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.