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I didn't know Pixelmater ever goes on sale. If it was ever part of a bundle with one or two other good apps I'd probably pick it up... but I don't really need it so I've never bought it... ($30 is too much for an app that I only anticipating using once or twice a year.)

If frequently goes on sale for $15-16 bucks. They usually put it on sale to celebrate new releases. I'm waiting for Black Friday and see what happens. I also want to see where they are on Pixelmator 4 and if they are going to charge for that release, because I don't want to buy twice.
 
Really curious about this.

I am currently on Adobe CS5 at home (and at the office)
We might switch to CC one day at the office.

Meanwhile, I've thought about switching to Pixelmator but currently I don't NEED it.

Do you pay for MAJOR - as in Numerical Pixelmator2 / Pixelmator3- updates but the 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 updates are free?

I don't want to purchase Pixelmator3 now and then by the time I "need" this (when I get tired of Adobe and not wanting the CC at home) will I need to purchase Pixelmator 4?

Thanks in advance,
 
If Pixelmator had OpenEXR support and adobes depth of field filter where I could insert a depth mask it would completely replace Photoshop for my needs.



And yes, I know those are very uncommon things to need.


Not very uncommon. Those are the type of things that makes it worth the huge price tag. Most people have been complaining about the price changes for the last few years. But the majority of them would have been better off with the alternatives to begin with.
 
Really curious about this.

I am currently on Adobe CS5 at home (and at the office)
We might switch to CC one day at the office.

Meanwhile, I've thought about switching to Pixelmator but currently I don't NEED it.

Do you pay for MAJOR - as in Numerical Pixelmator2 / Pixelmator3- updates but the 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 updates are free?

I don't want to purchase Pixelmator3 now and then by the time I "need" this (when I get tired of Adobe and not wanting the CC at home) will I need to purchase Pixelmator 4?

Thanks in advance,

I'd like to know as well. Version 3 seems like it's over a year old. I'm curious to see where they are for Version 4 and if it'll be a free upgrade or paid.
 
Really curious about this.

I am currently on Adobe CS5 at home (and at the office)
We might switch to CC one day at the office.

Meanwhile, I've thought about switching to Pixelmator but currently I don't NEED it.

Do you pay for MAJOR - as in Numerical Pixelmator2 / Pixelmator3- updates but the 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 updates are free?

I don't want to purchase Pixelmator3 now and then by the time I "need" this (when I get tired of Adobe and not wanting the CC at home) will I need to purchase Pixelmator 4?

Thanks in advance,

I've only bought it once --August 2011, I think the Chameleon version, just before Cherry and I've been able to update every major release between then and now for free. Of course that's no guarantee for 4.0, but honestly, $30 is so inexpensive. Pixelmator full price is less than I paid for Affinity Designer on sale.
 
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I've only bought it once --August 2011, I think the Chameleon version, just before Cherry and I've been able to update every major release between then and now for free. Of course that's no guarantee for 4.0, but honestly, $30 is so inexpensive.

Not when version 4 could be released in a few months...That's the issue. It may have been free updates in the past, but at some point, the Pixelmator team is going to need fresh money to continue operations.
 
Not when version 4 could be released in a few months...That's the issue. It may have been free updates in the past, but at some point, the Pixelmator team is going to need fresh money to continue operations.

It's a really great app and great value for $30. It of course depends on whether you need to use something like this for image editing for several months in the meantime. If you don't, you don't. In your case, it's certainly worth waiting a month until your Ps CC expires.
 
Sweet! Such an amazing company. Many many free updates, quality software, great pricing. They truly are one of the nicest software companies out there!

PS - I hope they are secretly working on "Vectormator" as well... :)

CrickettGrrrl mentioned the ultimate “Vectormator” you yearn for while referring to Pixelmator as “so inexpensive” (which I won't deny, but I believe there's more to a piece of software than price and even sheer ease-of-use alone; customizability, extensibility and interoperability are worth a premium, IMHO)… Interestingly, whether on sale or not, Affinity Designer is *really* inexpensive for what it is, especially if you consider the 800lb gorilla incumbent it's up against, Adobe Illustrator.

Also: Serif will come up with both Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher, so they're playing on a whole different league than that of Pixelmator, iDraw, Acorn, etc. It really is going up against the likes of Adobe, Corel and Quark, if you ask me, and, with all due respect to the F[L]/OSS crowd, will put Gimp, Scribus and Inkscape to shame in terms of usability, at a price negligibly higher than that of this nifty and affordable but disjointed collection of apps. And since the apps are sold in separate, it will still allow you to piece together your own suite of perpetually- and fully-licensed apps (which, I'm guessing, might be expanded in scope and number in the future), at a price lower than even that of the old CS Design Standard *for education*, and definitely much lower than the full versions of CSx and the new CC (which forces you to be constantly on the bleeding edge *and* connected to your DRM overlords 24/7, whether you have the means or the need for that – and may I remind you that, in some markets those two premises are a huge no-no).

And no, I'm not being paid by Serif; I'm but a pissed-off ex-Adobe customer and pre-release Affinity beta-tester, early adopter and current point-update beta-tester, who nags (and I'm not alone in that, fortunately) the dev team to nudge them into creating the ultimate CS/CC killer. And I must tell you, they have been doing one heck of a job at addressing those complaints and suggestions, which is a far, far cry from the general attitude shown by Adobe execs and devs.

Btw: long live FreeHand! :cool:
 
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I hate this interface. Always have. This windows floating all over the place approach is so old fashioned. Please make a single window mode other than full screen! blehh...
 
I can't yet fully replace Photoshop with this. But keep the evolution going, because one day I hope to do so! And would be willing to pay the big bucks (non-subscription). Pixelmator Pro? I hope the day comes.
 
CrickettGrrrl mentioned the ultimate “Vectormator” you yearn for while referring to Pixelmator as “so inexpensive”… Interestingly, whether on sale or not, Affinity Designer is *really* inexpensive for what it is, especially if you consider the 800lb gorilla incumbent it's up against, Adobe Illustrator.

Also: Serif will come up with both Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher, so they're playing on a whole different league from Pixelmator, iDraw, Acorn, etc. It really is going up against the likes of Adobe, Corel and Quark, if you ask me, at a price negligibly higher than that of this nifty and affordable but disjointed collection of apps, while still allowing you to piece together your own suite of perpetually- and fully-licensed apps, at a price lower than even that of the old CS Design Standard *for education*, and definitely much lower than the full versions of CSx and the new CC (which forces you to be constantly on the bleeding edge, whether you have the means or the need for that – and may I remind you that, in some markets, being on the bleeding edge while having to stay connected 24/7 to keep your DRM overlords happy is a huge no-no).

And no, I'm not being paid by Serif; I'm but a pissed-at-Adobe, pre-release Affinity beta-tester, early adopter and current point-update beta-tester, which nags (and I'm not alone in that) the dev team to nudge them into creating the ultimate CS/CC replacement. And they have been doing one heck of a job at addressing those complaints and suggestion, I must tell you, which is a far, far cry from the general attitude shown by Adobe execs and devs.

Btw: long live FreeHand! :cool:

Hey! I'm not disparaging Affinity Designer! :) I have been having a lot of fun playing with it this past week --and it was cool that a day after I rued the lack of stroke adjustments --BOOM, the Devs released an update with stroke adjustments. (Now I'm rueing the lack of gradient meshes & keeping my fingers crossed for the next quickee update. Hmmm, also keeping my fingers crossed for the ability to create personalized vector brushes, perhaps even more than gradient meshing.) However, Affinity Photo & Publisher are still vaporware at this point, frankly. I don't believe they will be released before January 2015 although I'm very hopeful & cheering the development team on.

I think that everyone using Macs looking for Adobe alternatives is in a good place compared to a year ago, what with major updates to Pixelmator, iDraw & Acorn this year, and the release of great new apps like Affinity Designer & Mischief.
Edit: How can I forget mentioning Manga Studio 5/Clip Studio too? I love this one too.
 
Best bang for the buck out there. And a VERY proactive design team. No "fading Roman empire" rust on this company! They are riding the curl of the wave and winning!!! :)
 
Repair Tool extension
 

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Hey! I'm not disparaging Affinity Designer! :) I have been having a lot of fun playing with it this past week --and it was cool that a day after I rued the lack of stroke adjustments --BOOM, the Devs released an update with stroke adjustments. (Now I'm rueing the lack of gradient meshes & keeping my fingers crossed for the next quickee update. Hmmm, also keeping my fingers crossed for the ability to create personalized vector brushes, perhaps even more than gradient meshing.) However, Affinity Photo & Publisher are still vaporware at this point, frankly. I don't believe they will be released before January 2015 although I'm very hopeful & cheering the development team on.

I think that everyone using Macs looking for Adobe alternatives is in a good place compared to a year ago, what with major updates to Pixelmator, iDraw & Acorn this year, and the release of great new apps like Affinity Designer & Mischief.
Edit: How can I forget mentioning Manga Studio 5/Clip Studio too? I love this one too.

They are hoping to have Affinity Photo by december. Big update for Acorn?
 
Hey! I'm not disparaging Affinity Designer! :)

Nor did I imply you were, though it came off that way, for sure… It's just that many people here in the forum still seem to be largely unaware of Affinity's very existence. :p

I have been having a lot of fun playing with it this past week --and it was cool that a day after I rued the lack of stroke adjustments --BOOM, the Devs released an update with stroke adjustments. (Now I'm rueing the lack of gradient meshes & keeping my fingers crossed for the next quickee update. Hmmm, also keeping my fingers crossed for the ability to create personalized vector brushes, perhaps even more than gradient meshing.)

^ THIS. I can't stress this enough: these guys deliver, and then some. They are, indeed, firing on all cylinders, and at an impressive pace at that, and still surprise and delight you every now and then. And, according to their forums, they seem to have some aces up their collective sleeves. ;)

However, Affinity Photo & Publisher are still vaporware at this point, frankly. I don't believe they will be released before January 2015 although I'm very hopeful & cheering the development team on.

While Affinity seems to be a “bet the company” move, Serif must have an otherwise sound business model, or else they wouldn't be offering version “X8” (as in 18?) of their publishing (alas, Windows-only) application, PagePlus (interestingly, they just now implemented baseline grids, a feature that, along with strong OpenType support – which is present in Designer already –, I warned them well in advance as being make-or-break for Affinity Publisher – I did send them a lenghty e-mail on the wake of the CC announcement, complete with a famous Churchill quote on difficulty and opportunity [ :D ], and though they say they had Affinity Designer on the works for four [!] years already, I like to believe that my suggestions had at least some impact on them; but either way, these guys do listen – to the market, at least – and deliver).

But something tells me that, at a solid 5-star rating and Editor's Choice even in it's v.1.0, solitary incarnation, that bet will pay off and they will have the funds to develop the rest of the suite (judging by the fact that you can do raster brushes in Affinity Designer already and also the fact that it was released on schedule and in a fairly stable and functional state, Affinity Photo and Publisher shouldn't be that much behind schedule, if at all; and both those tools and the pixel previews make the much-touted interoperability between the various apps seem promising). I even go as far as venturing that Affinity will some day be [back-]ported to Windows and supersede the Serif suite. Give 'em some time, but they will get there. And that, my friends, could very well be the definite end of Adobe's stranglehold on the DTP market.

I think that everyone using Macs looking for Adobe alternatives is in a good place compared to a year ago, what with major updates to Pixelmator, iDraw & Acorn this year, and the release of great new apps like Affinity Designer & Mischief.
Edit: How can I forget mentioning Manga Studio 5/Clip Studio too? I love this one too.

Yep. I very much enjoy seeing competition; in fact, someone mentioned in the support forums that exporting slices in vector formats wasn't currently possible in Affinity Designer, as oposed to… was it Acorn? iDraw? The fact that the (lower-priced) competition may offer something the bigger players lack will force the latter to improve, without necessarily choking the smaller players (which can and will find niche markets for themselves). The current Apple market, as far as designers and graphic artists are concerned, is huge and can absolutely sustain all these players.

As for Mischief and Manga/Clip Studio, since I'm a graphic designer by trade, I never looked into that kind of digital painting/drawing software, but they do look impressive, wow. It really is a good time to be on the Mac, and moving away from this whole CC debacle doesn't seem to be such a frightening proposition anymore; in fact, I anticipate a full-blown graphic software renaissance in the coming years. :)
 
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It really is a good time to be on the Mac, and moving away from this whole CC debacle doesn't seem to be such a frightening proposition anymore; in fact, I anticipate a full-blown graphic software renaissance in the coming years. :)

Truly. One can feel the excitement bubbling with all of the aforementioned digital graphics apps. I fear Apple's hardware lagging behind more than I do anything from the independent software end.
 
Truly. One can feel the excitement bubbling with all of the aforementioned digital graphics apps. I fear Apple's hardware lagging behind more than I do anything from the independent software end.

Even that is understandable, as we are in the midst of two important transitions, not unlike that terrible uncanny valley of the floppy-less iMac G3: from spinning hard drives to solid-state drives, and from conventional to retina displays. Also, Moore's Law seems to be tapering off, kinda. :confused:

However, the fact that many of these apps are being developed both for desktop and mobile environments (and the sheer popularity of mobile apps, period) will definitely force developers into optimizing the cr*p out of their software.

In a few years' time, things will be back to “normal”, I hope (and no, call me old-fashion all you want, but having *everything* in the cloud just won't cut it; I w̶a̶n̶t̶ need generous, fast local storage for my design work). ;)
 
From their blog...



Uuuuuurgh. No. Can they please give us a regular, lighter, OS X theme already? Their UI choice is extremely questionable sometimes, and it's almost painful sometimes when working on bright images.

Just like EVERY update...

I download, I launch... My eyes begin bleeding due to the absurd UI choices (How black can we make everything? How small??).

I sigh and load my years-old copy of Photoshop CS5 again.

It's really not hard to make a usable UI, so I don't quite understand why Pixelmator clings so tightly to this black-on-black. It's almost as if they're trying to spite all the users who beg them with each release to take it easy on the eyes.
 
Not sure, but updated traffic light buttons to match OS X Yosemite = redesigned interface nowadays?
 
Before update: $14.99 and OS X 10.8+

After update: $29.99 and OS X 10.9+

The "normal" price has been $29.99 since its debut (briefly $59.99 for a few months after this, but they seemed to have stopped doing that). They occasionally offer temporary sales that reduce its price to $14.99 or $15.99, though the most recent time I remember was in July. I bought it during one of these sales and am quite happy with my purchase.

I'd be a little happier if they made the icons bigger or offered a white UI instead of a black UI so I could actually see the icons, but it's still good.

And I don't see how the 10.8 to 10.9 requirements jump is a big deal, given that both of these updates are free.
 
!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALL MY HOPE IS... gone...

I can't believe such an awesome piece of software gets ruined by a pure-black interface with incredibly small UI elements. I always find myself opening Photoshop, when in fact I really only want to get rid of Adobe products on my Mac.


Thanks for the tip, I didn't know that. It helps slightly, but it's the interface as a whole that we want gray.

Exactly! I tried to tell them, please let users choose, do not impose your black interface, but they didn't want to listen. Real fundamentalists.
 
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