Today the Pixelmator Team released Pixelmator 2.2, a major update of their innovative, easy-to-use, fast and powerful image editing app. Pixelmator 2.2 Blueberry features new, easy-to-use Smart Shape, Move and Paint Selection Tools, and a new Light Leak effect for creating retro-artistically illuminated images. Pixelmator 2.2 Blueberry is available today as a free update from the Mac App Store.
“We’re excited to deliver even more, easy-to-use, advanced features to our Pixelmator fans and continue to create the best and most enjoyable image editing experience,” said Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team, in a statement. “With new state-of-the-art Smart Shape Tools, people can fully enhance their images, create logos, Web layouts, posters, and much more, all easier than ever before.”
Pixelmator 2.2 Blueberry comes with more than 100 new features and improvements, including:
• Smart Shapes Tools, which let you quickly adjust a shape’s outline with easy-to-use controls to get just the look you’re after;
• Shapes palette packed with dozens of readily available shapes that are as easy to add as dragging and dropping;
• Shape Style palette, so you can effortlessly create more polished and advanced shapes;
• Convert Text into Shape, which allows you to convert type layers to shape layers and then easily apply gradients, shadows, strokes, or even reshape individual letters;
• Smart Move Tool, which knows when you are working with image or shape layers and gives you just the options you need at that time;
• Paint Selection Tool, which is the simplest and the fastest way to make even the most challenging selections in your images with just a few brush strokes; and
• Light Leak effect, which makes it easy and fun to create stunning, retro-artistically illuminated images from any of your photos.
Additional features include the new Color Popovers for quicker access to color swatches, new gradient presets, improved drawing tools, an improved Type Tool, the ability to copy and paste shape styles, and major performance improvements.
For existing Pixelmator customers who purchased the app from the Mac App Store, the new update is free.
Pixelmator 2.2 is available at a promotional price of US$14.99 here: Pixelmator – Pixelmator TeamPixelmator 2.2 – Mac App Store
MacDailyNews Take: We’ve been using Pixelmator daily for years now and highly recommend the application.
Related articles:
Pixelmator 2.2 a legitimate Photoshop replacement that costs just $14.99 – May 8, 2013
Pixelmator 2.1.3 released with CMYK support, soft-proofing, and more – November 8, 2012
Pixelmator 2.1 released; major update supports OS X Mountain Lion, iCloud, MacBook Pro with Retina display and more – August 9, 2012
just downloaded my update. this is a very good application.
Have been using Pixelmator for years instead of Photoshop as well. Since the introduced good layer support, we never looked back. Now if there was a vector graphics editing application of a similar quality that could replace Illustrator we could completely abandon Adobe products.
One can dream….
“Now if there was a vector graphics editing application of a similar quality that could replace Illustrator we could completely abandon Adobe products.”
That would be great!
Soon after Macromedia was acquired by Adobe they simply allowed Freehand to die a slow death by not upgrading the program. Even though Freehand was superior in many ways: workflow, features, cleaner interface, easier to use to name a few.
Before the Macromedia acquisition Freehand was the preferred choice of international graphics services like the Associated Press, Gannett, Knight-Ridder Tribune (now MCT) and others. Comments on professional graphics blogs asking to update Freehand or incorporate features fell mostly on deaf ears.
Looks like Apple has a couple choices:
1) Buy Adobe.
2) Offer superior competitive products.
Pluck more Adobe key people, improve Apple products and price products lower. As we have seen with FCPX — the masses for the first time would have access to professional tools at kitchen table prices.
In light of the impending subscription debacle, forced bundling of products years ago ending choice to buy a single program (a la cable/satellite pricing packages) not programs you do not need, and consistently high prices for modest improvements every 18 months you may or may not need.
Adios, Adobe.
Apple, DON’T Even THINK of aquiring Adobe! Put the $ into buying or backing Pixelmator and pluck those programmers.
Illustrator works to create art but sucks for print houses. Files are humongous & choke RIPs. Pre-press shops loved Freehand. That’s why Adobe bought it and KILLED IT! The subscription model could strangle arrogant & over-priced Adobe. Good Riddance!
Well, easier than eating ice-cream on a winter day, one can simply rasterize those pesky vector files before having your rip choke.
Pesky Illustrator. Rasterize solution works well using Photoshop. Uh, oh … not them again. 😉
Yes, certainly devote more resources to improve Pixelmator and let’s move beyond Photoshop for many reasons already mentioned.
Complex work in Freehand always translated into much small file sizes compared to Illustrator. Suspect the main culprints (culprits) was the way both programs handled gradients (math vs. shapes), layers and special effects.
Let’s also keep our fingers crossed an Apple vector graphics program offering is on the horizon to compete with dense and bloated Illustrator.
I keep an older Mac around and Freehand MX works mighty fine in Snow Leopard. But alas, nowhere to go from there …
Cracket?
The pick fell on my foot … 🙂
I use Pixelmator all the time. There are a few effects using plugins that I have been using Photoshop for. But I just started looking around for some Pixelmator tutorial videos and I’m excited to say I have found ways to replicate most of these effects, at least the way they look visually. I’ll be trying them out and hopefully can remove Photoshop from my hard drive once and for all.
Not sure where I first heard of Pixelmator but I’ve been using it for years and I LOVE IT. I used to use Adobe Elements but Pixelmator is so easy to use as soon as I got it I have not looked back. One thing I really appreciate about Pixelmator is the community. There are several great web sites full of tutorials that help you use it. There are obviously a ton of Photoshop tutorials but sorting through the ones just for elements or for the right version can be a pain. Pixelmator has some great ones on their web site and on some sister sites. Look for anything by Sebastian – that guys is a GU-RU!
Does it finally have easy drop shadows?
What’s easy? All shadow attributes update live, like dragging the direction knob spins and so does the shadow.
Originally I was playing with drop shadow on a portion of the image I had copied, and that’s just an effect.
But for the last couple minutes I’ve been playing with it on vector objects, and I’m in love. I went back to Illustrator to refresh my memory of how you do it there and the two programs are completely different in their approach. And I would say Pixelmator is exactly what I think of when I think of drop shadow. Illustrator is applying shadow to the stroke. Pixelmator is shadowing the stroke but clipping to the object (clipped to the outside for an inner shadow, clipped to the shape for an outer shadow). And I love that it’s live, fast and fluid. (Caveat: I’m an Illustrator expert only for those topics I’ve watched on YouTube 😉
Illustrator CS5 and CS6 have options to stroke the vector path, inside, outside or centre of the path. I still earn good coin working in illustrator, it has a load to offer… however it is an expensive application.
Pixelmator, Blueberry 2.2 is a joy to use. Layers and effects and vector masking and layer masking plus vector shapes have brought plenty more power to the app.
And at 15 bucks this application is not to be missed.
Thou shall not be disappointed.
@ h2a
Yes you can now apply shadows, yet, from shape you use or create, with the shape tool (vectors). The settings allow for shadow casting in pallet option there.
No, there still is no layer setting like in Photoshop – where you would apply layer effects to live pixels. Shadow, emboss, inner glow… those effects to layers are not yet available in Pixelmator to painted pixels… but true to vectors. However, you can rasterize the vectors which do have shadow and image effects.
Just in time to blow Creative Cloud outta the sky!!
Does Pixelmator do CYMK separations yet?
There is a CMYK effect, so I looked up CMYK in Help. There isn’t anything in Export or similar (that I could) see. So I looked in Help for CYMK and there isn’t help. There IS help for CMYK, and here is just the last two paragraphs from that section – it may help you decide:
Other Color models: Other well-known color models are CMYK, Lab, and Indexed Colors. Though Pixelmator understands images saved using these color models, it will convert them to sRGB when opening an image.
CMYK Myth: There is a myth that if you want to prepare an image for print, you have to work in the CMYK color model. That is not true. Being a naturally narrow color model for printing devices, CMYK has less image editing capabilities and usually produces a poorer quality. When working with images for print, one should edit them in the RGB color model and then rely on RGB-to-CMYK converting applications.
Alternately, if an image is being prepared for professional printing, RGB-to-CMYK conversion should be carried out by specialists.
Pixelmator is perhaps great for screen media but not good for print. You need to individually edit CMYK colors for printing. Converting is one thing but making sure your colors are accurate in the print range is a whole different story.
Photoshop is still the standard though I don’t like Adobe’s business model one bit. I’m going to try out this latest version of Pixelmator.
Bang on MEES.
Pixelmator is a wonderful tool at an amazing price.
It is not yet a Photoshop Terminator.
Vs 3 anybody ?
True the image editing tools and effects may be more limiting in the different colour spaces. Though, Pixelmator, just does not allow for working in CMYK mode. You can soft proof your work. However, I disagree partially with the Myth provided as help.
I prefer working in CMYK mode, knowing well at the values and readings before printing met the desired ranges. And, no, not rely on rgb to cmyk conversion. Colour matching is critical, by no means will I trust at any time a pantone colour value to be converted to cmyk – so neither would I trust rgb.
“Colour matching is critical, by no means will I trust at any time a pantone colour value to be converted to cmyk – so neither would I trust rgb.”
Agree color matching is critical and conversions vary. But it is impossible to guarantee 100% color accuracy.
Work born in RGB or Pantone colors converted to CMYK values, as you know, the readings vary between programs. Suspect your work originates in CMYK and converted/exported elsewhere as needed.
Your favorite Rich Black, cool or warm?
50C, 40M, 40Y, 100K.
The new effects are amazing. I just wasted, er creatively investigated, converting a face to an LED reader board. Hint: roll your mouse around on top of an effect tile to get a preview of what it will do (inspired by Final Cut Pro X effects?!).
Even if your a Pro, that price is steal. Go get it and support Pixelmator development.
WOW, such praise for an 8Bit app. Sorry but as good as pixilmator is until it supports 16bit images its still not up to pro levels. I have a print shop and would love to use this instead of adobe’s big bloated apps but please, this isn’t ready for the pro world yet.
Then theres separations, sRGB only and on and on.
Hopefully in a few years they are ready as I love the UI but its just not there yet.
To bad.
Don’t you think the needs of a print shop are substantially different than 90% of all users who need to do image editing these days?
I have some of my work used as cover art on national publications and inside to illustrate articles and have had no problem providing content to the publishers and their print houses.
“Sorry but as good as pixilmator is until it supports 16bit images its still not up to pro levels.”
It does say PRO levels.
Anyone looking for a replacement for Adobe Illustrator should try Intaglio. More expensive than Pixelmator but still low cost compared to Illustrator.
http://www.purgatorydesign.com/Intaglio/
I second that emotion. Been using Intaglio for years.