Compositor: a free Photoshop for Mac

The free, open-source app from the reel. Layers, masks, blend modes, Select Subject, Content-Aware Fill, a Camera Raw panel and Photoshop-style shortcuts, and it opens your PSD files with the layers still editable.

CostFree and open source (MIT). No account, no subscription.

DoesA full image editor built around a Photoshop compositing and retouching workflow: layers, masks, adjustment layers, selections, healing, Camera Raw, PSD/PSB import, PNG/JPEG/PDF export.

NeedsA Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) on macOS 26 or later.

Proof17.4k stars on GitHub

Checked on 19 Oct 2026. Tools change fast, so the official page always wins if it says something different.

What you need first

1An Apple-chip MacAny M-series Mac (M1 or newer). Intel Macs aren't supported.

2macOS 26 or newerCheck in the Apple menu → About This Mac. If you're on an older macOS, update first.

3About 10 minutesThe download is about 8 MB. No sign-up.

Step by step

Download the app

Go to the Releases page (link below) and click Compositor.dmg under Assets. Or get it from the official site, robbietilton.com/compositor.

Tip: Prefer Homebrew? Run brew install --cask robbietilton-compositor and skip to step 3.

Drag it into Applications

Open the downloaded .dmg and drag Compositor into your Applications folder. The app is signed and notarized, so it opens like any normal Mac app.

Open it and drop in a photo

Open Compositor from Applications and drag in a JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP or camera RAW photo. RAW files get a develop step first.

Open a PSD

Drag in a .psd or .psb file. You'll see a conversion report first: folders, masks, blend modes, simple shapes and simple horizontal text stay editable; other vectors and vertical text become pixels.

Tip: PSDs must be 8-bit RGB. CMYK files aren't supported, so convert them to RGB first.

Use the Photoshop habits you already have

Most Photoshop shortcuts work (B brush, E eraser, T type, ⌘E merge). Press ⌘F to search every command by name. You can remap shortcuts in Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts.

Export

Export PNG (⇧⌘E), JPEG (⇧⌥⌘S) or Export As (⇧⌥⌘W) for PNG, JPEG or a one-page PDF with a live preview and file size.

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The catch

Apple-chip Macs on macOS 26+ only. No Windows, no Intel Macs, no older macOS.
PSD import is 8-bit RGB only. CMYK files won't import, and complex vectors and vertical text become pixels.
English only. The developer isn't accepting translations for now.
One person maintains it. It's about a month old and moving fast. Don't expect every Photoshop feature, and keep your Photoshop files backed up while you try it.
Download only from the official links. Use the GitHub Releases page or the developer's site, not copies from random sites.

Official links

Compositor on GitHub (official) ↗Releases (latest .dmg) ↗Official site ↗

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