OS X El Capitan: 6 great Photos extensions you can use today I simply can’t stress enough how effectively extensions help transform Photos on a Mac into a professional quality imaging application. (Mac OS) You can use this format to open an image in Photoshop 2.0 or to export an image to an application supporting only Photoshop 2.0 files. Saving in Photoshop 2.0 format flattens your image and discards layer information.

Photos for OS X is still new (currently at version 1.2), so it’s fair to expect that the application doesn’t offer the same image editing capabilities as something like Adobe Photoshop, Pixelmator, or Acorn. It turns out that Apple is not only avoiding competition with those and other apps, it is actively enlisting their help. As I wrote in my, I think its editing features are surprisingly sophisticated; for example, it smartly adjusts each component that affects light to balance the exposure. But although, its palette is still limited. That’s where third-party developers come in. Photos for OS X 1.1 and later (which requires OS X El Capitan) supports editing extensions, a framework that lets other applications’ editing tools work within Photos. You can continue to use Photos to manage your photo library, and use extensions to apply edits that are not available in Photos or are implemented better in another application.

If you own some of the following photo apps, their editing extensions are already available to you. I’ll cover how to install and activate them, and then take a look at several current extensions that work in Photos. How to install and use editing extensions When you install (or update) an application that features an editing extension and launch it, the extension is made known to OS X.

From there, do the following: • In Photos for OS X, double-click a photo to open it. • Click the Edit button to enter the editing view. • In the list of tools at right, click the Extensions button and choose More. That opens the Extensions pane in System Preferences.

Click the Extensions button in the editing view to access editing extensions. • Click the Photos category and enable the extensions you want to make available. Editing extensions in the Extensions preference pane. • Return to Photos and click the Extensions button, and select the one you’d like to use to edit the photo. Extensions are available. When you’re done editing with that extension, click Save Changes to apply the adjustments.

Now, let’s explore some editing options that are available now or soon will be. Pixelmator Distort Pixels are malleable, and Pixelmator’s takes advantage of that by letting you pinch, warp, twirl, and bump areas of a photo. The entertainment possibilities are endless, of course, but sometimes you may want to apply subtle edits such as making someone’s nose less prominent (caused by closeness to the lens), or adding texture to a background. Distort also includes a Restore tool to undo the effect in areas (you can also choose Edit > Undo as you’re working). I know, you can hardly tell the difference after using Pixelmator’s Distort extension. The extension employs Apple’s latest technologies: it uses OS X’s Metal graphics engine and supports Force Touch using the Magic Trackpad 2 or the trackpad found on newer MacBook and MacBook Pro models.

Distort is included with ($30). Affinity Photo One of the main limitations of the adjustment tools in Photos for OS X is that they apply to the entire image, not selected areas. If you need to spruce up one section, such as increasing the exposure of a person’s face in shadow, pull up the Affinity Retouching extension (currently in beta), part of. Make edits to selected areas using the Affinity Retouching extension. In addition to being able to make selections in which to edit, Affinity Retouching offers controls familiar to people who’ve used Photoshop in the past, such as Dodge, Burn, Blur, and Sharpen.

It also includes a Healing tool and an Inpainting tool, which works to remove objects from a scene and intelligently replace them. BeFunky Express The BeFunky Express extension also wants to help you make selected edits, specifically when working with faces. Onyx for mac os x mavericks.

Its toolset includes the ability to smooth skin, adjust skin tone, whiten teeth, and brighten eyes. There’s also an Auto Fix tool to work on the entire image and an HDR tool for bringing detail out of extreme dark or light areas. Is a standalone product that costs $5. Working on skin tone with the BeFunky extension. Tonality Developer MacPhun adapted several of its photo applications to include editing extensions.

Tonality replicates the standalone application’s features as an extension to make photos black-and-white. It includes a large assortment of filters in categories such as Portraits and Architecture. You’ll also find individual controls for adjusting exposure, clarity, structure, and more. Turning photos monotone isn’t a black-and-white process in the Tonality extension. Or as part of the 2016 Creative Kit, which ranges from $100 to $180. Noiseless MacPhun’s extension for brings the ability to minimize digital noise that results from shooting in low-light conditions at high light sensitivity (ISO). Noiseless automatically senses the level of noise and applies a preset amount of reduction (which you can adjust) and also includes manual controls for tweaking, for example, the amounts of color and luminance noise in the photo.