Pixelmator 3.1 gains dual-GPU & 16-bit image support with Apple's new Mac Pro

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
A major update for popular OS X image editing application Pixelmator hit the Mac App Store on Wednesday, with version 3.1 boasting a number of improvements designed for Apple's new Mac Pro, including dual GPU support for more fluid performance.

Pixelmator


Pixelmator 3.1, dubbed "Marble," is available as an update for existing owners on the Mac App Store, while new users can purchase the software for $29.99. Marble takes advantage of the dual graphics card horsepower found in Apple's revamped Mac Pro desktop, promising to leverage the horsepower offered by the high-end machine.

Also available for Mac Pro users is new 16-bits-per-channel color image support. That means users can now edit rich and vibrant images with Pixelmator on the Mac Pro.

Optimizations have also been made for all quad-, 6-, 8- and 12-core Intel Xeon processors, allowing users better zoom-out handling and faster bitmap layer duplications. Images are also said to open faster, auto-saving is computed in the background while image composition is rendered, and Pixelmator 3.1 also utilizes increased memory bandwidth from the new Mac Pro.

Mac Pro


Changes in Pixelmator 3.1 are not limited to owners of the new Mac Pro, as all users can now order image prints from the software. The team behind the image editing tool has also advertised the following improvements:
  • Layer Styles Improvements:
    • Now, you can select more than one layer with styles and change the opacity of the selected layers all at once.
    • When you move a selection made on layers with styles, the layer style always stays visible, even when you go to another app and back.
    • You can now apply styles on a new layer right after you've painted with the Paint Bucket Tool or the Pixel Tool.
    • When converting layers with styles into regular layers, the Opacity setting always stays intact.
    • When you clear layer contents, the layer style icon disappears as well.
    • The Styles palette stays active when you copy layers with styles into a newly created document.
    • You can now change the gradient fill for newly created text or shape layers from the Gradients palette without opening the Styles palette.
    • When you choose a color in the Colors palette, it doesn't change the color choice in the Styles palette.
    • You can now remove style presets even if you have several layers with styles selected.
    • After you clear a layer style, you can now remove layer style presets.
Pixelmator 3.0
Example of Pixelmator 3.0's new liquify tools.
  • Other Improvements
    • Pointillize, Pixelize, Mandala, Concert, City Lights, Color Hatch, X-ray, Infrared, Line Dye, Tracer, Scanner, Newspaper, Neon, ASCII, Blue Print and Projectile effects are now available again.
    • The effects' rope is now more stable.
    • Improved RAW image file format support.
    • You can now turn off Auto Select on shape layers as well as on the others layers.
    • When you Control-click the selection on an empty layer, you can now choose Refine selection from the shortcut menu.
    • When grouped text layers are duplicated, the text stays visible.
    • When text or shape layers are converted into pixels, the Opacity setting stays intact.
    • Now you can drag a gradient preset to the Finder.
    • Improvements have been made for the outside stroke effect.
    • New layers are no longer added when painting with the Paint Bucket Tool set to 0% of Opacity.
    • Colors are updated in the Fill dialog correctly, whether you choose the dialog from the Menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut.
    • The "Low disk space" message no longer appears when there's lots of space on the computer.
    • Improved localizations.
    • And other tiny-yet-annoying bugs, random graphical glitches, and crashes have been fixed.
For more on Pixelmator, see AppleInsider's profile of the team behind the software, published last fall.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    Fantastic.
  • Reply 2 of 9
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member

    Does Pixelmator even allow you to work in CMYK mode yet?

     

    I remember a couple of years back the founders said they saw no real need for CMYK, which to the Pro market is an insane comment. Nice software, but haven't paid much attention to it lately.

  • Reply 3 of 9
    desuserigndesuserign Posts: 1,316member

    Um, why not 16b for all Macs?

    16b has been around for a long time now. Even good old free iPhoto has done 16b and RAW for a while now, even on older Macs with tiny single GPUs. I guess this should remind me why I almost never use Pixelmator since I bought it.

  • Reply 4 of 9
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post

     

    Does Pixelmator even allow you to work in CMYK mode yet?

     

    I remember a couple of years back the founders said they saw no real need for CMYK, which to the Pro market is an insane comment. Nice software, but haven't paid much attention to it lately.


     

    No CMYK support and yet it has been "upgraded" for the Mac Pro. Huh? :-/

  • Reply 5 of 9
    robmrobm Posts: 1,068member
    I just checked - they added CMYK last Oct in v 2.1.6
    16 Bit support for all Macs is being worked on at the moment according to their forums.

    I must DL a trial and give it a whirl - seems like they are committed to give PS a serious challenge.
    Good
  • Reply 6 of 9

    16 bit for all Macs is being worked on, yes.  They said as much.

     

    Pretty good to get support for the latest Apple Tech'....  A decent upgrade.  Bug fixes, refinement and a key new feature A show of intent.  Have Adobe got support for the latest Mac Pros? :P

     

    But the majority of the user base is prob' iMac...and MacBooks.

     

    They do have CMYK support.

     

    Adjust layers next?

     

    It's a great app' for £20.  Slick.  Fast.  Very functional.  They're adding features all the time.  And many free updates.

     

    They only need to get to 90- 95% of what Adobe has and they'll take users fed up with Adobe's rent-a-scheme.

     

    Lemon Bon Bon.

  • Reply 7 of 9
    desuserigndesuserign Posts: 1,316member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

     
    Mac Pro


     

    I do get a kick out of this image—the mighty Mac Pro digitally placed against an other worldly, stormy sky, back drop . . .

     

    . . . with the photographer's pedestrian, bay area, apartment reflected on the shiny, anodized surface of the MacPro.

    Fantasy and reality all in one simple photo.

  • Reply 8 of 9
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by RobM View Post



    I just checked - they added CMYK last Oct in v 2.1.6

    16 Bit support for all Macs is being worked on at the moment according to their forums.



    I must DL a trial and give it a whirl - seems like they are committed to give PS a serious challenge.

    Good

     

    Funny that Pixelmator would get CMYK support and there wasn't a giant hoopla about it in the Mac press.

     

    Especially considering that it has the potential to free many of us from Creative Cloud subscriptions.

  • Reply 9 of 9
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member

    I wonder how serious Apple is about its Mac Pro Apps division.

     

    You have to figure that picking up Pixelmator and Quark right now would be cheap.

     

    If they worked their traditional pricing magic and reduced Quark to $399., suddenly whether Adobe supports the Mac or not would be an afterthought.

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