Best Free Image Sorter For Mac
So, these are some of the best photo management software for Mac which you can use to Organize your digital photos on your Mac Computer. Try them and let us know which worked for you. If you have other photo organizing software in your mind that should be in the list please mention in comment section below. You can use Gemini 2 for free in the case, you want to remove a small number of useless replicas of files from your Mac in less than a minute. If you want to regularly remove duplicates from your disk, you will have to subscribe for a 1-year plan for $19.95 or purchase a lifetime license for $44.95. So, the photo recovery program is best for computer people who are comfortable running on the Microsoft DOS environment. However, if you are willing to spend a bit of time following this official tutorial, chances are you will learn how to use it and maybe recover your lost pictures. Get PhotoRec (Free) Photo Recovery (Windows/Mac). 1.Dr Duplicator Best Photo Finder Mac. Dr Duplicate works on clean and duplicates your photographic collection on intelligent scanning engines. Here you’ll find and cleans all the same files, scanning each folder on your Mac, on your hard drive or on the entire network.
Post-processing astrophotography images is mandatory: you cannot avoid it. It can be a fairly long and technical process, but it is necessary to squeeze out the most you can from your images.
Everything begins with pre-processing your images, a step including image calibration and image stacking, which we have already covered in this article.
After that, it is time to post-process your stacked image with your software of choice. In this article, we will discuss the different options that are available to post-process your astrophotography images.
Note: Don’t miss the detailed video at the end of this article, It was created to help show you how to process your images with some of the software mentioned in this article.
Click here to skip to our Image Processing Demo Video.
What Does Post-Processing Mean In Astrophotography?
In astrophotography, the post-processing includes steps that are crucial to the quality of the final image. Those steps can be summarized as:
- Histogram stretching
- Gradients and light pollution removal
- Stars color calibration
- Stars reduction and Stars removal
- Sharpening and noise reduction
- Final tweaks
Of the steps mentioned above, it is worth to spend a few words on the Histogram Stretching, as it is of utmost importance in deep-sky astrophotography.
What Histogram Stretching Is And Why You Need It
With image stacking, you have combined all your light frames (the actual images of the sky) into a single image with an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio.
With deep sky astrophotography, this stacked image can be surprisingly dark, with only a few bright stars visible.
There is nothing wrong with it, as all the details and information are there, but hidden in the dark background. And this is why this process also goes under the name of background extraction.
Histogram stretching can be done manually using Adobe Photoshop or in automatic/semi-automatic way using astrophotography software such as Astro Pixel Processor, Star Tools, or His Majesty PixInsight.
A rigorous explanation on how digital data are recorded and how the histogram works can become fairly technical and is beyond the scope of this article.
To keep it simple, let’s say that when you perform the stretching of the histogram, you are broadening the histogram. Thus pushing details that were crammed in the blacks towards the middle tones.
And you do that slowly, in small steps, to ensure retaining the best possible image quality.
The process allows us to take full advantage of the image stacking process, and it results in a cleaner, brighter image with a lot of details that were not visible (or barely visible) in the single exposures.
Stars Reduction / Stars Removal
Star reduction is another process that is standard when editing deep-sky astrophotography.
While it seems odd that you want to shrink or remove stars from a photo about stars, this process aims to make the multitude of visible stars in the image less imposing and distracting.
By reducing enlarged stars due to the histogram stretching and by removing the smallest stars, you make the deep sky objects in the image more visible, as shown in the image below.
The procedure is particularly useful when shooting deep-sky objects, such as nebulae, that are in the Milky Way Band.
Software For Astrophotography Post-Processing
We can group the software for astrophotography post-processing in two categories:
- generic photo editors, such as Photoshop, Gimp, Affinity Photo, etc.
- Astrophotography editors, such as StarTools, Nebulosity, Astro Pixel Processor, Pixinsight, etc.
The main advantage of generic photo editors over specific astrophotography editors is versatility.
With a generic photo editor, it is easy to post-process all kinds of astrophotography, from deep-sky imaging to lunar and planetary shots, passing for star trails and starry landscapes.
In this article, for example, we discussed how to stack starry landscape images in Photoshop.
Not many astrophotography editors are this flexible.
Here is a list of software that are most commonly used to post-process astrophotography images.
Adobe Lightroom CC
Generic Photo Editor Commercial From $9.99 Subscription Plan Windows, Mac OS X, IOS
Pros
- Easy to use
- Powerful image development and image organizer
- Easy integration with Photoshop
- Can use photographic plugins
Cons
- Can’t do the complex editing needed for astrophotography (histogram stretching, Stars Reduction, etc)
- Limited to cosmetic tweaks
Adobe Lightroom is a popular, easy to use and fairly powerful RAW developer and image organizer.
Its usefulness in astrophotography is somewhat limited, as you cannot perform complex tasks such as histogram stretching, advanced light pollution, and gradient removal, star reduction, etc.
On the other hand, it is a terrific editor for the final cosmetic tweaks to your image and to organize them in collections, per tag, and location. Lightroom is also great for color proofing your images before printing them.
If you are subscribing to the Adobe Photography Plan, you also have Photoshop CC included for free. And here is where things get interesting.
To get the best from the two worlds, load your stacked images in Lightroom, organize them in collections, and call Photoshop from within Lightroom for the astro-specific editing (histogram stretching, etc.).
Then make the final tweaks in Lightroom.
Adobe Photoshop CC
Generic Photo Editor Commercial From $9.99 Subscription Plan Windows, Mac OS X, IOS
Pros
- Versatile and Powerful Photo Editor / Image Manipulation Software
- Suitable for deep sky and planetary astrophotography as well as star trails and starry landscapes
- Astrophotography Action Sets and Plugins Available
- Subscription Plan with Photography Bundle
Cons
- Lacks Some Advanced Features for Astrophotography
Photoshop is one of the most commonly used software in the field of photography editing and image manipulation, and it can be used to post-process astrophotography work.
If you are a beginner astrophotographer, you are on a tight budget or you already own Photoshop, you should give it a try as all the basic post-processing steps can be performed in this software.
If you need more advanced features, you can also expand Photoshop capabilities thanks to many astrophotography related Action Sets, Plugins, and Panels.
Finally, with Camera Raw filter and other photographic plugins (like for smart sharpening and advance noise reduction), you can perform with ease all the final tweaks an image may need.
As a Photoshop user, I tried many plugins and action sets for astrophotography, and here is my must-have extensions list.
Astronomy Tools by ProDigital
Actions Pack For Deep Sky Astrophotography Commercial $21.95 Windows, Mac OS X
A rich set of actions suitable for post-processing astrophotography images. The set includes actions such as star reduction, enhanced DSO, light pollution and color gradient removal, sharpening, and noise reduction.
Photokemi’s Star Tools by Ken Mitchel
Actions Pack For Deep Sky Astrophotography Commercial $14.95 Windows, Mac OSX
Similarly to Astronomy Tools, this action set is most useful for deep space astrophotography.
It offers advanced star removal and star reducing actions, semi-automatic histogram stretching, different sharpening and noise reduction actions, as well as actions such as nebula filters and star color enhancement.
There is also a set of extra actions, available for $6.95.
GradientXterminator by Russell Croman
Plugin For Deep Sky Astrophotography Commercial $49.95 Windows, Mac OS X
This plugin is a gradient removal tool that is easy to use and extremely effective. Despite a rather steep price (a trial is available for you to test the plugin), this is a terrific add-on for Photoshop, if you are serious about deep-sky astrophotography.
Hasta La Vista Green! (HLVG) by Regelio Bernard Andreo
Plugin For Deep Sky Astrophotography Donationware Windows
Despite its old age, this plugin is still useful, and it does an excellent job of removing green noise and the green casts such noise may cause in some images.
Astro Panel By Angelo Perrone
Panel For Starry Landscape And Deep Sky Astrophotography Commercial Windows, Mac OS X
Astro Panel consists of a rich set of functions and methods that produce high quality starry landscapes and Milky Way images.
It is also easy to process Deep Sky Photos thanks to advanced functions for reducing digital noise and hot-pixels, eliminating the gradient, managing artificial flat, and much more …
Furthermore, astronomical images aside, you can use the Astro Panel to edit classic landscape images too.
Affinity Photo
Generic Photo Editor Commercial $49.99 Windows, Mac OS X, IOS ($19.99)
Pros
- Affordable
- Powerful
- The interface and commands are similar to Photoshop for an easy switch
- Suitable for deep sky and planetary astrophotography as well as star trails and starry landscapes
Cons
- Lacks third-party actions sets, plugins and panels
Affinity Photo from Serif Lab is a great, affordable alternative to Photoshop, and you do not need to pay for a subscription plan.
With Affinity Photo, you can carry out with ease all of the basic astrophotography post-processing.
But since there are no plugins, action sets, and panels to help you out, you have to learn to do things manually, even the more advanced tasks such as star reduction.
Gimp
Photo Editor Freeware Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pros
- Freeware
- Great community and lot of info available
- Powerful
- Suitable for deep sky and planetary astrophotography as well as star trails and starry landscapes
Cons
- Interface a bit confused
- Lacks third-party actions sets, plugins and panels
Gimp is the historical freeware alternative to Photoshop. Since it is freeware and on the market for many years, there is a big community of users, so it is easy to find relevant tutorials and guides to help you out.
The software has a slightly confusing interface, particularly if you are trying to switch from Photoshop, but it is powerful enough to let you edit your astrophotography images with ease.
Unfortunately, there are no third-party action sets, plugins, or panels to help you automate some tasks. As with Affinity Photo, you have to learn how to do everything manually.
Star Tools
Astrophotography Post-Processing Tools Commercial $45 Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pros
- Affordable
- Multiplatform
- Offers many advanced tools
- Trial without time limit
Cons
- Interface bit confusing
- Convoluted workflow
- Slower than other software
StarTools is a deep-sky post-process editor that does everything you need except the initial light frame calibration and stacking.
Once you have the stacked image from, say, Deep Sky Stacker, you can post-process it in StarTools, taking advantage of the many tools the software has to offer.
The interface is a bit confusing, and it may take a while to get used to the convoluted editing workflow.
Fortunately, the trial version never expires, so you can take all the time you need to experiment with StarTools before deciding if it is for you or not. The only limitation of the trial is that you cannot save your results.
SiriL
Multipurpose Astrophotography Editor Freeware Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pros
- Freeware
- Multiplatform
- Active Development
- Suitable for different kinds of astrophotography
- Fairly easy to use
- Powerful full-grown astrophotography software
Cons
- Develop the image is a lengthy process
- Interface a bit confused
I’m no expert with SiriL, but it is probably the only full-grown astrophotography editor that is freeware and multiplatform.
Siril will allow you to perform all the essential steps in your astrophotography editing workflow, from image calibration and stacking to (manual or auto) histogram stretching and post-processing.
Since it is free, if you are looking for an astrophotography package, SirilL is worth downloading and having a go with it.
Nebulosity
Deep Sky Astrophotography Editor Commercial $95 Windows, Mac OS X
Pros
- Capable full astrophotography editor
- Can calibrate and stack your images
- It offers many advanced tools
Cons
- Not abandonware, but development is somehow slow
- The interface feels old and not very user friendly
Nebulosity 4 was my first software specific to astrophotography. It is intended for deep sky astrophotography and is fairly easy to use.
It offers a good way to calibrate and stack your images, and you can use it for stretching the histogram, tighten the stars, calibrate the background colors, and perform sharpening and noise reduction.
But the interface is not as intuitive, it looks “old,” and while development is there, it is not as quick compared with other software.
Astro Pixel Processor
Deep Sky Astrophotography Editor Commercial €60/Yr (Renter’s License) Or €150 (Owner’s Renter) Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pro
- Great deep sky astrophotography package
- Powerful
- Easy to use
- Batch processing
- 30-days free trial available
- Suitable for creating stunning mosaic with ease
- Active development
- Rental license available
Cons
- Vignetting removal tool could be better
- No Stars Reduction methods available
Astro Pixel Processor is my goto software for my deep sky astrophotography and I decided to go with the renter’s license to always work with the latest version of the software.
The interface is easy to navigate, options are explained by text messages that appear when you hover on the options with the mouse, and the different tabs are numbered.
This means that there is no guessing in establishing the best workflow: just follow the numbers from 1 to 6 and jump at the tab number 9 for post-processing the stacked image.
You can run all the steps once at a time or set them up and run all with a batch processing: this way, you can do other stuff while the software calibrates and stacks your images.
If you are looking for a way to edit your deep-sky images and create mosaics, I vouch for Astro Pixel Processor.
PixInsight
Multipurpose Astrophotography Editor Commercial €230+VAT Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Pros
- The best and most complete astrophotography editor on the market
- Multiplatform
- Suitable for Planetary and Deep-Sky astrophotography
- 45-days free trial available
Cons
- Expensive
- Extremely steep learning curve
- Requires a powerful computer to run smoothly and conveniently fast
I will be honest with you: I requested a trial (and it was granted twice), but both times I ran away from PixInsight screaming in despair.
Not that PixInsight is bad or lacks crucial functions, but because it is very complicated to use for beginners and the learning curve is very steep.
Granted, PixInsight, being the software of refinement for the category, there are tons of tutorials and guides online (Light Vortex Astronomy has some of the best ones and are free). But you need to spend a lot of time in front of your computer, particularly if you have an old one.
But if you can master it, you will be rewarded with Pro-grade deep sky astrophotography images.
A Comprehensive Video About Post-Processing
In this video, I show you how to post-process a deep sky image using some of the software discussed in this article.
While it is not a complete tutorial in post-processing deep sky images, it gives you a feeling of how easy (or not) is to use those software and where they differ.
Conclusions
Stacking astrophotography images is only the first step in the lengthy astrophotography editing process. In this article, we have discussed the different software that is available to post-process the stacked image to obtain a compelling image of the night sky.
Some are free, some are commercial, some are specific to deep sky astrophotography while others are generic photography editors, and they all have their pros and cons.
This guide will help you to decide which software is best for you.
Personally, I am a fan of Astro Pixel Processor for deep sky astrophotography, as it is powerful and easy to use, and of Photoshop for its flexibility.
Let’s be honest; we love photos. They not only capture moments but also capture our soul. We try taking them for ourselves or others. The photos we take and share have become part and parcel of our life. Photos are not only aesthetic in value but also are a tool to relieve for fondest of memories. Thus, you must know about the best Photo Organizer Software of 2018.
Thus, it becomes imperative for us to and organize these treasured orbs of memories. To keep your life simple here are best Photo Organizer Software that you can use to organize and edit your photos in the best possible way. So let’s get right to it.
Contents
- 1 Top 7 Photo Organizer Software
Top 7 Photo Organizer Software
Following is the list of & Best Photo Organizer Software tools that we have tested and compiled for you. Do have a look, and find the best one for you.
Adobe Bridge
Starting our list of best photo organizers is the Adobe Bridge. It is a true masterpiece of Adobe Software. The most underrated product from Adobe is still as effective as other products from the developer. The software not only organizes your photos according to the dates, size or location but also lets you do decide the keyword for the collection of photos.
It can sort the photos according to the location with your watermarks and editing. The major advantage of this software is the price. It’s free to use. It is also very simple to use and the flexibility to render images make it one of the best software in the market.
- Cost: Free, and part of Adobe’s creative cloud plan from $9.98 per month.
- Notable feature:
- Fantastic publishing tools.
- Batch Renaming feature.
- Mini Bridge, allows you to open the program inside of other Adobe programs that you are using.
- One can convert image files directly to JPEG from inside of Adobe Bridge.
Refer: 5 Best eBook Creator Software for Windows Updated 2019
ACDSee
The fast and most efficient of all photo organizing software. ACDSee packs style and power in equal measures. The most astonishing aspect of this software is its capacity of handle photos and organizing them in as many as 20 different categories. It is not only used as a photo organizer but it can also be used as a photo viewer. The addition of comparing different photos and sorting them out makes organizing easy.
There is also an option to watermark photos and edit them. The “GeoTag” option makes the addition of the location to your photo easy and safe. There is also a wide array of prototype support from jpg to png type. The easy uploading of the photo is just the cherry on top for this beauty.
- Cost: $119
- Notable features:
- With webcam recording and screen recording paired, you can create vlogs.
- Separate audio and video in one click.
- Stay competitive with high resolution recording and rendering in 4K
- Drag and drop filters onto photos and videos.
Refer: 8 Best Video Converter Software for Windows (Free+Paid)
FastStone Image Viewer
I know that FastStone is not a well-known software, but it is still effective for any new user. The usability of FastStone is next to none. The direct backup to Google drive is a very big bonus for an avid photographer. The simple user layout is easy to use and edit photos.
It is free and easy tagging is very handy at times. There is total of 22 photo file support. It is fast and very user-friendly. The addition of effects and addition of layout is splendid to use.
- Cost: Free
- Notable feature:
- Native support for different camera models.
- One-touch best fit/actual size image display support.
- Print images with full page-layout control.
- Support touch interface (tap, swipe, pinch).
Refer: 4 Best Free Vector Software for Windows & Mac Updated 2019
Picasa
The most obvious choice for a new user is Picasa. As one of the first and best photo organizing software in the market, it had its fair share of the market till 2016 when it closed down.
But we can still use it. It is great to edit the photos and organize them. It supports around 25 file types. There are also options to add various modes so that lighting and exposure could be adjusted. There is the option to sort the photos according to dates, places, size, etc.
- Cost: Free
- Notable features:
- Handles everything from importing to sharing your photos.
- Interesting range of effects.
- Add tags to organise your photos.
- Additional features like the ability to create movies, montages, and screensavers.
- Online sharing features.
Refer: 4 Best Free & Paid Slideshow Maker Software for Windows
Best Free Image Sorter For Mac Computers
PaintShop Pro X9
Image Sorter App
Good photo organizer software must be easy to use, organize and edit. These three boxes are ticked perfectly by PaintShop Pro X9. It is simple and highly effective. The interface is clean and easy to use. Navigation is easy as well. Editing of photos don’t take must time and sorting them out according to dates and location is very simple.
The sturdy UI provides the user with freedom to add as many effects as they need to get the desired result. If you are an aspiring photo enthusiast, this software is for you.
- Cost: $63.99 (Unlimited version: 79.99)
- Notable features:
- Project Templates.
- Interactive Gradient Fill.
- Guided Tour.
- Support for Windows Real Time Stylus.
Refer: 4 Best Free & Paid Game Optimizer Software for Windows
DigiKam
It is an award-winning image organizer software. It is light to use and very fast. The files that this software uses range from png to image. The organizing of the files is also easy as they can be arranged according to directory or date. The layout of the photos can also be changed using this software.
There is also a face detection support to sort the photos with same face (or person). The red-eye removal and lighting adjustment is also top notch in the software.
- Cost: Free
- Notable features:
- Capable of handling over 100,000 images.
- Import photos, raw files, and videos.
- Organize your library.
- Browse and view items in the library.
- Process and edit raw files and photos.
- Share and publish photos.
Refer: Top 6 Best Streaming Video Recorder Software to Download
Zoner Photo Studio
If you are looking for software that can use by a professional, then look no further than Zoner Photo Studio. The level of details that goes in the editing of the photo is unparalleled. The organizing of photo according to name, place, size, person, etc. is just a part of the wide facilities of this amazing software. The online storage and editing are very useful for many users.
There is a plethora of Photo Organizer Software available online to use, but I have managed to bring you the most viable and usable ones. The truth is that a user needs to decide his demands and requirement. So if you are a beginner try using Picasa but if you are an expert, just go with Zoner.
- Cost: 49 $/year, 4.99 $/month
- Notable features:
- It has a full-featured system for organizing photos.
- Offers a wide selection of editing tools.
- Zoner Photo Studio X software offers both a photo organizer and editor.
Now you can organize your photos and find duplicates using these apps.
Refer: 5 Best Mac Cleaner Software to Supercharge Your Mac
Best Free Image Sorter For Mac Osx
Hey everyone! I’m just a simple guy who absolutely loves tech. It’s my dream to make sure that all the updates in the tech world reach everyone is simple words. Hope you have a good time on my blog! 🙂