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Creative Apps
Apps for photos, video, music, design, and creative projects.
Photo Editing
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Photos | Built-in. Surprisingly powerful editing tools, library management, iCloud sync. | Free (built-in) |
| Preview | Built-in. Quick crops, resizes, annotations, background removal. | Free (built-in) |
| Pixelmator Pro | Full-featured photo editor designed for Mac. Machine learning tools. | $49.99 (one-time) |
| Adobe Lightroom | Industry standard for photo editing and organization | $9.99/mo |
| Adobe Photoshop | The gold standard for image editing | $20.99/mo |
| GIMP | Free, open-source Photoshop alternative | Free |
| Canva | Web-based design tool for social media, presentations, posters | Free (basic) |
Recommendation: Start with Apple Photos for quick edits. Try Canva (free) for social media graphics. Pixelmator Pro is the best value for serious editing.
Video
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| iMovie | Built-in. Easy video editing with templates. | Free (built-in) |
| Final Cut Pro | Apple's pro video editor. Optimized for Mac hardware. | $299.99 (one-time) or included in Apple Creator Studio |
| DaVinci Resolve | Professional video editor. Free version is incredibly capable. | Free |
| CapCut | Quick edits and social media videos | Free |
| Handbrake | Convert and compress video files | Free |
Recommendation: Start with iMovie (already installed). When you want more control, try DaVinci Resolve for free: it's what pros use.
Music and Audio
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| GarageBand | Built-in. Record music, podcasts, beats. Surprisingly powerful. | Free (built-in) |
| Logic Pro | Apple's pro music production studio | $199.99 (one-time) or included in Apple Creator Studio |
| Audacity | Free audio recording and editing | Free |
| Spotify | Music streaming | Free (with ads) |
Design and Illustration
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Keynote | Built-in. Great for posters, flyers, and presentations: not just slides | Free (built-in) |
| Canva | Easiest way to create professional designs | Free (basic) |
| Figma | UI/UX design, prototyping, collaboration (web-based) | Free (basic) |
| Sketch | Mac-native UI design tool | $12/mo |
| Affinity Designer 2 | Professional vector design. One-time purchase. | $69.99 |
| Affinity Photo 2 | Professional photo editing. Photoshop alternative. | $69.99 |
Writing
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pages | Built-in. Clean word processor with beautiful templates. | Free (built-in) |
| iA Writer | Distraction-free markdown writing | $49.99 |
| Ulysses | Full writing environment for articles, stories, books | $5.99/mo |
| Scrivener | Long-form writing (novels, research papers, screenplays) | $49 |
3D and Animation
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Blender | Free, open-source 3D modeling and animation | Free |
| Reality Composer | AR experiences on Apple platforms | Free |
Screen Recording
| App | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot toolbar | Built-in. Cmd + Shift + 5 for screen recording | Free (built-in) |
| OBS Studio | Professional streaming and recording | Free |
| CleanShot X | Premium screenshots and screen recordings | $29 (one-time) |