Pixelmator Team unveils Pixelmator Pro 3.0 with more than 200 stunning design templates and mockups

Discuss the latest Pixelmator news.
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2022-10-16 05:57:52

Not engagement, disappointment.

Vote would be ok, but honestly, as I said before, I’m not for surprises, specially not after the templates' charade, their deafening silence speaks volumes too. In Mexico, we say “Al buen entendedor, pocas palabras”.

And yup, it seems Apple execs are as confused as I am because they perceived Pixelmator products as the same type of Pro as I did. So much so that they prominently featured Pixelmator Photo in a film that exudes Proness, or what Pro means in my industry at least. It was the only third-party app in it, that’s big. Never heard them saying “Apple, please take down that ad, we are just for regular and casual users, you are sending the wrong message”.

When you build hype, you have to live up to it.
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2022-10-16 09:38:50

Then it is disappointment on your side. Y he entendido tu phrase pero es solo una phrase…
I am very happy with the updates and pix pro I think it is amazing and for an affordable price.
That it needs more updates, sure but they did a really good job.

What features do you need next regarding priority?
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2022-10-16 16:54:42

Well, of course, is disappointment on my side. I doubt Pixelmator is disappointed at me.

The phrase was meant for them, not for you (unless you, are them 🕵️‍♂️), by not replying to any of our comments on this thread they are affirming our suspicions. Pixelmator Pro is not only becoming a subscription sooner than later (Andrius clarified that it was likely to happen = it's going to happen), but that the apps will be geared increasingly towards the needs for social media creation, and if any feature happens to be favorable for professionals, is just a collateral bonus, a juxtaposition. But industry professionals are not the target market.

It appears that making already simple tasks even simpler is the goal; rather than making the complex actions every professional has to cope with everyday more pleasing and enjoyable. Turning layers visibility on and off was already super easy, not only on Pixelmator, but on every single layer-based graphics app, why make it — arguably — easier when there's a plethora of urgent things? I'd say because it was the perfect “gift” that no one would've paid for, before turning to a subscription model, “see we're not greedy, we gave you templates! For free! On our first 3.0 release no less”, I’m sure there was a lot of work involved in making templates, but every single thing you can do with templates was already possible before with the same number of clicks (maybe even less).

What features I needed first? Every single thing on that list is high priority, if your raster/vector editing software doesn't do those, you are below the bare minimum, closer to a Photoshop Elements, or Pages and Keynote than to a graphics application. But the list is, in fact, in order, from critical, to urgent.

Needed, in past tense, I already migrated all of my important projects to Affinity.
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2022-10-17 08:51:24

Hi everyone, I can see the addition of templates has been a little controversial on the forum, so let me address a few points about why we decided to add them and what our plans for Pixelmator Pro are over the longer term.

First of all, why do we think that templates are a good thing to have in the app? Pro apps can be difficult to get started with for users who want to begin mastering a powerful tool but don't have much experience. We want people to be able to create something that looks good quickly so they can see that it's possible and are encouraged to continue using the app. What's more, the features added along with templates make it much easier to create reusable designs and, using things like Document Colors, to quickly customize existing ones. Finally, unsurprisingly, we take inspiration from native Apple apps, both pro-oriented ones like FCP and Motion and consumer‑oriented ones like Pages and Keynote. The latter two have some great templates and we think a native app like ours needs to have something similar.

As for this feature request list, here's the situation regarding each of those features:

• Warp Transform: High on the list of priorities, but not currently in development. We planned to add it this year, but it looks like next year is the best bet.
• Transform Repeat: This looks interesting but as far as I can see it doesn't make sense without the feature below. Once that's added, then maybe.
• Change Anchor Center: On our roadmap but more for the medium-term future.
• Gradient Mesh: On the roadmap. We plan to coordinate this with the addition of nondestructive transforms to Pixelmator Photo on Mac because part of the codebase would be shared.
• Gradient on a Path: Not currently on our roadmap.
• CMYK Workspace: Not currently on our roadmap.
• Printing Workflow: Not currently on our roadmap. Generally speaking, specialized printing workflows are currently not a top priority.
• Symbols: With the addition of templates, this is something we've been considering.
• Flowing Text (inside shapes): Not currently on our roadmap.
• Text Linking/Colums: Not currently on our roadmap.
• Artboards: Not currently on our roadmap.
• Photo Stacking: This would be more appropriate for Pixelmator Photo and it's something we're considering.
• Photo Merging: This would be more appropriate for Pixelmator Photo as well and it's also something we're considering.
• AI upscale (GigaPixel): This is already available – the feature is called Super Resolution. Or are you looking for something different?
• PDF export with SVG/Text: Currently in active development.
• Preview vectors without pixels: This one is under consideration.
• Macros (Shortcuts are not macros): Probably not, but not outside the realms of possibility.
• More vector tools: On the roadmap.
• Nondestructive Corner Rounder: On the roadmap.
• Robust Brush Engine: Could you clarify what robust means? There are things we'd like to improve with our paint engine, but I'm not sure if we're referring to the same things.
• Basic Timeline for Sequenced Animation (Procreate): This is a cool feature but probably wouldn't make much sense in an app like Pixelmator Pro.
• Exporting Templates for Pages (this actually makes sense): This would be interesting to explore…
• Photoshop, Figma and Affinity import-export: We already have PSD import-export – as for the other two, probably not something we'd add.
• Lens corrections: This was in development a while ago but was put on the back burner for a bit. We'll be getting back to it in the relatively near future and it should be added.
• Waveform Scope: Interesting, something we'd like to explore.
• Vectorscope: Interesting, something we'd like to explore.
• Frequency Separation: We already have a High Pass effect, we're considering adding a Low Pass effect and, with effects layers, this should already be possible, as shown in this video tutorial. If you have any suggestions about how you'd like to see us improve or address this, do let us know.
• Paginated Layouts: Probably not something we'd add.
• Isometric Grid: Interesting, but probably not something we'd add.
• Laboratory Made Filmstock Emulation Presets/LUTS: More presets would be nice to add and this would fall in the same category.
• Dynamic Styles (like CSS classes): Probably not something we'd add.
• Select Same: Not outside the realms of possibility and some of the infrastructure is there with the Document Colors feature but not currently on our roadmap.
• Notes: Not currently on our roadmap.
• History with forks: A history feature is something we're considering but forks aren't.
• Image Reference Pane: Not currently on our roadmap.
• Live Text: This would be interesting, though it would be a bit of an issue handling the UI for different layers considering we'd use the native Apple implementation of this.

As a final note, if we added all those features (along with all the others that we're working on), Pixelmator Pro would most likely turn into quite an unwieldy app so, for certain specialized features, we do have to draw the line somewhere. But a lot of the things you've mentioned we're either working on, plan to add, or are considering.
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2022-10-17 19:04:19

Oh, there you are! @Andrius, thanks for replying in detail. Really appreciated.
by Andrius As a final note, if we added all those features (along with all the others that we're working on), Pixelmator Pro would most likely turn into quite an unwieldy app so, for certain specialized features, we do have to draw the line somewhere. But a lot of the things you've mentioned we're either working on, plan to add, or are considering.
Yes, that line is now visible, but that is one squiggly line mate, obtuse.

AppleScript is unwieldy, CMYK is easy; one I can teach you in 30 minutes with no prior knowledge, and it will be useful for the rest of your creative/professional life, the other is like having COBOL as the only means to access the advanced presets on a modern microwave.

Final Cut Pro is a super powerful and somehow an easy professional NLE, but Apple knows VFX and key framed animations are far too complex and technical, out of the beginners scope, so they made Motion with a gorgeous graph editor and all. Pixelmator (superbly) exports files to Motion! Not Pages nor Keynote, but Motion, the After Effects of our ecosystem, so this boundary line is perplexing.



While I’m strongly against your position on not implementing CMYK or printing workflows, I grasp where are you coming from. Regardless, I suggest you make one of your beautiful tutorials explaining precisely how to go about it, recommend which colors will and will not work. And please, either remove the print section on the templates or adjust those templates to look good on print.



The absence of flowing text, text linking and updatable paragraph styles (what I mean by CSS dynamic styles) are interesting omissions and ultimately dealbreakers for anyone, I'd say. It appears to me to be something that a beginner would find particularly important, Pages, Keynote and even Numbers do this. Being limited by rectangular text boxes is quite frustrating, even on the most basic designs. Moreover, within the templating rhetoric, filling or adjusting text on a multi-column template would make a regular user pull his eyes out of the sockets with a spoon out of desperation.

Without select same or paragraph styles, you'd need to select each section subtitle on a say, family-owned restaurant menu, manually, one by one, just to change the color or font. Layer filtering doesn't account for styles, so there is no other way, unless, you plan and tag in advance to select these items easily. Sounds more like what I, a developer would need to do on a stylesheet and not what regular John would do, specially when the properties are already there on each object, easy to target. Backwards logic.



As for the paint engine, by robust I meant extensive, wrong word, my bad, we're referring to the same things indeed. Force Click support that was once there, not for painting perse, but photo retouching, a reason enough not to buy a graphics tablet; color dynamics would be great, and it would address the gradient on path.
by Andrius Basic Timeline for Sequenced Animation (Procreate): This is a cool feature but probably wouldn't make much sense in an app like Pixelmator Pro.
 
It would make all the sense, if you have extensive support for Motion, you are acknowledging animation workflows, Motion doesn't have it because curiously is in Motion where it doesn't fit. Photoshop, Procreate, Krita, Clip Studio, they all have it for a good reason.

Without isometric grids, what’s the best approach for isometric designs? Maybe add support for diagonal guides then.

ML Super resolution is not the same as Gigapixel or Remini, yours makes moderately low res images usable at a ~20% upscale, the others literally put stuff there that wasn't there before.

Image

Lastly, let me turn off the damn templates on the new file window. 
User avatar

2022-10-17 19:58:12

And I’m sorry to beat a dead horse here but, if you wanted to make the app more approachable for beginners, comprehensive tutorials (like the ones you have) are how you do that, not dumbing down the tool. Make the user smarter, not the tool stupid.
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2022-10-18 05:54:20

by MATTEMOTTO And I’m sorry to beat a dead horse here but, if you wanted to make the app more approachable for beginners, comprehensive tutorials (like the ones you have) are how you do that, not dumbing down the tool. Make the user smarter, not the tool stupid.
I disagree. Most people want it easy not watching tutorials only in case it is absolutely necessary. Going with templates and extending on it is the way to go like with canvas.
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2022-10-18 07:09:25

On the contrary, I think you just about agree 100% with me but haven't realized what is the main point of what I'm trying to communicate: Pixelmator Pro is not a professional graphics application, is an application for beginners and enthusiasts. Which is fine, my problem is that it is presented as one, no application meant for production in a professional setting would give priority to simple stuff for amateurs over things that professionals, with professional money would pay for. That's why many professional tools are ugly because the priority is the job and performance, not the ease of use, striking a balance is really hard. But a graphics app without CMYK can't, and never will be a professional graphics app, even Canva has stronger CMYK support.

By the time Pixelmator Pro gets some updates mentioned above, Affinity will be in version 2.0 and super polished, Photos app already does 95% of what Pixelmator Photo does, and it does many things Pixelmator Photo doesn't. They are in a tough spot.

People like me cherished them and supported them over the years from the shadows, turning many of our (industry) peers to use their apps. Like helping the weird new kid at school to make friends, but when he got popular, he turned his back on us, like Lucas from Stranger Things.

In software development, there’s this chart where you have discoverability on the left and expressiveness on the right, regular users need discoverability, professional users need expressiveness at the cost of steep learning curves; there is no escape to this reality. Pixelmator might feel easier and approachable, and if you know your way around most things are possible, but by the time you jumped all the hoops and created extraneous workarounds you've spent ten times more than in a complex tool; you are basically exchanging density and power for time.
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2022-11-11 16:13:38

by simonasd
Yes! You can customize the templates any way you want, and create entirely new ones from scratch with all the same functionality. We just released two new tutorial videos showing how you can customize templates and mockups - you can find them here and here.

As for creating new templates from scratch, the most important things to know are that by using the new Format > Advanced menu, you can now define layer groups as Alternative Elements which will let you single out a layer and cycle between whichever one is active (e.g. the lighting options in the Mockups) and, by the same token, you can now define layers as Placeholders, letting you replace them via on-canvas controls to any images from your storage, Photos library, or Clipboard, automatically removing their backgrounds and upscaling them if needed. Not to mention that the new Document Colors feature will automatically detect the active colors nondestructively applied to your image, and you can set up custom palettes to alter all of them in an instant. You can find out more in our User Guide article on templates here.

Regarding both of your mentions of CMYK, Pixelmator Pro features both CMYK softproofing and export. If you're referring to native CMYK editing, I'm sorry to say that's not likely to make it into Pixelmator Pro any time soon.

Also, could you elaborate on what functionality you're referring to when you say "bleed"? Are you referring to margin settings when setting an image up for print?
Super!!! This is what I have been looking for. We have the same work over and over.
It will save my time and I can go for some beers!!!

Thank you :)
User avatar

2023-09-23 10:32:30

Love the new features!
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2023-09-28 14:27:35

by LaurentP Hi,
Thanks, but for professional work, as a graphic designer I need to use CMYK profile... and bleed 😅
Have a nice day.
EXACTLY!
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2024-01-03 22:11:24

I know this is an old thread, but credit where credit is due, Congratulations on all the hard work and those shiny awards!
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2024-02-15 07:43:32

by Andrius Hi everyone, I can see the addition of templates has been a little controversial on the forum, so let me address a few points about why we decided to add them and what our plans for Pixelmator Pro are over the longer term.

First of all, why do we think that templates are a good thing to have in the app? Pro apps can be difficult to get started with for users who want to begin mastering a powerful tool but don't have much experience. We want people to be able to create something that looks good quickly so they can see that it's possible and are encouraged to continue using the app. What's more, the features added along with templates make it much easier to create reusable designs and, using things like Document Colors, to quickly customize existing ones. Finally, unsurprisingly, we take inspiration from native Apple apps, both pro-oriented ones like FCP and Motion and consumer‑oriented ones like Pages and Keynote. The latter two have some great templates and we think a native app like ours needs to have something similar.

As for this feature request list, here's the situation regarding each of those features:

• Warp Transform: High on the list of priorities, but not currently in development. We planned to add it this year, but it looks like next year is the best bet.
• Transform Repeat: This looks interesting but as far as I can see it doesn't make sense without the feature below. Once that's added, then maybe.
• Change Anchor Center: On our roadmap but more for the medium-term future.
• Gradient Mesh: On the roadmap. We plan to coordinate this with the addition of nondestructive transforms to Pixelmator Photo on Mac because part of the codebase would be shared.
• Gradient on a Path: Not currently on our roadmap.
• CMYK Workspace: Not currently on our roadmap.
• Printing Workflow: Not currently on our roadmap. Generally speaking, specialized printing workflows are currently not a top priority.
• Symbols: With the addition of templates, this is something we've been considering.
• Flowing Text (inside shapes): Not currently on our roadmap.
• Text Linking/Colums: Not currently on our roadmap.
• Artboards: Not currently on our roadmap.
• Photo Stacking: This would be more appropriate for Pixelmator Photo and it's something we're considering.
• Photo Merging: This would be more appropriate for Pixelmator Photo as well and it's also something we're considering.
• AI upscale (GigaPixel): This is already available – the feature is called Super Resolution. Or are you looking for something different?
• PDF export with SVG/Text: Currently in active development.
• Preview vectors without pixels: This one is under consideration.
• Macros (Shortcuts are not macros): Probably not, but not outside the realms of possibility.
• More vector tools: On the roadmap.
• Nondestructive Corner Rounder: On the roadmap.
• Robust Brush Engine: Could you clarify what robust means? There are things we'd like to improve with our paint engine, but I'm not sure if we're referring to the same things.
• Basic Timeline for Sequenced Animation (Procreate): This is a cool feature but probably wouldn't make much sense in an app like Pixelmator Pro.
• Exporting Templates for Pages (this actually makes sense): This would be interesting to explore…
• Photoshop, Figma and Affinity import-export: We already have PSD import-export – as for the other two, probably not something we'd add.
• Lens corrections: This was in development a while ago but was put on the back burner for a bit. We'll be getting back to it in the relatively near future and it should be added.
• Waveform Scope: Interesting, something we'd like to explore.
• Vectorscope: Interesting, something we'd like to explore.
• Frequency Separation: We already have a High Pass effect, we're considering adding a Low Pass effect and, with effects layers, this should already be possible, as shown in this video tutorial. If you have any suggestions about how you'd like to see us improve or address this, do let us know.
• Paginated Layouts: Probably not something we'd add.
• Isometric Grid: Interesting, but probably not something we'd add.
• Laboratory Made Filmstock Emulation Presets/LUTS: More presets would be nice to add and this would fall in the same category.
• Dynamic Styles (like CSS classes): Probably not something we'd add.
• Select Same: Not outside the realms of possibility and some of the infrastructure is there with the Document Colors feature but not currently on our roadmap.
• Notes: Not currently on our roadmap.
• History with forks: A history feature is something we're considering but forks aren't.
• Image Reference Pane: Not currently on our roadmap.
• Live Text: This would be interesting, though it would be a bit of an issue handling the UI for different layers considering we'd use the native Apple implementation of this.

As a final note, if we added all those features (along with all the others that we're working on), Pixelmator Pro would most likely turn into quite an unwieldy app so, for certain specialized features, we do have to draw the line somewhere. But a lot of the things you've mentioned we're either working on, plan to add, or are considering.
I think that this roadmap and priority list is very good