Pixelmator for Mac Gains New Selection Tools, Retouch Extension for Photos

[MacRumors]

Popular image editing app Pixelmator was today updated to version 3.5, adding two impressive new tools to improve selections and a new Pixelmator Retouch extension for the Photos app.

Pixelmator's new Quick Selection Tool, which is smarter than the existing tool, makes it much easier to select large areas of an image with a single brushstroke. The tool is designed to analyze color, texture, contrast, shadows, and highlights in an image to automatically detect an object that's being selected.

"With the Quick Selection Tool, we wanted to create a totally unique experience for selecting objects," said Simonas Bastys, lead developer of the Pixelmator Team. "For more than 6 months, our team worked on developing a unique and incredibly smart algorithm, which used advanced machine-learning techniques to figure out for itself the best possible way to select objects. The results are stunning, and we're really happy to introduce this next-generation selection tool to all of our users."

Alongside the Quick Selection Tool, a new Magnetic Selection Tool is designed to automatically snap to the edges of an object being traced, so a detailed selection can be made much more quickly. According to Pixelmator's developers, the algorithm behind Magnetic Selection is based on A* Pathfinding and ensures a perfect outline around nearly any object.

For the built-in Photos app on the Mac, there's a Pixelmator Retouch extension that adds a number of retouching tools that can be used directly in Photos. With the extension, it's possible to remove objects, clone areas, adjust lightness and saturation, sharpen details, and more. Pixelmator Retouch was built to take advantage of Metal, Apple's graphics processing technology, so edits can be done speedily.

Other improvements in the new Pixelmator update include a new Stroke effect that's 15 times faster, improved Refine Selection performance, auto-adjusting brush size for the Distort extension, and content-aware outline smoothing for selections made via Color Selection, Paint Bucket, and Magic Eraser. A long list of bug fixes is also bundled into the release.

Pixelmator for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $29.99, and today's update is free for existing users. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Pixelmator for Mac Gains New Selection Tools, Retouch Extension for Photos

 

[wlossw]

Excellent. Pixelmator is the best app on the App Store.

 

[garylapointe]

Excellent! Just updated but didn't read the update info, that sounds great.

 

[alazhaarp]

Finally. We need more meaningul Photos.app extensions.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Long time Adobe Suite user here wanting to shift to a non-subscription alternative. As I experiment with Pixelmator, I like it more and more. Projects are getting further and further along and thus, Adobe is getting opened less and less. Updates like this just adds value to an already great set of tools.

 

[Dilster3k]

What a bunch of great lads, unlike those blokes over at Parallels charging full price with every OS X release.

 

[joueboy]

Photos has really a potential if only they opened this up to third party plugins. Since they killed Aperture this should be a middle ground for both pros/enthusiasts and regular users. Just imagine Lightroom and Photoshop combination but cheaper and faster.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Time for Apple to acquire Pixelmator + name change?

 

[Sandstorm]

Time for Apple to acquire Pixelmator + name change?

Better not. The app will be killed/abandoned, the original team will soon leave, some of the washed down features might appear in some future Apple product (or not).

 

[azpc]

Does the new version (3.5) give you the option to use a Single Window instead of multiple floating windows on the desktop.

Pixelmator with floating windows on the desktop.

Single window mode of Affinity Photo.

Single Window mode is a frequent request on the Pixelmator forums.

http://support.pixelmator.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8239

 

[zapnyc]

Photos has really a potential if only they opened this up to third party plugins. Since they killed Aperture this should be a middle ground for both pros/enthusiasts and regular users. Just imagine Lightroom and Photoshop combination but cheaper and faster.

They did, as of El Capitan

 

[Jamieserg]

Long time Adobe Suite user here wanting to shift to a non-subscription alternative. As I experiment with Pixelmator, I like it more and more. Projects are getting further and further along and thus, Adobe is getting opened less and less. Updates like this just adds value to an already great set of tools.

I recommend Affinity Photo over Pixelmator. I've not used Pixelmator for the last new versions but I found the way it handles filters and effects confusing. Affinity photo is more like photoshop and with affinity designer and the soon to be released Affinity Publisher, it's becoming a more and more capable image manipulation suite of apps.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Photos has really a potential if only they opened this up to third party plugins. Since they killed Aperture this should be a middle ground for both pros/enthusiasts and regular users. Just imagine Lightroom and Photoshop combination but cheaper and faster.

They did. It's called Photos Extension. Pixelmator is one of those apps that supports it as said in the article.

 

[8692574]

Time for Apple to acquire Pixelmator + name change?

Do you want it to die?

 

[Sirious]

I always hear good things about this app, but never considered it because I have Photoshop for Mac.

Today I finally took the plunge and bought it - couldn't be happier!

 

[Corrode]

I love Pixelmator. From the UI to the usability it really is the best deal on the App Store. The repair tool alone is worth the purchase.
[doublepost=1464272560][/doublepost]

I recommend Affinity Photo over Pixelmator. I've not used Pixelmator for the last new versions but I found the way it handles filters and effects confusing. Affinity photo is more like photoshop and with affinity designer and the soon to be released Affinity Publisher, it's becoming a more and more capable image manipulation suite of apps.

For a Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign user, I think you're right. But for us non-graphic designers, Pixelmator does most of what (I) need to do. Photo Mechanic + Lightroom + Pixelmator are my workflow for photo work.

 

[LunarFalcon]

Does the new version (3.5) give you the option to use a Single Window instead of multiple floating windows on the desktop.

http://support.pixelmator.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8239

Try hitting the green circle in the upper left stoplight buttons to go to full screen mode. This view works much better for me.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

One of the best apps in the world.

 

[R2FX]

Finally. We need more meaningful Photos.app extensions.

updated and tried in Photos - total fail.... not Pixelmator's fault, rather the way how extensions work, but this is pretty unusable with the exception of maybe heal tool

When Photos was launched way back and Aperture got canned I honestly thought that one day Apple will provide more or less the same Aperture functionality in Photos through extensions, now I realised that that ain't happening even if hell would freeze over...it's just not structured that way to do what Aperture did. They either seriously beef up the main Photo app or their plans that 'somehow' developers would fill the void will remain a a wishful dream.

/rant on
How on earth they pitched to Cook to can Aperture (and iPhoto) and release a new app that has perhaps 20% functionality of iPhoto, parking now the technicalities of different code base, cloud functionality etc. aside, that the enthusiast/pro photography market is not worth pursuing completely escapes me. 10 years ago I got on to Mac BECAUSE of photography, got high end 17" laptop (Intel) and 23" Cinema display, later jumped on the Aperture train and drove along...today my editing software is platform agnostic and there is very little that keeps me using Mac for my photo editing, let alone consider upgrading my top of the line 15" rMBP 2014 going forward.
/rant off

 

[IJ Reilly]

This new tool sounds a lot like Instant Alpha. Anybody tried it yet?

 

[KoolAid-Drink]

updated and tried in Photos - total fail.... not Pixelmator's fault, rather the way how extensions work, but this is pretty unusable with the exception of maybe heal tool

How was it a fail? I'm unclear as to how extensions is a failure in Photos. Based on my understanding, it seems like extensions merely taps into the original app (in this situation, Pixelmator) and uses its' tools, then "exits" back to Photos, while saving changes to the photo. Sounds pretty cool and useable, so what is the problem?

 

[Mr. Dee]

When you have one version of Photoshop that works, you really don't need anything else. I just hope 10.12 doesn't break my Photoshop CS6.

 

[R2FX]

How was it a fail? I'm unclear as to how extensions is a failure in Photos. Based on my understanding, it seems like extensions merely taps into the original app (in this situation, Pixelmator) and uses its' tools, then "exits" back to Photos, while saving changes to the photo. Sounds pretty cool and useable, so what is the problem?

Try 'editing' more than a dozen of pictures in Photos and if you ever worked with iPhoto or Aperture you'll see what I mean. One thing in particular is inability to copy&paste edits between pictures...it's OK to do it for one or two iPhone shots you want to share, but even with extensions this is very very limited application of such functionality

 

[ikir]

Pixelmator is one of the best apps ever. iCloud support is awesome too, I can load my OSX project on my iPad on the fly. Go Pixelmator, say bye bye to Adobe! Have fun!

 

[petsounds]

Long time Adobe Suite user here wanting to shift to a non-subscription alternative. As I experiment with Pixelmator, I like it more and more. Projects are getting further and further along and thus, Adobe is getting opened less and less. Updates like this just adds value to an already great set of tools.

If you're coming from Adobe and want that level of professional features, I'd suggest looking at Affinity Photo and Designer. They still have a ways to go, but I've already replaced most of my Photoshop and Illustrator uses with them, and the apps are well-supported. I think they also have demos on their site.