimming, adjusting exposure and contrast, and applying filters or color corrections. You can also add live titles or change the playback speed for creative effects. For more advanced effects and AI enhancements in videos, choose CapCut, a dedicated video editor.

3
1. How to edit live photos on Mac and convert them into still images?

To edit live photos on Mac, open them in the Photos app and apply adjustments such as exposure, color, or filters. You can turn the live photo into a still image by selecting "Turn Off Live." This freezes the motion permanently and keeps the best frame in the static photo. This process is quick and easy for basic edits. If you want to enhance a still image with AI tools or add creative elements like filters, effects, stickers, frames, and designs, CapCut offers greater flexibility and design features.

To edit perfect photos on Mac, learn more details:

Photo editor for Mac

Apple photo editor

Free photo editing apps for Mac