PhotoMator, Photoshop Elements, and Affinity

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

I have a lifetime license to PhotoMator on my Mac where I can edit photos with it.

 

I've also considered Photoshop Elements as an additional photo editor on my Mac. Has anyone used it in comparison to PhotoMator, and if so, is it worth keeping a copy of it on my Mac?

 

I don't need full Photoshop or Lightroom. I wouldn't use either enough at the moment to invest in a subscription for them.

 

I also have a license to Affinity Photo 1. Haven't upgraded to 2 yet. I have Pixelmator Pro on my machine for graphics editing, so I haven't needed to re-install it yet.

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

I had a chance to play around with all of these. Here's what I ended up doing:

 

• I'll still be using my lifetime license to Photomator. I really like it.
• I did end up buying Photoshop Elements. It has enough tools and "guided edits" where I should be able to do some powerful editing with photos easily, plus it'll help teach me how to better edit photos.
• Since Affinity 2 is on sale 30% off, I also threw it in as a "Photoshop replacement" as well in case I need more power. At that price, it was hard to beat.
• I still didn't go for Lightroom or Photoshop CC. I don't want an extra subscription, and Photomator+Affinity is a good replacement for the two, and Photoshop Elements is a useful addition as well.

 

So between the three apps, I should have plenty of tools to edit just about anything I'd ever need to.

[Tony Lawrence]

I used Photoshop Elements for several years and when Pixelmator came out I switched and it was okay as a replacement but I really like Pixelmator Pro. It does everything I need. When you are able to draw some conclusions from your comparisons I would be interesting in reading them.

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

Sounds good. I also own Pixelmator Pro as well. I'll play with all of them and report back here sometime with my conclusions of each.