With a $59 price tag, it's hard to recommend this much program for a beginner or hobbyist.
#Pixelmator pro for mac professional
On the one hand, I'd say it's for professional photographers. There are dozens of tools specifically designed for graphic design that I wasn't even able to dig into in the short time I've had with the app. I completely hid a messy, brightly lit/partly cloudy sky with the repair tool, which took the focus away from a washed out corner of the photo and made the whole thing look better. With the repair tool, you can fix pretty much any mistake. Using Burst or Zoom, I'm able to manipulate an otherwise horrible mess into something unique and interesting. I have quite a few blurry photos taken at live music events (in the dark, lots of action - a photographic nightmare).
But, if you use some of them sparingly, you can take an otherwise boring image and make it pop. They're somewhat kitschy, with such effects as mosaic and wave, which manipulate a photo into swirls or broken into parts, or some such thing. Pixelmator Pro also features some really interesting effects that can punch up your photos. With some adjustments to the colors, including my favorite, Black Point, I'm able to pull out details in otherwise flat images that looked drab in their original form. I have a few photos (AKA: a lot of photos) in my library that are nearly perfect except for the bland background on a winter's day, or the washed out effect from the camera being at the wrong angle against the sunlight. The nondestructive color adjustments can make the most washed out photo pop with life.
It even supports Photoshop brushes.Īs for photo editing tools, the list is lengthy. What I can say, though, is that Pixelmator Pro has more tools and customizable options for size, thickness, style, and texture than I've seen in a lot of painting apps. I'm absolutely not an artist and have very little experience with digital illustrating. Not only are there some fantastic photo adjustment tweaks, but there is a huge array of painting tools with dozens of brushes, each with a variety of textures, sizes, brush styles, and more.
#Pixelmator pro for mac upgrade
It's all about the toolsĪnother major upgrade to Pixelmator Pro is the many new tools. The currently-selected tool is still in place, but you don't have all of those little icons on the side getting in the way. To add even more to the photo-first design, you can hide all of the tools and interface by selecting Hide Interface from the View section of the App Menu. Your layers are visible on the left side of the interface, and can also be hidden at any time with just a click on the leftmost button and selecting "Hide Layers". If you need to quickly view your photo without the tools, simply click on the photo edit icon in the top right corner of the screen and it hides completely. The tools blend into the black border, and sub-tools are translucent until you click on one to access all of the customizations. It may not seem like much, but it really makes a difference in how I interact with the app.
#Pixelmator pro for mac full
Instead of floating tools that lay on top of your image, you're presented with a full view of your photo with the tools resting off to the sides, which you can hide at any time. The biggest difference between Pixelmator and Pixelmator Pro (aside from the many additional tools) is the complete overhaul of the interface.