Seashore is a free and open-source image editor designed specifically for macOS, similar to Photoshop/GIMP, with a simpler user interface.[2][3] Seashore uses GIMP's native file format, XCF, and has support for a handful of other graphics file formats, including full support for TIFF, PNG, JPEG, JPEG2000, and HEIC and read-only support for BMP, PDF, SVG and GIF. Seashore offers fewer features than Photoshop/GIMP, but is intended to be easy-to-use and to run natively on macOS. It includes layers, alpha channel support, gradients and transparency effects, anti-aliased brushes, tablet support and plug-in filters.

Seashore
Original author(s)Mark Pazolli
Developer(s)Robert Engels
Initial release16 January 2003; 22 years ago (2003-01-16)
Stable release
3.41[1] Edit this on Wikidata / 4 August 2025; 14 days ago (4 August 2025)
Repositorygithub.com/robaho/seashore
Written inObjective-C
Operating systemmacOS
TypeRaster graphics editor
LicenseGPL-2.0-only
WebsiteAppStore

After several years without maintenance, development was restarted by Robert Engels in 2017 to allow it to run on newer versions of macOS.[3] Seashore version 3.41 was released in August 2025 and is considered stable.[4]

The latest release is distributed via the Apple Mac App Store.[5][3]

Features

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Seashore has many of the basic features found in graphics editing software, including:

  • Full support for the XCF file format
  • Reading and writing TIFF, PNG, GIF, JPEG, JPEG 2000 and HEIC file formats
  • Reading BMP, PDF, SVG, PICT, and XBM file formats
  • Layers and layer merging effects
  • Text layers
  • Individual editing of layer channels
  • Transparency effects and transparency in gradients
  • Arbitrary selection regions (i.e. through a lasso tool)
  • Anti-aliased paint brushes
  • User defined brushes and textures
  • 6 gradient effects
  • Graphics tablet support
  • Plug-in filter effects
  • Core Image Filters
  • Color levels and histograms

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seashore/id1448648921. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ Sahag, Isaac (31 December 2015). "9 Ways to Get by Without Photoshop on Your Mac". Gadget Hacks. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Prokoudine, Alexandre (17 January 2019). "Meet Seashore, free image editor for macOS with GIMP roots| Libre Arts". librearts.org. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  4. ^ "GitHub: Seashore". GitHub. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  5. ^ "App Store: Seashore". Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
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