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Pixelmator Pro 2.4 Review
| Reviewer: | Stephen Qualtrough |
| Developer: | Pixelmator |
| Ranked: | 8th |
| Overall rating: | |
| Price: | $39.99 |
| Purchase: |
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Review summary
Good points
Powerful image editor for Macs
Full feature set
Easy to use for beginners and more advanced editors
Bad points
No inbuilt photo organizer
No HDR creation capabilities
Our verdict
You can’t go wrong with this photo editing package for Macs – the Pixelmator software is easy to use and packs a full range of features within its neat and efficient package.
Full review
Pixelmator is specially developed for Macs, with this attention to detail meaning that many of the features are fine-tuned for your computer. Pixelmator is certainly a comprehensive photo editing package. We looked closely at all the features available to see how much value it will give Mac owners.
Setup
Pixelmator is suitable for Macs OS X 10.9.5 or later, with a 64-bit processor. There is also a version available for iPad and iPhone that can be downloaded from the app store.
Importing
Import all the common formats including RAW image files and Adobe Photoshop files with layers. You can also import directly from your iPhone or iPad. For export you can quickly resize files for the web which allows for quicker loading.
Photo editing
Pixelmator has a wide range of tools for editing your photos. Using the basic editing features you can cut and crop, remove elements, retouch image flaws and remove blemishes, change image size and resolution, zoom in, and pick colors from images using the eyedropper.
Pixelmator offers excellent precision editing for accurate selection of any part of your image for editing. You can then apply special effects and make adjustments to the area, or cut and paste it into a new background. Using the Move Tool you can work with text, shapes or layers with the tool that intuitively knows what you are moving, adjusting the positioning of the objects as you work.
Add a range of features and effects with artistic detail including custom shapes, text inserts in the form of banners, buttons, headlines and more, and over 160 different effects from sepia to blur.
Advanced features include the color adjustment tools for adjusting hue, exposure, shadows, highlights, saturation, and contrast – you can work at a highly detailed level with these tools in order to produce an image that looks entirely different from the original. Editing is non-destructive as you use layers to make changes and therefore protect your original image throughout the editing process. Create layers with different gradients, colors, shadows, and opacity. You can also save layer styles once you have created them in order to use them quickly at a later date.
Features
The paint and draw tools are extensive in Pixelmator, with a variety of different tools available for painting freehand and adding sketched details to enhance your images.
Pixelmator doesn’t have a batch processing feature but you can save layer styles for applying to new projects.
Organizing
Pixelmator does not have its own inbuilt photo organizer but you can still work easily with your photo collections because the program pulls images direct from the Photos library in your Mac. You can add tags to help categorize and organize your images.
Sharing
Easily share your photo creations via Facebook and Flickr with the quick upload tool that posts direct to social media sites. And because the Pixelmator software is for iOS devices it also includes integration capabilities so you can start editing pictures on your Mac then switch to your iPad for further editing without losing any changes.
Ease of use
The software interface looks attractive and stylish on a black background. More importantly, it is reasonably easy to use as the interface is clean and uncluttered, and you can even customize your workspace. We like the fast editing results that come about through the use of OS X Core Image technology.
Help & support
Pixelmator comes with a good amount of support and help options. The User Guide covers everything the software does, and you can also follow tutorials to get to grips with different aspects of the program, and browse the FAQs. In addition there is a reasonably active forum for posting advice and asking questions. And you can send an email for technical support.
Overall
If you’re looking for a specialist Mac photo editor, Pixelmator is one of the best you can get. You get plenty of photo editing tools in a slick, stylish and easy to use package. A good option for beginners.
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