Apple Updates Pixelmator Pro With Apple Intelligence Support

[Mac Fly (film)]

Wish Apple had a first party modern equivalent of iWeb, with drag and drop image making functionality, not necessarily for website building, just for making things, mockups, app icons and more.

Are there any modern Mac apps that are this? Preferably one coded very well such as Pixelmator.

 

[weckart]

I am glad they are updating it and adding features instead of just shutting it down.

As long as the features they are adding don't detract from its core strengths and drive users away. Writing tools?

 

[now i see it]

they've turned it into Pixelmator Toy

 

[huge_apple_fangirl]

I didn’t even know they acquired Pixelmator. That surprises me. I would have thought they wouldn’t want to compete with their partners like Adobe.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Wish Apple had a first party modern equivalent of iWeb, with drag and drop image making functionality, not necessarily for website building, just for making things, mockups, app icons and more.

Are there any modern Mac apps that are this? Preferably one coded very well such as Pixelmator.

I use Blocs for Mac, but that is very much a website builder.

Blocs - The Ultimate Website Builder for Mac and iPad

Blocs is fast, intuitive and powerful visual web design software, that lets you create responsive websites and Wordpress themes without writing code.

blocsapp.com

 

[BC2009]

I completely forgot that they bought Pixelmator. Time flies.

Did they buy Pixelmator to help them make Image Playground?

 

[BC2009]

Begun, the crapification wars have

Really hoping MacOS improves image playground, so far it outputs images worse than Nintendo Mii characters

My 10-year-old daughter is especially gifted at making Image Playground characters that look like great cartoon representations of our family members.

I have not been as successful.

I tried to get her to share her Image Playground creations so I could import them into my Image Playground, but the only way I could find to share them was to share renderings in messages or mail. I could not find a way to export the actual Image Playground record so hers show up on my iPad. Maybe I just don't know where to look for the feature to share, but it seems akin to sharing a PDF of a Pages document versus sharing the actual Pages document. If somebody knows how to better share between Image Playground apps, please let me know.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I didn’t even know they acquired Pixelmator. That surprises me. I would have thought they wouldn’t want to compete with their partners like Adobe.

My understanding from something I read here is that Apple and Adobe had a gentlemans' agreement for 10 years, to maintain mac OS as a well maintained platform. Given Adobe's hatred by most everyone, Apple feels that they haven't been upholding their end, and so they went out and bought an image editing program to put some heat on Adobe.

No idea if this is true, but it's what someone said on here, back when they first purchased Pixelmator.

 

[Parowdy]

Integration into Apple Music for Playlist Artwork would make much, MUCH more sense, no?

 

[Deepshade]

Jeez! What went on in that product development meeting?? Let’s add AI to a superb Photo app. Ok (some high paid numpty says) let’s bolt on the Apple AI crap that’s already been laughed out of the park, and maybe some other stuff, that anyone can add with 30 second trip to ChatGPT and a text editor. Job done. How on earth do these people keep their jobs!?

 

[knappeduivel]

My understanding from something I read here is that Apple and Adobe had a gentlemans' agreement for 10 years, to maintain mac OS as a well maintained platform. Given Adobe's hatred by most everyone, Apple feels that they haven't been upholding their end, and so they went out and bought an image editing program to put some heat on Adobe.

No idea if this is true, but it's what someone said on here, back when they first purchased Pixelmator.

A lot was said here, back when....

Without more solid facts or even links I am very doubtfull about your statements. Is it possible to provide some?

 

[frenchcamp49er]

So can I use these features in EU?

Hope not

 

[cougarmeat]

In the future, please include the version number of the update. Unlike other software, Pixelmator pro doesn't have a "Check For Updates" option. Seems it just relies on automatic updates from the App store. I prefer to "see and compare" myself.

 

[Adora]

I expected Apple to incorporate some of Pixelmator’s features into the photos app, but they seem oddly quiet about the acquisition as a whole. None of those apps are advertised on their own website.

It's not a good sign. I read sometime last year that they plan to acquire Pixelmator. Then never heard anything about it anymore.

Lately I looked at the Mac App Store for all Apple Apps and there it was as Pixelmator Pro for €59.99 and also a "free" (7 days trial) Photomator with several confusing In App-Purchases:

Didn't try the free version of Photomator yet also I don't know Pixelmator so I can't compare it anyway.

Maybe it's the last version of Pixelmator they offer now and then promote Photomator what is also running on iOS and iPad OS.

In-App of Photomator I only find this, no exclusive lifetime offer or lifetime version at all. But four yearly subscriptions and one is €5 more.

Maybe I missed something and those are two completely different apps. But it's really strange none of them got advertised.


Ok, I now found out, that Photomator seems to be more like Lightroom and Pixelmator more like Photoshop. I am not a Pro and only use Gimp if I need more functionality. But I don't really like it. So I wouldn't even know what of those apps might be better for me.
And it also seems they had been cheaper before and hope that Pixelmator Pro always gets free upgrades and you can buy a lifetime upgrade version of Photomator too and I only don't see it because I am in the trial.

 

[Corefile]

Why does this cost money? I want it for free.

 

[MacRumorUser78]

What is the new version number and how does one upgrade if they purchased Pixelmator Pro before Apple bought it?

I missed @cougermeat post when I posted

 

[AppliedMicro]

What is the new version number and how does one upgrade if they purchased Pixelmator Pro before Apple bought it?

Version 3.7 as shown on the Apple App Store - and that's where you update from. It's a free update.

 

[MacRumorUser78]

Version 3.7 as shown on the Apple App Store - and that's where you update from. It's a free update.

Thanks. I had to dig a bit deeper. I had to click to get more info (the image) and then an Update button appeared. When I first opened the AppStore, the Open button was active which of course opened PP, but the old version.

Apple has looked at my computer and found the version I purchased before they purchased Pixelmator. Sneaky and it didn't quite work right the first time. But now I have the current version and Apple recognizes it. Suggests they are going to keep the app rather than disappearing it. Now bring back Aperture!

 

[Bustycat]

Why does this cost money? I want it for free.

Free with subscriptions

 

[Starfia]

The long-awaited answer to "what will Apple do now that they've acquired this."

I guess this is an obligatory update for every app Apple controls, and it's not hurting anything.

 

[hardwickj]

I'll be taking bets on the odds that the corporate overlords inside Apple will bore this development team to death and they'll all be gone as soon as their golden handcuffs come off.

 

[2128506]

I was really, really missing crappy emojis in my photo editing workflow. Thank you, Apple!

 

[bice]

It's not a good sign. I read sometime last year that they plan to acquire Pixelmator. Then never heard anything about it anymore.

Lately I looked at the Mac App Store for all Apple Apps and there it was as Pixelmator Pro for €59.99 and also a "free" (7 days trial) Photomator with several confusing In App-Purchases:

View attachment 2524600

Didn't try the free version of Photomator yet also I don't know Pixelmator so I can't compare it anyway.

Maybe it's the last version of Pixelmator they offer now and then promote Photomator what is also running on iOS and iPad OS.

In-App of Photomator I only find this, no exclusive lifetime offer or lifetime version at all. But four yearly subscriptions and one is €5 more.

View attachment 2524604

Maybe I missed something and those are two completely different apps. But it's really strange none of them got advertised.


Ok, I now found out, that Photomator seems to be more like Lightroom and Pixelmator more like Photoshop. I am not a Pro and only use Gimp if I need more functionality. But I don't really like it. So I wouldn't even know what of those apps might be better for me.
And it also seems they had been cheaper before and hope that Pixelmator Pro always gets free upgrades and you can buy a lifetime upgrade version of Photomator too and I only don't see it because I am in the trial.

Is that screenshot from inside the app? Because I still see the lifetime options in the applestore description, so if they removed them from app code and didn't even bother updating the app store then that is really bad.

Apart from that confusion, pricing and longterm businessmodel is one of the big questions for the future of pixelmator/photomator apps. The take-over statement said nothing, the pixelmator supprt refused to answer anything about the future and Apple says nothing.

So the old pricing model was either rented software with recurring payments or a lifetime license. Product packaging was such that a lifetime license on pixelmator let you buy a discounted lifetime license for photomator. So there was a reasonable option for those who dislike recurring payments. However, who would buy a lifetime license when the future of the products is uncertain?

That is why Apple should have been very clear upfront what their intentions were with the take-over. Instead, they have been silent for 8 months and still basically does nothing to the product.

Everyone in the market is now left to make their own analysis of the situation.

The silent addition of a one-time-purchase at 59,99 (half the price of a lifetime license) indicates to me they are moving into the classic app-store behaviour, "hidden subscriptions". This is where you buy into the software at a seemlingly low price, but will have to buy all subsequent versions at new price. ie The current version sold at 59,99 will be as-is and recieve very little attention. Then a new version will appear with every new macos version and you will need to buy that one at 59,99. Rinse-and-repat.

The lifetime license was the way to protect yourself against that, but only works when the vendor is transparent with their future goals and intentions.

 

[Algr]

There is no chance of Image Playground ever getting any better than it is right now.

Apple is too paralyzed with indecision and greed to make products anymore. They are so obsessed with schoolteacher-safe that they can't allow any innovation for fear of offending someone.

They have so many programmers, and their biggest "innovation" is bringing back the shiny buttons from the Aqua interface that OS X launched with.

 

[Algr]

That is why Apple should have been very clear upfront what their intentions were with the take-over. Instead, they have been silent for 8 months and still basically does nothing to the product.

Everyone in the market is now left to make their own analysis of the situation.

Yes. What is awful is that there are simple things they could have done that would have been appreciated. Break a photo into layers. Paint with noise and texture. Grid morph. Come on Apple, give us SOMETHING to show you can still produce products.