Pixelmator Pro
Graphics editor for Mac developed by Apple
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pixelmator Pro is a photo, video,[1] and vector[2] graphic editor developed by Apple for macOS and iPadOS as part of its Pixelmator and pro apps platforms and as a part of their Apple Creator Studio suite of applications. Pixelmator Pro relies heavily on technologies from Apple platforms such as Metal, CoreML, Core Image, AVFoundation, GCD, and SwiftUI.[3]
| Pixelmator Pro | |
|---|---|
 Logos for the one-time purchase version (left) and Apple Creator Studio version (right) | |
 | |
| Original author | Pixelmator Team |
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
| Initial release | November 29, 2017 |
| Stable release | 4.0
/ January 28, 2026 |
| Written in | Swift |
| Operating system | macOS (12.0 and later, one-time purchase version; 26.0 and later, Apple Creator Studio version) iPadOS (26.0 or newer) |
| Predecessor | Pixelmator Classic |
| Type | Graphics software |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Features
- GPU accelerated with Metal[3]
- 50+ standard image editing tools
- Layer-based image editor
- Video editing support[1]
- Vector graphic support (including SVG support)
- AI-powered editing features such as background removal ML Super Resolution[4] and Smart Replace[5]
- Supports a variety of media formats (JPEG, RAW, Apple ProRAW, PSD, PNG, GIF, MP4, HEIF, etc)[3]
Reception
Pixelmator Pro was generally well-received by reviewers who praised its deep use of machine learning,[6] fully macOS-native design,[7] and relatively affordable one-time purchase compared to subscription software such as Adobe Photoshop.[8] Some reviewers criticized that some features are hard to find or hard to use.[8][9] It was awarded Apple's Mac App of the Year in 2018.[10]
Pixelmator Pro does not have support for panorama stitching.[11]
Acquisition by Apple
On November 1, 2024, the Pixelmator Team announced that they were to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval.[12] Their site promises "There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time." The acquisition was completed in February 2025.[13]
On January 13, 2026, Apple announced that a new version of Pixelmator Pro with AI features would be included in its new Apple Creator Studio subscription, the app would be brought to the iPad and the Mac app would be redesigned with Liquid Glass.[14]
Version history
| Version | Codename | Release date | Notable changes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Whirlwind | November 29, 2017 |
|
[15] |
| 1.1 | Monsoon | May 31, 2018 | [16][17] | |
| 1.2 | Quicksilver | October 18, 2018 |
|
[18][19] |
| 1.3 | Prism | January 18, 2019 |
|
[20][21] |
| 1.4 | Hummingbird | July 23, 2019 |
|
[22][23] |
| 1.5 | Avalon | October 10, 2019 |
|
[24][25] |
| 1.6 | Magenta | March 30, 2020 |
|
[26][27] |
| 1.7 | Sequoia | July 16, 2020 |
|
[4] |
| 1.8 | Lynx | September 17, 2020 |
|
[28] |
| 2.0 | Junipero | November 18, 2020 |
|
[29][30] |
| 2.1 | Coral | June 29, 2021 |
|
[31][28] |
| 2.2 | Carmel | October 25, 2021 |
|
[32] |
| 2.3 | Abracadabra | November 23, 2021 |
|
[33][28] |
| 2.4 | Odesa | April 12, 2022 |
|
[34] |
| 3.0 | Muse | September 22, 2022 |
|
[35][5] |
| 3.1 | Fortuna | November 2, 2022 |
|
[36] |
| 3.2 | Lumière | December 6, 2022 | [37][1][28] | |
| 3.3 | Mosaic | February 28, 2023 |
|
[38][39] |
| 3.4 | Camelot | September 11, 2023 |
|
[40] |
| 3.5 | Flare | December 13, 2023 |
|
[41] |
| 3.6 | Archipelago | May 23, 2024 |
|
|
| 3.7 | N/a | June 30, 2025 |
|
|
| 4.0 | N/a | January 28, 2026 |
|
[42] |
Applescript
In 2020 Pixelmator Pro added the ability to leverage Apple's automation language 'AppleScript' to automate many tasks in version 1.8 (Lynx). This enabled simple and advanced automation activities such as image resize, crop, color adjustments, format change, moving layers around, and more advanced actions like removing background, Gaussian blur, text replacement, shadows, color replacement, etc.