Pixelmator Pro
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Pixelmator Pro is a photo, video, and vector graphic editor developed by Apple for macOS and iPadOS as part of its Pixelmator and pro apps platforms and as a part of their Apple Creator Studio suite of applications. Pixelmator Pro relies heavily on technologies from Apple platforms such as Metal, CoreML, Core Image, AVFoundation, GCD, and SwiftUI.
Features
- GPU accelerated with Metal
- 50+ standard image editing tools
- Layer-based image editor
- Video editing support
- Vector graphic support (including SVG support)
- AI-powered editing features such as background removal, ML Super Resolution and Smart Replace
- Supports a variety of media formats (JPEG, RAW, Apple ProRAW, PSD, PNG, GIF, MP4, HEIF, etc)
Reception
Pixelmator Pro was generally well-received by reviewers who praised its deep use of machine learning, fully macOS-native design, and relatively affordable one-time purchase compared to subscription software such as Adobe Photoshop. Some reviewers criticized that some features are hard to find or hard to use. It was awarded Apple's Mac App of the Year in 2018.
Pixelmator Pro does not have support for panorama stitching.
Acquisition by Apple
On November 1, 2024, the Pixelmator Team announced that they were to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval. Their site promises "There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time." The acquisition was completed in February 2025.
On January 13, 2026, Apple announced that a new version of Pixelmator Pro with AI features would be included in its new Apple Creator Studio subscription, the app would be brought to the iPad and the Mac app would be redesigned with Liquid Glass.
Version history
| Version | Codename | Release date | Notable changes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Whirlwind | November 29, 2017 | Initial release | |
| 1.1 | Monsoon | May 31, 2018 | Added Touch Bar support Added vector import/export support Added SVG and HEIF support Added slice tool Added Tutorials | |
| 1.2 | Quicksilver | October 18, 2018 | Added ML Enhance Batch processing with Automator Added light appearance Supports macOS Mojave | |
| 1.3 | Prism | January 18, 2019 | Added layer tagging, filters, and search Added clip masks | |
| 1.4 | Hummingbird | July 23, 2019 | Added extension for Apple Photos | |
| 1.5 | Avalon | October 10, 2019 | Supports macOS Catalina Added Sidecar support Added ML Noise Removal Performance improvements | |
| 1.6 | Magenta | March 30, 2020 | New color picker Notifies users if a font is missing from the system Performance improvements Added WebP support | |
| 1.7 | Sequoia | July 16, 2020 | Added ML Super Resolution Text can now be placed along paths, improving the ability to make rounded text The canvas can now be freely rotated to any angle | |
| 1.8 | Lynx | September 17, 2020 | Added automation with AppleScript | |
| 2.0 | Junipero | November 18, 2020 | All-new design Support for macOS Big Sur and Apple silicon Macs Added ML Super | |
| 2.1 | Coral | June 29, 2021 | Added ML Crop Rewritten .PSD engine | |
| 2.2 | Carmel | October 25, 2021 | Supports macOS Monterey Supports Shortcuts | |
| 2.3 | Abracadabra | November 23, 2021 | Added AI-powered Magic Background Eraser and Select Subject Added Select and Mask tool Added export to Motion | |
| 2.4 | Odesa | April 12, 2022 | Added color adjustments layers Redesigned layers sidebar Added new vector shapes | |
| 3.0 | Muse | September 22, 2022 | Added 200+ design templates and 16 editable mockups Added AI-powered Smart Replace | |
| 3.1 | Fortuna | November 2, 2022 | Supports macOS Ventura Added AVIF support | |
| 3.2 | Lumière | December 6, 2022 | Added video editing (with accompanying new templates) Added support for MP4, MOV, and other video formats Added ML-based deband | |
| 3.3 | Mosaic | February 28, 2023 | Added Remove Color feature Added Shadow and Highlight Recovery Added Stroke Styles | |
| 3.4 | Camelot | September 11, 2023 | Added advanced PDF support Added Convert to PDF Shortcut | |
| 3.5 | Flare | December 13, 2023 | Full HDR support Full macOS Sonoma support | |
| 3.6 | Archipelago | May 23, 2024 | Redesigned masking AI background masks Full masking compability | |
| 3.7 | —N/a | June 30, 2025 | Support for Apple Intelligence features Image Playground integration Writing Tools integration | |
| 4.0 | —N/a | January 28, 2026 | Now part of Apple Creator Studio |
Applescript
In 2020 Pixelmator Pro added the ability to leverage Apple's automation language 'AppleScript' to automate many tasks in version 1.8 (Lynx). This enabled simple and advanced automation activities such as image resize, crop, color adjustments, format change, moving layers around, and more advanced actions like removing background, Gaussian blur, text replacement, shadows, color replacement, etc.