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.

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Top Rated Comments

sfwalter Avatar
58 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
58 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
58 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
58 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
58 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
58 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)