Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Developer, Graphic Design
Pixelmator 1.4 Sprinkle out now
The folks at Pixelmator have released version 1.4, named Sprinkle, and it's now available from their site or from directly within the app. They've got more performance improvements in here, and the big addition this time around is brushes: not only are there a host of new brush options in the app, but users can now also import Adobe Photoshop brushes. Users can now create and use document presets, and there's a new "clouds" filter that can be used to create realistic clouds and special effects. As usual, the update is free to registered users, or you can pick up a copy for $59.Pixelmator continues to impress as a powerful yet slim photo and image editor. I use it daily. I have recently had an issue with it not sticking to its own space in Leopard -- sometimes, when switching to or from the Space that Pixelmator is in, it'll drift off in front of the app that I'm working on, or not show up for a few seconds. But this update also introduces a few "performance improvements," so hopefully my issue is in there somewhere.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Marcos said 9:24AM on 2-20-2009
I really hope Pixelmator enables slicing for web development. I'd love to get rid of Adobe for good.
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jank said 9:24AM on 2-20-2009
Mike,
You write a complete paragraph about an issue you hope is fixed in this new version which was released yesterday.
how about first testing this and then blogging about it, your post could have actually been useful
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freshyill said 9:30AM on 2-20-2009
Issues with spaces? Photoshop CS 4 wrote the book on not getting along with spaces. Don't be so hard on Pixelmator.
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antiorario said 9:43AM on 2-20-2009
Yes, and Lightroom studied that book very well.
antiorario said 9:44AM on 2-20-2009
I wish Pixelmator would preserve layers in PNGs, to become more interoperable with Fireworks – or take its place, eventually.
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Namdnal Siroj said 4:13PM on 2-20-2009
I've had the spaces-issue, it doesn't seem to be fixed.
Safari has it too. When I search on a page, or on html source, then go to another space -> spaces won't switch back to safari from another app at all.
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Dustin MacDonald said 6:21PM on 2-21-2009
As much as I'd love to blame Adobe, this is a Mac OS X issue that has been present for a while now in Leopard. Any window with more than one attached child window will not behave properly with Spaces. Apple doesn't seem to care.
Nigel said 10:09AM on 2-20-2009
Pixelmator is just brilliant. The new brush engine is sliccck!! Found a discount code 20% off on MacDailyNews. http://tr.im/gC1s
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Korpil said 10:44AM on 2-20-2009
Anyone puzzled that the size of the download is 25.3 MB? The last update was over 60MB....
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Jools said 11:26AM on 2-20-2009
I think they just discovered how to compress Disk Images! The app is still roughly the same size.
Drooling Dog said 11:02AM on 2-20-2009
I really dig this little app. The only thing that keeps me from being able to use it regularly is the lack of a preview (image quality and file size) when saving as a JPG.
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Dave said 6:14PM on 2-20-2009
I hear ya! I always export as a TIFF then use Preview to save as a JPEG. Although this isn't ideal. Pixelmator is still worth every penny.
Anderson said 12:04PM on 2-20-2009
The last time I tried out Pixelmator, after looking at all the site's documentation, I couldn't seem to do a simple composite of two images. There was no insert image option nor could I simply drag another image on Pixelmator's dock icon. Is there something I was missing? Should I try it out again?
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Don said 1:41PM on 2-20-2009
@Marcos Yes Indeed, but we need the pen tool, shape tool and better community driven plugins. Does Pixelmator really want to go after PS?
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Marcos said 2:13PM on 2-20-2009
No, I don't think Pixelmator should go after PS. I just can't find a good alternative to PS for web development. Pixelmator is by far the best contender for most graphic designers, and I'd just like that to include web developers.
Brian said 3:48PM on 2-20-2009
As a light picture editor Pixelmator is perfect for me, and just keeps getting better and better (and for free).
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Seraphiel said 12:40AM on 2-21-2009
Don't forget the Pixelmator Tutorials video podcast!
They are available on http://pixelmatorpodcast.com
and on iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=284768359
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spig said 6:25PM on 3-07-2009
Not being able to edit a 16 bit image means we'll have to have something else for editing anyway. I don't know any serious graphics people who let something get knocked down to 8 bit to work on. It's a nice enthusiasts' tool, but the resolution issue means it's competing with other 8 bit editors, not PS or Elements even.
I look forward to this hurdle being jumped, though.
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