Pixelmator Review: Pixelmator Image Editor

Pixelmator is a must-have. There, I said it. If you're a casual user who has outgrown the limited image editing capabilities of iPhoto, but you don't need the full-blown approach of Photoshop, not to mention its steep learning curve and budget-wrenching cost, Pixelmator may be the perfect solution.

Pixelmator stands out from other image editors, not only for its budget-friendly price – a mere $59 – but also because of its strengths, including ease of use, a wide variety of tools and capabilities, and the ability to use a Mac's graphics card to whiz through complex edits.

Pixelmator, from Pixelmator Team Ltd., was one of the first Core Image-aware applications I ran across, back in 2007, after Apple had recently released the Core Image technology in OS X 10.4. Core Image provides pixel-accurate, real-time, non-destructive image editing, and Pixelmator made use of the then-new technology in an amazing editing application.

Pixelmator is up to version 1.5 as of this review. While still young as applications go, Pixelmator has become one of the more robust, easy to use, and powerful image editing applications available for the Mac.

At only $59, Pixelmator is not a replacement for high-end image manipulation programs, but it can easily meet the needs of casual and semi-pro photographers, as well as anyone who needs to edit images or create new ones from scratch, such as web or print designers.

Interface

Pixelmator's interface will seem familiar the moment you launch it. With a dark theme for windows and palettes, Pixelmator lets you focus on the image you're currently creating or editing. You can use Pixelmator windowed, which leaves your Mac desktop and any open windows visible in the background, or full screen, and work exclusively with Pixelmator and the current image. You can also move the floating palettes into any arrangement you wish, and select which palettes should be visible.

Pixelmator feels both familiar and new. The new feel comes from the details in the user interface. This is no thrown-together UI, but one that was carefully thought out and designed. It looks gorgeous running on a Mac.

Another UI nicety is that Pixelmator uses many of the same shortcuts as Photoshop. If you use Photoshop at work, you'll feel right at home using Pixelmator at home.

My favorite UI element is the way Pixelmator handles constraints to tools. Instead of a dialog box to set constraints, or a fly-out palette or menu, Pixelmator uses a separate constraints palette that always shows the current settings for the current tool. You can easily set any tool options you want using this same constraint palette.

Tools

All the usual suspects are here, including pen, pencil, brushes, selection tools, cropping tools, text tools, an eye dropper, blends, and more. Pixelmator is layer based, so you can build up layers to create effects. It also has more than 130 filters to choose from. When you apply a filter, or for that matter, do anything that requires a bit of processing, Pixelmator will tell you what it's doing and when it's done. You can also use Pixelmator with Apple's Automator to create preset workflows and automated processes, a great way to batch process images.

Wrap up

Pixemator is a feature-rich image editor that provides power and versatility at an unbelievably attractive price. A trial version of Pixelmator is available. Take it for a spin; you won't be disappointment.