Many have been disappointed with photos for the Mac. I, on the other hand, have been using it for several months and find it very pleasing. It is better than iPhoto, not quite as powerful as Aperture, but overall it's a solid application.
This week, at WWDC 2015, Apple announced OS X El Capitan. The next generation of Apple's operating system for the Mac brings a new version of Photos. The application that mirrors the Photos app on iOS has many great editing tools but it does not reach the level of something like Aperture or Photoshop. With extension support, however, new tools can be developed by third parties to make Photos a powerful editing application while continuing to use the organizational tools and iCloud.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.
New editing extensions let you go further with your photos. OS X El Capitan supports third-party tools that will be available from the Mac App Store and accessible right in the Photos app. Use multiple editing extensions from your favorite developers on a single photo, or use a mix of extensions and the editing tools built into Photos. From adding subtle filters to using beautiful texture effects, you can take your photo editing to a whole new level.
This is a major improvement for Photos. I have been very much looking forward to this update. I'm glad that it is coming along so quickly with Photos.