Pixelmator

Last updated

Pixelmator
Original author Pixelmator Team
Developer Apple Inc.
Initial release25 September 2007
Stable release
  • Pixelmator Pro: 4.0 (January 28, 2026;14 days ago (2026-01-28) [1] ) [±]
  • Photomator: 3.4.13 (January 28, 2026;14 days ago (2026-01-28) [2] ) [±]
Written in Swift, Objective-C
Operating system macOS, iOS, iPadOS
Type Graphics software
License Proprietary
Website www.apple.com/pixelmator-pro/

Pixelmator is a series of graphics editors developed by Apple for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Pixelmator apps leverage Apple-specific technologies such as CoreML and Metal. [3] Pixelmator uses a proprietary format across their apps (.PXD), but supports editing a variety of file types including Photoshop, RAW, and WebP. [4]

Contents

History

Pixelmator Team was founded in 2007 by Lithuanian brothers Saulius and Aidas Dailidė. [5] and released Pixelmator (now Pixelmator Classic) 1.0 in September of the same year. [6] The company resided in Vilnius, Lithuania. [7] In November 2024, Pixelmator Team agreed to be acquired by Apple for an unknown monetary amount, which was completed on 11 February 2025, the company was later folded into Apple with its products coming under them fully. [8] [9]

Pixelmator Classic

Pixelmator Classic was the original version of Pixelmator released for Mac on 25 September 2007. It uses a palette-style interface with floating toolbars compared to Pixelmator Pro's single-window interface. It is no longer being updated and has been delisted from the Mac App Store. [10]

Pixelmator iOS

Pixelmator for iOS launched on 23 October 2014 as an iPad-exclusive app with touch-optimized versions of Pixelmator's desktop features. [11] In May 2015, Pixelmator for iOS 2.0 was released with support for the iPhone. [12]

Apple no longer updates Pixelmator for iOS as of 13 January 2026 [13] , shortly before the release of Pixelmator Pro for iPad.[ citation needed ]

Pixelmator Pro

Pixelmator Pro is an image, video, [14] and vector [15] editing software for macOS that launched on 29 November 2017. It was a paid upgrade for Pixelmator Classic users, featuring a redesigned interface, a graphics pipeline rewritten using Metal, Apple silicon support and a greater focus on ML/AI editing features. [16]

On 28 January 2026, Apple announced Apple Creator Studio, a subscription bundle for their professional software that contains Pixelmator Pro. [17] They also brought Pixelmator Pro to iPad, shortly after discontinuing Pixelmator iOS. [18]

Photomator

Photomator (formerly Pixelmator Photo [19] ) is a photo-oriented editing app which launched on iPad in 2019, [20] on iOS in 2021, [21] and macOS in 2022. [22] After launching the macOS version, the app moved from a one-time purchase to a subscription; however, a lifetime license can still be purchased for $99. [22]

Photomator differentiates itself from other Pixelmator apps with features such as batch editing of full photoshoots and AI-powered color correction. Edits in Photomator are made on a single layer and are non-destructive. [23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "‎Pixelmator Pro: Edit Images App - App Store" . Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "‎Photomator – Photo Editor App - App Store" . Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  3. ↑ "Pixelmator Pro image tool with CoreML, Metal 2 enhancements coming in the fall to iOS, macOS". AppleInsider. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  4. ↑ Team, Pixelmator. "Tech Specs - Pixelmator Pro". Tech Specs - Pixelmator Pro. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "New Mac Company Introduces the World's First GPU-powered Image Editor - Pixelmator Blog". www.pixelmator.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "More image editors for the rest of us | Macworld". Macworld. 28 September 2007. Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Pixelmator Team". www.pixelmator.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  8. ↑ Roth, Emma (1 November 2024). "Apple is acquiring the popular image editing app Pixelmator". The Verge . Vox Media . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  9. ↑ Hall, Zac (11 February 2025). "Apple officially owns Pixelmator and Photomator". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  10. ↑ Team, Pixelmator. "Upgrade to Pixelmator Pro - Pixelmator". Upgrade to Pixelmator Pro - Pixelmator. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  11. ↑ Parker, Jason. "Pixelmator for iPad review: The best image editor on the iPad". CNET. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  12. ↑ "Pixelmator for iPhone Is Now Available - Pixelmator Blog". www.pixelmator.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Christoffel, Ryan (13 January 2026). "Apple confirms Pixelmator for iOS will no longer receive updates - 9to5Mac". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  14. ↑ "Pixelmator Pro 3.2 for Mac Introduces Video Editing Support". MacRumors. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Mayo, Benjamin (31 May 2018). "Pixelmator Pro updated with Touch Bar support, SVG editing, advanced web export and slicing tools". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  16. ↑ Jackie Dove (23 January 2018). "Pixelmator Pro Review: Still a Powerful Bargin". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  17. ↑ Clover, Juli (28 January 2026). "Apple's 'Creator Studio' App Bundle Now Available for $12.99 Per Month". MacRumors. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  18. ↑ Christoffel, Ryan (28 January 2026). "Pixelmator Pro launches on iPad, here's what the new app can do - 9to5Mac". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on 3 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  19. ↑ Mayo, Benjamin (12 April 2023). "Pixelmator Photo renamed to Photomator, adds AI-powered subject selection and more". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  20. ↑ Juli Clover (9 April 2019). "Pixelmator Photo for iPad Now Available [Updated]". MacRumors. Archived from the original on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  21. ↑ Stephen Warwick (16 December 2021). "Pixelmator Photo arrives on iPhone". iMore. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  22. 1 2 Mendez, Andrew (18 August 2022). "Pixelmator Photo is coming to Mac with sub-based model". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  23. ↑ "Photomator Photo Editor Now Available on Mac". MacRumors. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.