Pixelmator pro vs photoshop

[maflynn]

Maybe a dumb question and I sort of already know the answer to my question but I think getting outside opinions will be beneficial
So I signed up for the free 7 day trial for Lightroom and PS. I had used Photoshop lightly (and I mean lightly) years ago. Mostly to create memes, and edit photos in ways that lightroom was unable too (at least at the time).

Anyways, I signed up for the 7 day trial and I'm impressed with the power of PS, though its overkill for what I want but as a hobby I can see learning and doing something different would be plus.

this leads me to the question of Pixelmator pro vs photoshop. I'm not really wanting to spend 20 dollars a month on something that is more of a light enjoyment.

Can folks provide their opinions on pixelmator vs. photoshop, what they like about either, what they dislike, what does pixelmator pro does well, etc etc.

Btw, I did tried searching, but I didn't come up with anything on this topic, i.e., no threads named Pixelmator pro vs photoshop

 

[MacGizmo]

I find Pixelmator to be a really nice app, but lacking much for my needs. In using it for a while, I felt like it was geared more toward photographers than designers in general. That is of course just my opinion.

Pixelmator has a lot of nice color adjustment conveniences, and the upscaling function works really well. I wish I could give you more on the topic, but I just haven't spent enough time in it because it was clear after a few days of use that I couldn't even come close to replacing Photoshop with it.

However, you might want to give Affinity Photo a try. It's fairly inexpensive at $70 for the Mac version, but the real bargain is the full Affinity Suite where you get the three apps (to replace Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator) for $165 which includes Mac, Windows and iPad versions of all three apps.

The Affinity Photo app is much closer to the tools in Photoshop, both in the way the look and work, and in capability. Even many of the shortcuts are the same.

If I were going to attempt to move away from Adobe Creative Cloud, Affinity would definitely be the direction I would go with.

 

[maflynn]

The Affinity Photo app is much closer to the tools in Photoshop, both in the way the look and work, and in capability. Even many of the shortcuts are the same.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll check them out as well.

 

[wonderings]

Another option I would look at is Affinity Photo, which is very similar to Photoshop in many ways. It does not have AI, and is a one time purchase, save for upgrading to a new version when it is released. Worth checking out.

Best Photo Editing Software | Affinity Photo

The first-choice photo editor of millions of photographers, artists, and other professionals around the world – try Affinity Photo for free today!

affinity.serif.com

Can be purchased through the App Store or direct from the website as well. Just another option to muddy the water. Personally I use Adobe CC for work, I do own the Affinity software as well as they are so cheaply priced it was worth it to me to have them as tools in my app folder.

 

[Herbert123]

To stir and muddy the waters more: I prefer PhotoLine. Personally I prefer PhotoLine over Photoshop for most image editing. I also have a license of Adobe CC, as well as Affinity. Affinity Photo is a fine alternative, but just... "death by a thousand paper cuts" comes to mind. PhotoLine aligns with my workflow.

If it is merely basic photo editing and simple meme work, I'd say have a look at both GIMP and Krita too. The latest version of GIMP is actually not half bad. Krita is quite powerful, but lacks performance for more complex compositing work.

And as a replacement for Lightroom RAW developing: both Rawtherapee and Darktable are good open source and free alternatives (minus the cataloging).

Also have a look at Photopea - an online Photoshop clone.

 

[MacGizmo]

Also have a look at Photopea - an online Photoshop clone.

I haven't played with Photopea in a long time, but when I did I was amazed at its capabilities and how well it worked. I wouldn't dream of using it in my day-to-day work, but if I only needed image editing on the ocassional use basis, It's definitely worth considering – especially since it's free.

 

[maflynn]

Just to close the loop on things, I opted for Pixelmator - mostly due to the easier learning curve and my low requirements. For 50 bucks, I can take a chance on this and not be terribly disappointed if its too limiting or apple stops developing it.

Thanks all for the suggestions

 

[TSE]

When I entered university in 2011 for a design degree, Adobe was the only game in town. You NEEDED to use Photoshop, Indesign, or Illustrator. And those were skills that employers looked for to get hired.

Well... Adobe is the software equivalent of Intel. They abused the privilege of being the one and only trusted design software provider by not making them better, charging subscription services that were priced to not make sense for anyone but students who got it for free or huge money making companies whose margins were so big it didn't matter; everyone else got squeezed. They are not a company I trust nor would give my money to.

I can safely say that I switched to Affinity suite and was mostly happy, but Pixelmator Pro covers 90% of my use cases for photo editing. It's that good.

 

[wonderings]

When I entered university in 2011 for a design degree, Adobe was the only game in town. You NEEDED to use Photoshop, Indesign, or Illustrator. And those were skills that employers looked for to get hired.

Well... Adobe is the software equivalent of Intel. They abused the privilege of being the one and only trusted design software provider by not making them better, charging subscription services that were priced to not make sense for anyone but students who got it for free or huge money making companies whose margins were so big it didn't matter; everyone else got squeezed. They are not a company I trust nor would give my money to.

I can safely say that I switched to Affinity suite and was mostly happy, but Pixelmator Pro covers 90% of my use cases for photo editing. It's that good.

Adobe is well rounded software that has matured over the years. And now with integrated AI it makes it hard to switch over to the Affinity Suite. I also hate how Affinity handles colours and swatches, but that could just be personal preference. I remember the days when everyone was on different versions of the Adobe suite, or were using Quark, or Corel or something else entirely. It could be a nightmare working with designers and being on the same page software wise. Now because of Adobe CC those headaches are gone. Any designer I work with has the same software as I do. Software works well, is powerful and pretty much the standard. As much as people like to complain and make accusations about the Adobe subscription, they are still growing in their user base. Price is no different then when you bought the suite before the subscriptions, might even have been a bit less but I could be wrong on that. And that is for people who did every upgrade. I know some shops that would skip a version, which led to the problems of everyone being on different versions and compatibility.

 

[TSE]

Adobe is well rounded software that has matured over the years. And now with integrated AI it makes it hard to switch over to the Affinity Suite. I also hate how Affinity handles colours and swatches, but that could just be personal preference. I remember the days when everyone was on different versions of the Adobe suite, or were using Quark, or Corel or something else entirely. It could be a nightmare working with designers and being on the same page software wise. Now because of Adobe CC those headaches are gone. Any designer I work with has the same software as I do. Software works well, is powerful and pretty much the standard. As much as people like to complain and make accusations about the Adobe subscription, they are still growing in their user base. Price is no different then when you bought the suite before the subscriptions, might even have been a bit less but I could be wrong on that. And that is for people who did every upgrade. I know some shops that would skip a version, which led to the problems of everyone being on different versions and compatibility.

I think we agree more than disagree. There's no doubt that Adobe products have value and will continue to do so. But like I said, they squeezed out everyone but students who get it for free or companies making money. It doesn't sound like OP is either of those two things. Affinity & Pixelmator Pro will fit his needs much, much better.

 

[wonderings]

I think we agree more than disagree. There's no doubt that Adobe products have value and will continue to do so. But like I said, they squeezed out everyone but students who get it for free or companies making money. It doesn't sound like OP is either of those two things. Affinity & Pixelmator Pro will fit his needs much, much better.

Yes I think you are right. Affinity is better suited for those not working in a pro setting. It will work in a pro setting but not as nicely in my opinion. I do recommend Affinity to some of my non profit clients who don't have real designers and just have people monkeying around in Adobe making horrible things. They could do the same thing with Affinity and save a ton of money.