Pixelmator

Pixelmator is a series of graphics editors developed by Pixelmator Team for macOS and iOS. Pixelmator apps are largely built on Apple-specific technologies such as CoreML and Metal.^[4] Pixelmator uses a proprietary format across their apps (.PXM), but support a variety of file types including Photoshop, RAW, and WebP.^[5] All Pixelmator apps support image editing, but Pixelmator Pro also supports video and vector graphics.^[6]

Pixelmator

Developer(s)	Pixelmator Team
Initial release	September 25, 2007
Stable release	Pixelmator Pro: 3.4 (September 11, 2023; 6 months ago (2023-09-11)^[1]) [±] Pixelmator for iOS: 3.0.12 (August 30, 2023; 6 months ago (2023-08-30)^[2]) [±] Photomator: 3.1.2 (September 1, 2023; 6 months ago (2023-09-01)^[3]) [±]
Written in	Swift, Objective-C
Operating system	macOS and iOS
Type	Graphics software
License	Proprietary
Website	www.pixelmator.com

History

Pixelmator Team was founded in 2007 by Lithuanian brothers Saulius and Aidas Dailide.^[7] and released Pixelmator (now Pixelmator Classic) 1.0 in September of the same year.^[8] The company currently resides in Vilnius.^[9]

Pixelmator Classic

Main article: Pixelmator Classic

Pixelmator Classic was the original version of Pixelmator released for Mac on September 25, 2007. It uses a palette-style interface compared to Pixelmator Pro's single-window interface. It is no longer being updated and has been delisted from the Mac App Store.^[10]

Pixelmator iOS

Pixelmator for iOS launched on October 23, 2014 as an iPad-exclusive app with touch-optimized versions of Pixelmator's desktop features.^[11] In May 2015, Pixelmator for iOS 2.0 was released with support for the iPhone.^[12]

Pixelmator Pro

Main article: Pixelmator Pro

Pixelmator Pro is an image, video,^[13] and vector^[14] editing software for macOS that launched on November 29, 2017. It was a paid upgrade for Pixelmator Classic users, featuring a redesigned interface, a graphics pipeline rewritten using Metal, Apple silicon support and a greater focus on ML/AI editing features.^[15]

Photomator

Photomator (Formerly Pixelmator Photo^[16]) is a photo-oriented editing app which launched on iOS in 2021^[17] and macOS in 2022.^[18] After launching the macOS version, the app moved from a one-time purchase to a subscription, however, a lifetime license can still be purchased for $99.^[18]

Photomator differentiates itself from other Pixelmator apps with features such as batch editing of full photoshoots and AI-powered color correction. Edits in Photomator are made on a single layer and are non-destructive.^[19]

See also

• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Lightroom
• Affinity Photo
• Affinity Designer

References

1. "What's New - Pixelmator Pro". Retrieved August 5, 2023.
2. "What's New - Pixelmator for iOS". Retrieved August 5, 2023.
3. "What's New - Photomator". Retrieved August 5, 2023.
4. "Pixelmator Pro image tool with CoreML, Metal 2 enhancements coming in the fall to iOS, macOS". AppleInsider. September 5, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
5. Team, Pixelmator. "Tech Specs - Pixelmator Pro". Tech Specs - Pixelmator Pro. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
6. "Pixelmator 3.2 released: Affordable Mac image editing app adds video editing". DPReview. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
7. "New Mac Company Introduces the World's First GPU-powered Image Editor - Pixelmator Blog". www.pixelmator.com. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
8. . Macworld. September 28, 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
9. "Pixelmator Team". www.pixelmator.com. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
10. Team, Pixelmator. "Upgrade to Pixelmator Pro - Pixelmator". Upgrade to Pixelmator Pro - Pixelmator. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
11. Parker, Jason. "Pixelmator for iPad review: The best image editor on the iPad". CNET. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
12. "Pixelmator for iPhone Is Now Available - Pixelmator Blog". www.pixelmator.com. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
13. "Pixelmator Pro 3.2 for Mac Introduces Video Editing Support". MacRumors. December 6, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
14. Mayo, Benjamin (May 31, 2018). "Pixelmator Pro updated with Touch Bar support, SVG editing, advanced web export and slicing tools". Retrieved August 5, 2023.
15. Jackie Dove (January 23, 2018). "Pixelmator Pro Review: Still a Powerful Bargin". Tom's Guide. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
16. Mayo, Benjamin (April 12, 2023). "Pixelmator Photo renamed to Photomator, adds AI-powered subject selection and more". 9to5Mac. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
17. Stephen Warwick (December 16, 2021). "Pixelmator Photo arrives on iPhone". iMore. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
18. Mendez, Andrew (August 18, 2022). "Pixelmator Photo is coming to Mac with sub-based model". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
19. "Photomator Photo Editor Now Available on Mac". MacRumors. May 16, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.