Thoughts on low-resolution images

What features would you like to see in Pixelmator Pro?
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2021-01-31 17:07:19

I have a batch of old slide photos that I'm editing through. They're very small-sized images, but Pixelmator's awesome ML Super Resolution makes the old photos shine again! I am annoyed, however, that (due to the images' small size), they appear tiny every time I open each image in Pixelmator Pro from the Photos app extension. Each time, I have to zoom in on the photo before I work on it just so I can see it clearly. I get it - the photos are small. Even though they're low-resolution (to begin with), I just want them to appear large so I don't have to zoom first each and every time just to see what I'm doing.

One idea is to show a prompt when Pixelmator Pro notices a low-resolution image coming into the app. "Do you want to use ML Super Resolution?" or something of that nature. That would also save me having to remember the keyboard shortcut for it.

Finally, one bug I've noticed is that when I open these images in Pixelmator from the Photos app in Big Sur, I oftentimes can't use the ML Super Resolution keyboard shortcut until I zoom in on the photo or click on a tool. I get a bonk sound, as if ML Super Resolution isn't activating. I have to zoom or click on a tool first, and then use the shortcut.

Thank you all for making Pixelmator Pro awesome.
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2021-02-01 14:06:54

Thanks for the feedback! Pixelmator Pro opens images at 100%, i.e. the original image size. It's often the default behavior in image editors and is important for various workflows. As a workaround, you could use the Command + 0 shortcut to zoom your image to automatically fit your screen.
One idea is to show a prompt when Pixelmator Pro notices a low-resolution image coming into the app. "Do you want to use ML Super Resolution?" or something of that nature. That would also save me having to remember the keyboard shortcut for it.
That's an interesting idea. Something worth considering, for sure.
Finally, one bug I've noticed is that when I open these images in Pixelmator from the Photos app in Big Sur, I oftentimes can't use the ML Super Resolution keyboard shortcut until I zoom in on the photo or click on a tool. I get a bonk sound, as if ML Super Resolution isn't activating. I have to zoom or click on a tool first, and then use the shortcut.
We've reported this to the Apple engineers. Hopefully, we'll have a fix with the macOS 11.2 update.
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2021-02-28 01:38:35

Thank you, Aurelija! I didn't know about the Command + 0 shortcut. I'll give that a try.
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2021-03-02 09:32:52

No problem. Hope the shortcut helps!