Moving sliders will sometimes temporarily glitch out the image I’m editing.Unpolished functionality in some little things, like not being able to use the arrow keys to nudge tool sliders or points of a curve adjustment.On top of that it's an archaic method where you have to actually type out the exact menu option label in order to then have it assigned a custom shortcut. Apparently these can’t be single-key customizations either, they have to have modifier keys in combination (e.g., you can’t change the “b” for Brush tool to “p” and instead would have to be command+p or the like). Custom keyboard shortcuts are done outside of the program in your Mac’s System Preferences.Pixelmator said they have plans to create something like this in the future though. This requires an annoying workaround where you have to intentionally do some wacky edit to the image, such as cranking the exposure down, then undo it back to normal after you see what’s going on with your mask. Unable to highlight view a drawn mask.

No pre-defined ratio or custom ratio cropping.

No actions capability for streamlining processes.

Those are my two biggest complaints with Pixelmator Pro, but there are several more issues to be aware of. Pixelmator told me that there are plans to improve this in the future. Layers and groups also cannot be rearranged in the layer stack for the same reason the stacking order means everything when there are no floating adjustment layers. In Pixelmator Pro, you have to either duplicate a fourth layer with the new white balance adjustment on top of the clone layer, or you have to delete your work with the clone layer and the curves layer to get back down to the original white balance layer. If these were adjustment layers you could simply edit the white balance layer in the stack and be on your way. However, after cloning the dust you now decide the image is slightly too warm. In a non-destructive workflow, these all happen on separate layers. Here’s an example of the problem: you open an image and first adjust its white balance, then you adjust its curves, then you clone a speck of dust. This greatly diminishes any sort of “non-destructive” photo editing because to further an image in its edit, you have to duplicate the layer beneath and start from there. By that I mean all edits must be made on the same layer that has image material to directly work on. When I asked for Pixelmator to confirm that there’s no History panel to be optioned, I got a one-word affirmation of “correct.” I’m thinking that means they don’t intend to change that anytime soon.Īnother big issue I have with Pixelmator Pro is that there’s no adjustment layers capability. I found out the hard way that if you accidentally delete that complicated mask on a layer that took a long time to draw, you can’t undo that and get it back. Furthermore, some actions appear to not record in the Undo-Redo log, such as deleting a mask. There’s the basic Undo and Redo menu actions, but there’s no multi-step undoing and no visual record of what’s happening to the image being edited. Apparently professionals don’t make mistakes and don’t care to one-click check before and after versions of their complex, multi-step changes. One of the more glaring omissions is having no History panel. The first place I looked was the Preferences window, however I was stopped dead in my tracks at the only two tabs on the screen: General and Rulers. There’s a sizable amount missing from an editor considered “Pro” by name. While the interface looks aesthetically pleasing, once work began on photo editing I started to notice Pixelmator Pro begin to unravel in its functionality. Pixelmator’s statement on the issue is that they “feel a dark interface works best for editing images,” continuing, “but we haven’t ruled out a light option in the future.” Functionality Nino Batista has a great article to explore more on the subject if you are interested. Dark interfaces also strain my eyes more because my pupils have to stay wide open to gather more light, just like when forced to read paragraphs of white on black text. Generally, a middle gray is what I find best for photo editing a dark interface will usually result in darker images since they appear to be lighter than what they actually are in comparison to the surrounding darkness. Combined with low contrast gray tool icons and text, your eyes are in for a workout if you spend a lot of time editing. The non-optional near-black interface is definitely going to be a turn off for some users.

Pixelmator pro brush size keyboard