Check Out Free Alternatives to Aperture Image Editing
Apple is officially ending support for its Aperture image editing software in the next version of macOS. Technically, development of Aperture officially ended in 2014 when it was replaced by Apple Photos and removed from the App Store, but the program remained usable.
Unfortunately, this software support for Aperture will not be present in the upcoming macOS 14 or any of the previous versions, which means that the program will no longer be used if users upgrade to the new OS. But while it’s disappointing that another free photo editor is being discontinued (Google ended support for its Picasa editing tool in 2016), that doesn’t mean you need to turn to an expensive replacement from, say, Adobe. There are still many free options available that can easily replace (and in some cases surpass) Aperture.
Rawtherapee
RawTherapee is a powerful photo editor for working with raw image files — the uncompressed, unmodified image format used by digital cameras — although it supports other common file types as well. RawTherapee’s user interface is visually and functionally reminiscent of Apple Aperture and Adobe Lightroom, and contains many professional-grade features. It is also completely free and open source and is actively supported by regular updates that add new features. The most recent version 5.6 was released on April 20, 2019 and is available for Mac, Windows and Linux .
Gimp
GIMP (short for GNU-Based Image Manipulation Program) is a free image editor very similar to Photoshop from Adobe. It uses many of the same keyboard tools and commands, and supports the same wide range of file types and export options. The only caveat here is that, unlike other peaks on this list, GIMP is not strictly photography. It has a more general workflow that covers everything from photography to digital painting, graphic design, typography, and more. However, GIMP is a powerful photo editing program that is an indispensable companion for one of the best Aperture replacements. You can get it for Mac, Windows, or Linux .
Polarr
Polarr is an image editing and management application suite that includes a photo editor and is currently in beta testing a photo album assistant and video editing software. The photo editor has a sleek user interface and many tools, including an editing wiki page for exploring the software and an inspiration feed that users can browse for ideas.
Software for editing images Polarr available for free on a long list of platforms – Mac, Windows 10, iOS, Android, Linux, Chromebook – as well as a web-based tool that you need to edit in a pinch. However, Polarr differs from our other recommendations in that it hides some of its best editing features behind a subscription. However, this is a rather modest price – $ 24 per year or $ 2.49 per month. So while it might be more accurate to call Polarr “freemium,” it costs a lot less than other paid options.
DSLR software
Our final recommendation for replacing Aperture is not mandatory for one program, but rather a general reminder to check out any free apps that may have been included with your DSLR. Manufacturers such as Sony, Nikon, and Canon offer their own image and video editing programs and often include these with your camera. These programs are not “free” per se, as they require the purchase of a camera – some are even sold separately at a premium price – but if you have access to them through a compiled copy, free trial, or special offer, they are worth considering.