How to edit in Pixelmator?

Discuss Photomator and photo editing.
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2023-05-27 19:00:30

I edited a photo in Photometer, and wanted to try doing some refinements with Pixelmator. I selected "Edit with Pixelmator Pro" and it opened fine. I did my changes (which included adding a layer, as I wanted to test this out), and then went to save them. But what to choose? There was a "Modify Original in Photos" option, and also a "Save..." option. If I tried "Save...", it wanted a location - but since I had edited a photo that I had imported into Photos using Photometer, this didn't make sense. So I selected "Modify Original in Photos". But then every time I went to that photo in Photometer, I got some message saying something about an unsupported file format, and giving me an option to (I think) flatten and modify, or to flatten and duplicate. I finally decided on flatten and modify. But if I then edit that image in Pixelmator again, the layers are still there. I admit to being extremely confused. Also I can't find a page in the manual that addresses this - if it's there, perhaps someone can point me to it?
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2023-05-27 19:09:20

A little more info. I am attaching a screen shot of the error message I am getting. Also, I noticed that Photometer now has two copies of my image - one is labeled "Raw" and when I select it I get the message in the screenshot. The other is a jpeg of that image, which I guess was created when I chose to flatten the image (I guess maybe I did "flatten and duplicate", but I thought it was "flatten and modify" as I wrote in the original post. In any event, I am now even more confused. Image
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2023-05-28 13:25:04

I tested this as well, and I get the same results as you. Seems that Photomator cannot edit "layers or other nondestructive content"

Note that Photomator and Pixelmator Pro keep separate sidecar files of the same photo (you can see this in iCloud or the Mac Pictures Folder, depending on your settings). This is something that has bothered me for a long time (with the iOS App), and I would expect (hope) that Pixelmator will use a format supported by both programs in the future (there is hope as they say in the dialog box you posted "currently not supported by Photomator,"

I think that the best workflow at this time is that once a photo is edited with Pixelmator Pro, that any future edits be done in Pixelmator Pro
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2023-05-29 10:59:53

Yes, I think you are right. The frustrating thing is that you can't even hit the spacebar to enlarge one of these photos to look at it - Photomator seems to assume you want to edit it, and that error message gets splatted right in the middle of the photo.

As to the "sidecar" files, you are right there, too. I hadn't noticed before that this photo has a both a Photomator and a Pixelmator sidecar - both about 230 MB for a raw file that was less than 35 MB! That's huge. It also means, if I'm understanding how these "sidecars" work, that I now have *three* copies of the same raw file - the original, and one embedded in each of the sidecars. Too much wasted space.
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2023-05-31 15:11:04

by Jim A A little more info. I am attaching a screen shot of the error message I am getting. Also, I noticed that Photometer now has two copies of my image - one is labeled "Raw" and when I select it I get the message in the screenshot. The other is a jpeg of that image, which I guess was created when I chose to flatten the image (I guess maybe I did "flatten and duplicate", but I thought it was "flatten and modify" as I wrote in the original post. In any event, I am now even more confused. <p><img src="//support-cdn.pixelmator.com/uploads-new/cuf_1685214545_Screenshot_2023_05_27_at_3.05.46_PM.png" class="postimage is-shown is-visible" alt="Image" width="262" height="365"></p>
by Tony T I tested this as well, and I get the same results as you. Seems that Photomator cannot edit "layers or other nondestructive content"

Note that Photomator and Pixelmator Pro keep separate sidecar files of the same photo (you can see this in iCloud or the Mac Pictures Folder, depending on your settings). This is something that has bothered me for a long time (with the iOS App), and I would expect (hope) that Pixelmator will use a format supported by both programs in the future (there is hope as they say in the dialog box you posted "currently not supported by Photomator,"

I think that the best workflow at this time is that once a photo is edited with Pixelmator Pro, that any future edits be done in Pixelmator Pro
The implementation was created with the idea that users edit lots of photos in Photomator and later put them into designs in Pixelmator Pro – like adding text, frames, etc. So, all the edits made in Photomator are visible in Pixelmator Pro. We're also currently working to create a better experience for opening files from Pixelmator Pro to Photomator.
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2023-05-31 15:18:27

by Jim A Yes, I think you are right. The frustrating thing is that you can't even hit the spacebar to enlarge one of these photos to look at it - Photomator seems to assume you want to edit it, and that error message gets splatted right in the middle of the photo.

As to the "sidecar" files, you are right there, too. I hadn't noticed before that this photo has a both a Photomator and a Pixelmator sidecar - both about 230 MB for a raw file that was less than 35 MB! That's huge. It also means, if I'm understanding how these "sidecars" work, that I now have *three* copies of the same raw file - the original, and one embedded in each of the sidecars. Too much wasted space.
We're already working to make sidecar files take up less space and changes are coming later this year! After the update, you'll notice a huge difference in sidecar file size, especially when it comes to edits made using color adjustments, particularly with RAW files. 🙏
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2023-05-31 16:07:11

by Samanta

The implementation was created with the idea that users edit lots of photos in Photomator and later put them into designs in Pixelmator Pro – like adding text, frames, etc. So, all the edits made in Photomator are visible in Pixelmator Pro. We're also currently working to create a better experience for opening files from Pixelmator Pro to Photomator.
OK, I think I understand that. But let me explain what I am seeing more completely, and make a suggestion or two.

I sent a photo from Photomator to Pixelmator, and added a layer, and put a pink polygon on the layer (just making an example!). I then chose "Modify original in Photos", and said to allow the change in Photos. When I closed Pixelmator, I was given the option to save the file in a folder somewhere on my Mac, but I selected to discard changes, since I had already saved the photo to Photomator. When I was returned to Photomator I could see my modified photo in the filmstrip. All good so far.

But now, any time I click on that photo to enlarge and view it, I get the Unsupported Image Content message I included an image of in a previous post. I did not do anything to try to actually edit the photo - didn't click the Color Adjustments, Crop button, or anything else. I just want to see the image. But I get that error message splatted across the center of the photo.

If I then choose "Flatten and Edit Original", I can see the document OK. If I then select "Edit with Pixelmator Pro", the image that opens has the layers intact! So it wasn't flattened.

My suggestion - Don't show the Unsupported Image Content message when the photo is just clicked on to be viewed. Only show that message if the user clicks one of the buttons in the upper right to actually perform an edit. Then the options should be to open the image in Pixelmator Pro, or to flatten and create and edit a new image.

I hope I made all that clear. Also, I think this needs to be addressed in the user manual!
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2023-05-31 16:23:59

by Samanta
We're already working to make sidecar files take up less space and changes are coming later this year! After the update, you'll notice a huge difference in sidecar file size, especially when it comes to edits made using color adjustments, particularly with RAW files. 🙏
That's great! Could I suggest that you also give an option to select a custom folder to save the sidecars into? I have a nice big SSD I use for my photography and would rather the sidecars went to a folder on that SSD, rather than filling up my internal Mac SSD. And there's very little room on my iCloud drive.
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2023-06-01 07:45:24

by Jim A
OK, I think I understand that. But let me explain what I am seeing more completely, and make a suggestion or two.

I sent a photo from Photomator to Pixelmator, and added a layer, and put a pink polygon on the layer (just making an example!). I then chose "Modify original in Photos", and said to allow the change in Photos. When I closed Pixelmator, I was given the option to save the file in a folder somewhere on my Mac, but I selected to discard changes, since I had already saved the photo to Photomator. When I was returned to Photomator I could see my modified photo in the filmstrip. All good so far.

But now, any time I click on that photo to enlarge and view it, I get the Unsupported Image Content message I included an image of in a previous post. I did not do anything to try to actually edit the photo - didn't click the Color Adjustments, Crop button, or anything else. I just want to see the image. But I get that error message splatted across the center of the photo.

If I then choose "Flatten and Edit Original", I can see the document OK. If I then select "Edit with Pixelmator Pro", the image that opens has the layers intact! So it wasn't flattened.

My suggestion - Don't show the Unsupported Image Content message when the photo is just clicked on to be viewed. Only show that message if the user clicks one of the buttons in the upper right to actually perform an edit. Then the options should be to open the image in Pixelmator Pro, or to flatten and create and edit a new image.

I hope I made all that clear. Also, I think this needs to be addressed in the user manual!
Got it, thanks for the idea! I'll share it with the rest of the team.
by Jim A
That's great! Could I suggest that you also give an option to select a custom folder to save the sidecars into? I have a nice big SSD I use for my photography and would rather the sidecars went to a folder on that SSD, rather than filling up my internal Mac SSD. And there's very little room on my iCloud drive.
I'll share this idea with the rest of the team, too. 🤞
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2023-06-01 09:53:59

by Jim A
That's great! Could I suggest that you also give an option to select a custom folder to save the sidecars into? I have a nice big SSD I use for my photography and would rather the sidecars went to a folder on that SSD, rather than filling up my internal Mac SSD. And there's very little room on my iCloud drive.
Also! There's a workaround available: https://pixelmator.freshdesk.com/suppor ... ion-on-mac 🙏