Pixelmator Pro 2.0 Launches With All-New Design and Native Apple M1 Support

Popular image editor app Pixelmator Pro has released version 2.0 ahead of schedule, bringing an all-new design for macOS Big Sur and native support for Macs powered by Apple's new M1 chip.

pixelmator pro 2
The new design features a simplified Effects Browser that makes it easier to find and apply effects, and new compact layouts for the sidebars and presets.

There's also a new Workspaces feature that lets users customize the look of Pixelmator, with presets optimized for photo editing, design, illustration, and painting.

With native support for Apple's new M1-powered Macs, Pixelmator Pro 2.0 takes advantage of the chip's 16-core Neural Engine for accelerated machine learning. This allows for features like Super Resolution, which intelligently increases the resolution of images while preserving details, to work up to 15x faster.

The editing engine is powered by Metal, which makes it easy for the app to take full advantage of the unified memory architecture in Apple's system-on-a-chip. There's also a new app icon that aligns with Apple's docked apps, and a new unified toolbar with switches and menus that look native to the macOS 11 Big Sur aesthetic.

Pixelmator 2.0 is a Universal app, so it runs natively on both ‌M1‌ and Intel-based Macs. The image editing app is a free upgrade for existing Pixelmator Pro users, otherwise it costs $39.99 and can be downloaded directly from the Mac App Store.

Popular Stories

iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple 'Sherlocked' These Apps at WWDC 2025

Wednesday June 11, 2025 7:14 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC previewed a bunch of new features coming in its updated operating systems, but certain changes will have been met with dismay by third-party developers who already offer apps with equivalent or similar features. In other words, their product has been "sherlocked" by Apple. When Apple creates an app or a feature that has functionality found in a third-party app, it is referred...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 10 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...

Top Rated Comments

sfwalter Avatar
60 months ago

>This allows for features like Super Resolution, which intelligently increases the resolution of images while preserving details, to work up to 15x faster.

How on earth does this work?
How can you increase the size of an image, but 'preserve' details? Won't everything just be scaled up? You can't introduce resolution where there's no more data.
Machine Learning. I guess thru the power of guessing what pixels they should add
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icwhatudidthere Avatar
60 months ago

I wish I could like Pixelmator. I worked in Photoshop for 20 years, and most other image editors make me feel cack-handed as their tools operate differently. Pixelmator, Acorn and Affinity all confuse me.
Adobe switching to subscription apps was all the incentive I needed to find out I could still learn new tricks.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FSMBP Avatar
60 months ago

>This allows for features like Super Resolution, which intelligently increases the resolution of images while preserving details, to work up to 15x faster.

How on earth does this work?
How can you increase the size of an image, but 'preserve' details? Won't everything just be scaled up? You can't introduce resolution where there's no more data.
I think they us Machine-Learning to extrapolate edge-detail to make it less jagged-fuzzy. It's not like "Enhance" and the picture is magically clearer, but it makes it better.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
60 months ago

I hate subscription apps and this is a steal for $40 for a hobbyist.
Ditto. It's odd the article didn't mention that this is a free upgrade too. It's not like people that bought Pixelmator Pro 1 need to buy 2.0 again.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adamw Avatar
60 months ago
Got to get this, as I need native photo editing on my Apple Silicon M1 Mac mini.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FaustsHausUK Avatar
60 months ago
I wish I could like Pixelmator. I worked in Photoshop for 20 years, and most other image editors make me feel cack-handed as their tools operate differently. Pixelmator, Acorn and Affinity all confuse me.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)