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Free pack · $0Here are my Compositor setup notes. They are free.
Compositor is a free, open source photo editor with layers, text and a Remove Background filter. It is under 15 MB, notarized by Apple, and runs on Apple chip Macs with macOS 26.
Show me the setupone prompt or 4 steps · on this page✦ Get it
Compositor
Compositor is a free, open source photo editor for Mac, made by Robbie Tilton. It looks and works a lot like Photoshop: layers with blend modes and masks, a type tool for text on photos, a Remove Background filter, resize and crop (with 9:16 and 3:4 crop presets), and export to PNG and JPG. Background removal runs on your Mac with Apple's own built-in tech, so your photos are not uploaded. No account. For comparison, Photoshop is about $276 a year.
What you need. An Apple chip Mac (M1 or newer) on macOS 26 Tahoe or later. It does not run on Intel Macs or Windows. About 15 MB of space.
Install Compositor, the free open source photo editor, on this Mac. 1. Check this Mac first. It needs an Apple chip and macOS 26 or later. If it does not have both, stop and tell me, because Compositor will not run here. 2. If Homebrew is already installed, run: brew install --cask robbietilton-compositor . If it is not, download Compositor.dmg only from https://github.com/robbietilton/Compositor/releases/latest , open it and copy Compositor into Applications. Do not install Homebrew without asking me. 3. Check the app with: spctl -a -vv -t exec /Applications/Compositor.app . It should say accepted and Notarized Developer ID. If it does not, stop and tell me. 4. Do not change my security settings. 5. Tell me how to remove a background (Filter, then Remove Background), add text (press T) and export a PNG (Shift+Cmd+E). Do not sign me up for anything.
What Compositor does, and what it does not
It does not
- Run on Intel Macs, older macOS, Windows, iPhone or iPad
- Do everything Photoshop does. It is a young project
- Get every cut-out perfect. Check hair and edges before you post
It does
- Layers with blend modes, masks and opacity
- Remove the background from a photo, on your Mac
- Add text on photos with the type tool, with font, size and colour
- Resize and crop, with 9:16 and 3:4 crop presets
- Export PNG and JPG files
- Work with no account
✦ Set it up
Set it up in 4 steps
A free Photoshop-style photo editor for your Mac.
Who it's for
Anyone with a newer Mac who makes their own photo posts, covers or ads and does not want a Photoshop subscription.
What you need
- A Mac with an Apple chip (M1 or newer). Intel Macs are not supported.
- macOS 26 Tahoe or later. Check in System Settings, then General, then Software Update.
- About 15 MB of free space. The download is about 9 MB.
- Your own photos.
The steps by hand
- Check your Mac first. Click the Apple menu, then About This Mac. You need an Apple chip (M1 or newer) and macOS 26 Tahoe or later. Intel Macs and older macOS will not run it.
- Open the official download page (the button above) and download Compositor.dmg. It is about 9 MB.
- Open the file, drag Compositor into your Applications folder, then open it. It is signed and notarized, so it should open without a security warning.
- Try the simple flow first: drag in a photo, choose Filter, then Remove Background, press T to type your headline, then press Shift+Cmd+E to export a PNG.
How I'd use it
- Make a quick post: your photo, the background removed, a bold headline, exported as a PNG.
- Use the 9:16 crop preset for story and reel covers, then Image Size to get the exact pixels you want.
- Zoom in on hair and edges after you remove the background, and check them before you post.
Honest limits, costs and licence
- It runs only on Apple chip Macs with macOS 26 or later. People have asked the maker for Intel and older macOS support, and it is not there today. There is no Windows version.
- It is very new (September 2026) and changes fast, so expect the odd rough edge.
- It checks for updates online, and the optional Volumetric Light filter downloads a 2.6 MB model once. Everything else, including background removal, runs on your Mac.
- Photoshop for comparison: US$22.99 a month on Adobe's annual plan billed monthly, about $276 a year (adobe.com, 7 Nov 2026).
- Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Links
Why I share it
I don't make Compositor and nobody pays me to share it. It's a free tool I think is worth ten minutes of your time. Try it this week and tell me what you used it for first.
✦ Get unstuck
Stuck? Find your line.
It will not open or says it needs a newer macOS
Compositor needs macOS 26 Tahoe or later. Open System Settings, then General, then Software Update. If your Mac cannot update to macOS 26, it cannot run Compositor.
I have an Intel Mac
Sorry, it only runs on Apple chip Macs (M1 or newer). Click the Apple menu, then About This Mac. If it says Processor and Intel, this one is not for your Mac.
My Mac shows a security warning
It should not, because the app is notarized by Apple. If you see one, delete the file and download it again from the official link above, not from another site.
The cut-out has rough edges
Zoom in and check hair and fine edges. The filter has a Basic and an Advanced mode, so try the other one. A photo with a plain background and good light cuts out best.
A filter wants to download something
That is the optional 2.6 MB depth model for the Volumetric Light filter. It downloads once from the maker's GitHub. You can skip that filter if you prefer.
Is there a catch?
Free and open source (MIT), made by Robbie Tilton. It is very new (it first appeared in September 2026) and updates often. It only runs on Apple chip Macs with macOS 26 or later. It has no accounts and no analytics. It goes online in two small ways: it checks for updates, and one optional lighting filter downloads a small 2.6 MB model the first time you use it. Your photos are not uploaded.
My screen looks different from the steps
Apps change their screens. Use the official links above, which the people who make Compositor keep up to date.
None of these fixed it
Email joe@mastermindshq.business. Say which step you were on and paste what you saw.
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