Forget about learning the ins and outs of complex image-editing apps: Photomator, from the developers of the do-everything Pixelmator Pro, lets you improve photos using Pixelmator’s powerful AI-based tools for upsampling lo-res images, counteracting noise and removing distracting objects. The app also includes scores of presets for one-click fixes, a full complement of tone and colour adjustments, and automatic adjustments based on machine learning. And it edits nondestructively so your original images are always preserved, with changes synced to your Photos library.

All of the app’s tools work with HDR images – Photomator can even use machine learning to convert non-HDR photos to HDR – and the latest version of the app lets you work with photos stored anywhere, not just in the Photos app.

What we love: The Select Subject, Select Background and Select Sky features make accurate, automatic selection masks with no manual painting required. You can then use any of the app’s adjustment tools – from basic exposure to 3-Way Colour Balance controls – to edit just the selected area. We’re also big fans of the Selective Clarity tool for independently manipulating the shadows, midtones and highlights of a photo.

Quick tip: When working with masks, you can get more control over what’s selected by adding, subtracting and intersecting areas. For example, to reduce the saturation of a specific background colour without affecting similar colours in a person’s clothing, simply make a Colour Range selection to pick the colour, then choose Subtract > Select Subject to shield the person from the saturation adjustment.

Meet the creator: Founded in 2007 by brothers Saulius and Aidas Dailide, the Pixelmator team develops image-editing apps for Mac, iPad and iPhone; Photomator debuted on iPad as Pixelmator Photo in 2019 and won an Apple Design Award. Marketing head Andrius Gailiūnas says the team built the Mac version from the ground up to “not only look and feel like a native Mac app but also provide an unmatched user experience.”