[CubaMark]

For those (like me) who jumped ship (or are thinking about it) from Adobe Photoshop to Pixelmator - today's update may be of interest:

Pixelmator 2.0.2 Is Out

Apart from the bug fixes, these are the improvements / new features:

• Move Tool improvements
• Ability to select individual layers in layer groups added
• Transform mode constrain proportions option improvements
• Added the ability to duplicate any object by choosing Edit > Duplicate
• Ability to rotate an object by holding down the Command key and dragging an object handle
• Ability to drag and drop PXM files into the image input parameters of filters
• Ability to drag and drop or paste PXM files with preserved layers into a document
• Ability to drag and drop shape and text layers from the Layers palette to the Finder
• Ability to drag and drop layers from the Layers palette to other applications
• Ability to drag and drop images and text from web browsers
• Ability to drag and drop layers from one document window to another in Full Screen mode
• Ability to place an image from another application into the center of a document by dragging and dropping while holding down the Shift key
• Cursor status changes displayed when dragging and dropping
• Ability to copy and paste image, shape and text layers, and layer groups
• Ability to copy layers from the document window to other applications
• Ability to copy and paste any layer from the Layers palette to another document window
• Disabled the Layers palette contextual menu while Transform is in use
• Text, shape and layer group offset adjusted after copying and pasting
• Angle info improvements
• When Info Bar is shown, information labels will not appear
• In-App Help updated
• Localizations improvements​

(Pixelmator.com / Mac App Store)

 

[jayman]

Updating now.

 

[CubaMark]

Sadly, still no Layer Styles. Guess that's in the 2.1 update that they mention is coming...

 

[CubaMark]

For those in need of a OS X 10.7-native replacement for Photoshop - Pixelmator is $15 today (regularly $29), bringing it into "impulse buy" space...

 

[okcomputer]

For those in need of a OS X 10.7-native replacement for Photoshop - Pixelmator is $15 today (regularly $29), bringing it into "impulse buy" space...

Wow. Fantastic deal. Grab it, folks - love this app!

 

[a7mc]

At that price I picked it up. It's great that it opens Photoshop files and seems to work really well... but without layer styles, I can't use it full time unless someone knows of a way to quickly do what I need to do.

The software I'm designing is very simple in design, so I often create layers that are simple rectangles (a left column, a header bar, etc.). Often I need to quickly change the colour of a rectangle, or turn it into a gradient, or add a border... all things I can do with layer styles. Are there any Pixelmator experts out there that know how I can do this?

A7

 

[CubaMark]

If you pop into the Pixelmator forum area, there are discussions on precisely this. Layer styles is one of the top feature requests from users (or should I say "demands" - some folks get really hot and bothered about this stuff).

There are always workarounds to simple things like drop shadows, but anything that required a complex layer style stacking under PS is a challenge in Pixelmator for the moment. I'm sure it's a feature they'll be adding... but nobody knows when.

Some folks have created automated actions for Pixelmator that accomplish some Layer Style features... look around in here.

It should also be noted that Pixelmator has a limited Vector graphics functionality... with EPS and SVG export not yet implemented.

Here's a review, and links to plug-in sites

 

[CubaMark]

MacTrast is giving away 5 copies of Pixelmator today - contest closes at 4pm EST.

#Friday5 - Five Copies of Pixelmator to Give Away + a $20 iTunes Voucher!

(and if you miss it, Pixelmator is still on sale in the Mac App Store for $15)

 

[HenriHelvetica]

This is interesting. Long story short, i've been using an antiquated version of PS, in fact so old that it can't be upgraded with any available product from Adobe. Brutal. So something current would be awesome to take a look at. THX!

... and for $15??

wow.

 

[CubaMark]

...and the goodness keeps on coming from the Pixelmator team....

v.2.2.1 is now available (Mac App Store link). A bunch of improvements (details), but for me the big one is that you're now able to open and save as the original file format. No more saving as Pixelmator format and then exporting a version in the original format. It was a stupid-extra-step process that they've now eliminated (note that this is an option that must be set in the preferences).

And the other big news from Pixelmator: the next release will *finally* include layer styles!

Now if they can just get around to CMYK support, we'll be rockin'!

 

[Joker Eh]

...and the goodness keeps on coming from the Pixelmator team....

v.2.2.1 is now available (Mac App Store link). A bunch of improvements (details), but for me the big one is that you're now able to open and save as the original file format. No more saving as Pixelmator format and then exporting a version in the original format. It was a stupid-extra-step process that they've now eliminated (note that this is an option that must be set in the preferences).

And the other big news from Pixelmator: the next release will *finally* include layer styles!

Now if they can just get around to CMYK support, we'll be rockin'!

:clap::clap:

 

[joltguy]

Pixelmator rocks! I've been using it since the first versions and its steadily gotten better with each release. In the last year they've really picked up the pace of development. With the recent addition of the vector mode tools and shapes it has essentially kicked Photoshop (CS3) to the curb for my uses. I consistently find myself launching Pixelmator first when I've got some design work to do.

 

[eMacMan]

I suspect the vast majority of users will never have need of CMYK as most of us are not prepping for professional offset printing. Those who do, should be willing to spend considerably more than $15, though maybe not the arm and leg pricing of Adobe.

Nice to see this still runs with SL so if the Layer Styles check out I will definitely be switching from the old 32 bit version of PS Elements I currently use.

Oops I see that Layer Styles is still next revision. Oh well!

 

[screature]

I suspect the vast majority of users will never have need of CMYK as most of us are not prepping for professional offset printing. Those who do, should be willing to spend considerably more than $15, though maybe not the arm and leg pricing of Adobe.

Nice to see this still runs with SL so if the Layer Styles check out I will definitely be switching from the old 32 bit version of PS Elements I currently use.

Oops I see that Layer Styles is still next revision. Oh well!

Put me in the minority then because I do a ton of press work. No CMYK is an absolute deal breaker for me.

 

[eMacMan]

Put me in the minority then because I do a ton of press work. No CMYK is an absolute deal breaker for me.

If it is indeed that frequent, then either your employer should be more than willing to cough up the CS price, or it is an irritating, but tax deductible cost of doing business.

Should probably do a poll but I think most users nowadays do not even print their photos. Those that do most likely use either a home printer of some sort or a photolab, both of those work quite well with RGB output.

I know 4-colour offset is not completely dead, but I doubt that the developers could justify trying to include CMYK in an app that clearly is intended to offer a very low cost alternative to consumer targeted programs such as; iPhoto or PhotoShop Elements; rather than PhotoShop CS.

BTW I see that they have finally addressed a very annoying issue, where applying some filters could cause an image to disappear altogether. Might be well worth giving PM another trial now that this issue is supposedly resolved. For me the deal breaker is still the oft promised but never delivered layer styles. Something I use more often than I should be willing to admit.

 

[screature]

If it is indeed that frequent, then either your employer should be more than willing to cough up the CS price, or it is an irritating, but tax deductible cost of doing business.

Should probably do a poll but I think most users nowadays do not even print their photos. Those that do most likely use either a home printer of some sort or a photolab, both of those work quite well with RGB output.

I know 4-colour offset is not completely dead, but I doubt that the developers could justify trying to include CMYK in an app that clearly is intended to offer a very low cost alternative to consumer targeted programs such as; iPhoto or PhotoShop Elements; rather than PhotoShop CS.

BTW I see that they have finally addressed a very annoying issue, where applying some filters could cause an image to disappear altogether. Might be well worth giving PM another trial now that this issue is supposedly resolved. For me the deal breaker is still the oft promised but never delivered layer styles. Something I use more often than I should be willing to admit.

I have both freelance and "on the job" print customers. Lots of people still take out ads in publications and sales forces still use data hard copy for data sheets and the like.

In the graphic design world print is far from being dead.

 

[CubaMark]

Everybody!

Get yer virtual butts over to the Mac App Store NOW. Pixelmator 3.0 is out - with layer styles and other Adobe-abandoning goodness….

The Pixelmator Team today announced Pixelmator 3.0 FX, the most advanced version of Pixelmator to date, featuring Layer Styles, Liquify Tools, and support for new features in OS X Mavericks, delivering blazing fast performance with its new, state-of-the-art image editing engine. Pixelmator 3.0 FX is available today as a free upgrade from the Mac App Store.

“This is the day we’ve been working for since the initial Pixelmator launch and we are absolutely thrilled to bring this massive upgrade to Pixelmator fans,” said Saulius Dailide, of the Pixelmator Team. “Now with Layer Styles, Liquify Tools, and an incredibly faster performance delivered by the new Pixelmator’s state-of-the-art image editing engine, Pixelmator becomes a top-quality, full-featured image editing app for the Mac.​

UPDATE:

…potentially even better news than Layer Styles… according to the newly-updated Pixelmator homepage, v.3.0 now offers CMYK soft proofing…. I have no idea what that means, but if it's an indication that this version has full CMYK support, then Photoshop is definitely going to take a hit...

 

[Joker Eh]

Installed updated and now Pixelmater shows up twice in my applications folder but only once in Launchpad. When I look under the Application folder one says date modified was Yesterday and size is 65.8 MB, the other has some sort of progress bar that doesn't move. When I try to delete the one with the progress bar is says "you are moving items in use by other applications" so I stopped it.

 

[CubaMark]

Sounds like your download was pooched for some reason… and the original Pixelmator v.2.2.x hasn't been deleted yet. Can you re-start the download in the Mac App Store?

 

[Joker Eh]

Sounds like your download was pooched for some reason… and the original Pixelmator v.2.2.x hasn't been deleted yet. Can you re-start the download in the Mac App Store?

I can start the app and it says it is installed in the Mac App Store. So I wonder if I trash the app and try and re-install it via MAS