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How to edit photos on Mac: best apps I use

The built-in Photos app handles the basics fine. When the shot needs more — sharper details, a cleaned-up background, consistent edits across a batch — these three tools pick up where it leaves off.

Yanina Sych

Marketing Designer

Date published

March 27, 2026

Setapp Apps used
Step-by-step process

Step 1

Open the image in the Photos app, go to Edit > Adjust, and use the Light, Color, and White Balance sliders for quick fixes — good enough for most everyday shots without opening anything else.

Step 2

Open the photo in Luminar Neo and use the Supersharp tool to boost clarity, or run AI Enhance for automatic adjustments to lighting, color, and detail — no manual slider work required.

Step 3

Use Luminar Neo's Portrait Bokeh feature to blur the background and draw focus to the subject — works on any portrait, not just shots taken in dedicated portrait mode.

Step 4

Open the photo in TouchRetouch, use the brush or lasso tool to select the unwanted object or person, and let the app fill the area cleanly — no visible patch, no cropping needed.

Step 5

Drop a batch into PhotoBulk to apply consistent resizing, watermarks, or file renaming across all images in one go — essential before uploading to a client, website, or social media.

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