Pro-level image editing usually means hundreds of options divided into dozens of windows, panels, menus, and tabs, but the photo-editing community will soon have access to a professional-grade, artificially intelligent software with a minimalist interface. Announced Tuesday, Pixelmator Pro 1.0 is a Mac photo editor designed to mix high-end tools with a simpler interface.
Coming from the same company behind the $30 budget Pixelmator, Pixelmator Pro uses a single-window interface for non-destructive photo editing, according to the developers. Unlike the original, Pixelmator Pro includes a number of more pro-level features, including RAW support.
AI is behind a number of the program’s features, including a repair tool for removing unwanted objects quickly, matching the gap using data from the surrounding pixels. Images can also automatically be straightened by detecting the horizon in the shot. A quick selection tool is also powered by AI, along with a tool that automatically names the layers in the file.
Pixelmator Pro includes a number of non-destructive edits, which allows users to go back and modify edits without deleting everything that has happened since. The non-destructive tools include color adjustments, effects, styles and layout tools. The program is also equipped with a number of presets, allowing users to create their own custom quick edits by combining and saving multiple steps. The program also includes dual texture brushes and power-painting tools, as well as reshaping, text, type and vector options.
The developer says the program was designed exclusively for working with images on a Mac, resulting in an interface with a dark color scheme and a simple, one-window view, with full screen and split screen viewing options. The company says that workflow makes it easy for beginners new to photo editing, as well as users moving from another Mac program. Support for the Touch Bar and iCloud is also built in.
“Pixelmator Pro offers every tool you could ever need to create, edit, and enhance images on a Mac in a beautiful, user-centered interface,” Saulius Dailide, one of the Pixelmator founders, said in a statement “And with its GPU-powered, machine learning-enhanced tools, it’s truly one of the most advanced and innovative image editing apps on the planet.”
The new software is expected to launch this fall inside the Mac App Store. The company hasn’t yet released pricing information, but the original Pixelmator sells for a $30 download.
