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Technical Specifications

File Formats

  • Compatible with over 100 still image file formats
    • PSD, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, PICT, ART, AVI, AVS, BMP, CGM, CIN, CUR, CUT, DCM, DCX, DIB, DJVU, DNG, DOT, DPX, EMF, EPDF, EPI, EPS, EPS2, EPSF, EPSI, EPT, EXR, FAX, FIG, FITS, FPX, GPLT, GRAY, HTML, ICO, JBIG, JNG, JP2, JPC, MAN, MAT, MIFF, MONO, MNG, MPEG, M2V, MPC, MSL, MTV, MVG, OTB, P7, PALM, PAM, PBM, PCD, PCDS, PCL, PCX, PDB, PDF, PFA, PFB, PGM, PICON, PIX, PNM, PPM, PS, PS2, PS3, PTIF, PWP, RAD, RLA, RLE, SCT, SFW, SGI, SUN, TGA, TIM, TTF, UIL, UYVY, VICAR, VIFF, WBMP, WMF, WPG, X, XBM, XCF, XPM, XWD, YUV.
    • Supports Photoshop images with layers.

Image Processing

  • Layers-based image editing
  • Image processing is powered by Core Image technology
  • Based on ImageMagick foundation
  • Use over 20 tools for selection, crop, painting, retouching, typing, measuring and navigation
  • Use over 15 color correction tools
  • Use over 50 filters
  • Adjust image size and resolution
  • Specify canvas size
  • Rotate canvas
  • Transform images, layers or selections using transform tools
    • Free Transform, Scale, Rotate, Skew, Distort, Perspective, Flip (vertical or horizontal)
  • Fill images, layers or selections
  • Stroke images, layers or selections
  • Graphics tablet support

Tools

  • Use over 20 tools for selecting, cropping, painting, retouching, typing, measuring and navigation
  • Selection tools
    • Rectangular Marquee
    • Elliptical Marquee
    • Polygonal Lasso
    • Lasso
    • Magic Wand
    • Move
    • Modify selection
      • Smooth
      • Feather
      • Size
    • Inverse selection
    • Load selection from layer
    • Save selection as Mask
    • Edit selection in Quick Mask mode
  • Crop tool
  • Painting tools
    • Brush
    • Pencil
    • Gradient
    • Paint Bucket
    • Specify blend mode, opacity, brush for painting tool
  • Retouching tools
    • Clone Stamp
    • Eraser
    • Magic Eraser
    • Blur
    • Sharpen
    • Specify strength, brush. Specify blending mode, brush, opacity for Clone Stamp tool.
  • Type tool
    • Creates editable type layer
  • Measuring and navigation tools
    • Eyedropper
    • Hand
    • Zoom

Color Correction Tools

  • Use over 16 color correction tools
    • Levels
    • Auto Enhance
    • Curves
    • Color Balance
    • Brightness and Contrast
    • Hue/Saturation
    • Desaturate
    • Colorize
    • Replace Color
    • RGB Channel Mixer
    • Exposure
    • Invert
    • Threshold
    • Posterize

Filters

  • Use over 130 Core Image-powered filters
  • Distortion filters
    • Bump, Circle Splash, Circular Wrap, Displacement, Glass, Glass Lozenge, Hole, Pinch, Torus Lens, Twirl, Vortex
  • Blur
    • Gaussian Blur, Median, Motion Blur, Noise Reduction, Zoom Blur, Box Blur
  • Sharpen
    • Sharpen Luminance, Unsharp Mask
  • Color
    • Color Map, Color Monochrome, False Color, Mask to Alpha, Sepia Tone, Gamma Adjust
  • Stylize
    • Blend with Mask, Bloom, Crystallize, Edge Work, Edges, Equalize, Gloom, Height Field from Mask, Noise, Pixellate, Pointillize, Shaded Material, Spot Light, Comic Effect, Hexagonal Pixellate, Line Overlay, Spot Color, Spotlight
  • Halftone
    • CMYK Halftone, Circular Screen, Dot Screen, Hatched Screen, Line Screen
  • Tile
    • Affine Clamp, Affine Tile, Kaleidoscope, Op Tile, Parallelogram Tile, Perspective Tile, Triangle Tile, Eightfold Reflected, Fourfold Reflected, Fourfold Rotated, Fourfold Translated, Glide Reflected, Perspective, Sixfold Reflected, Sixfold Rotated, Twelvefold Reflected
  • Generators
    • Checkerboard, Clouds, Constant Color, Lenticular Halo, Random Generator, Star Shine, Stripes, Sunbeams
  • Transitions
    • Copy Machine, Disintegrate with Mask, Dissolve, Flash, Mod, Page Curl, Ripple, Swipe, Bars Swipe
  • Use over 60 Quartz Composer compositions as filters
  • Distortion compositions
    • Bulge, Dent, Light Tunnel, Pinch, Squeeze, Twirl, Fish Eye, Mirror, Stretch
  • Stylize compositions
    • ASCII Art, Blue Print, City Lights, Compound Eye, Concert, Crystallize, Dot Screen, False Color, Film Stock, Glow, Kaleidescope, Line Overlay, Line Screen, Monochrome, Neon, Pixellate, Pointillize, Posterize, Tracer, Zoom Blur, Black and White, Color Pencil, Comic Book, Pop Art, Sepia, Thermal Camera, X-Ray
  • Generator compositions
    • Defocus, Fall, Floor, Gradient, Grid, Image Hose, Moving Shapes, Travelator, Wall
  • Transition compositions
    • Copy Machine, Cube, Dissolve, Mask, Mod, Mosaic Flip, Push, Swing, Zoom Dissolve Other compositions: Blur, Color Controls, Exposure Adjust, Flip-Flop, Gamma Adjust, Image Resizer, Motion Blur, Sharpen, Color Invert
  • Use filter rope to control center of the filter
  • Use custom Core Image units
  • Use custom Quartz Composer compositions as filters

Layers

  • Layers-based image editing
  • Create new, duplicate, delete, rename, load as selection or hide layers
  • Create editable text layers
  • Use New Layer from iSight feature to add pictures as layers from iSight camera
  • Change blending mode for layer
    • Normal, Dissolve, Darken, Multiply, Color Burn, Linear Burn, Darker Color, Lighten, Screen, Color Dodge, Linear Dodge, Lighter Color, Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Vivid Light, Linear Light, Pin Light, Hard Mix, Difference, Exclusion, Hue, Saturation, Color and Luminosity.
  • Adjust layer opacity
  • Preserve layer transparency
  • Create clipping masks
  • Add, remove, edit, show or hide layer masks
  • Link, unlink or select linked layers
  • Rasterize Text layers
  • Merge layers
  • Flatten image
  • Arrange layers
  • Drag-and-drop layers onto Mac OS X desktop to export to PNG
  • Drag-and-drop pictures into layers palette or Pixelmator image view to place them as layers

Painting Engine

  • Advanced brush settings
    • Size, hardness, spacing, scatter, flow, follow angle, stroke jitter, size jitter, angle jitter, opacity jitter, hue jitter, saturation jitter, lightness jitter, graphics tablet sensitivity and control by mouse speed settings.
  • Adobe Photoshop brushes support

User Interface

  • Interface designed for work with images
  • Transparent HUD (heads-up display) palettes
    • Tools, Tool Options, Layers, Brushes, Swatches, Scratch, Mask, Gradients and Photo Browser palettes
  • Full-screen mode
  • QuickMask mode
  • Use rulers, guides, grid
  • Add layer from iSight sheet shows preview
  • Smart Palette Hide
  • Action Tooltips

Mac OS X Integration

  • Photo Browser offers quick access to iPhoto Library, events, albums, Smart Albums and Pictures folder
  • Use your iSight camera to add pictures to your compositions
  • Comes with Automator actions
  • Spotlight support
  • Drag-and-drop support
  • Built-in Help
  • Apple Fonts and Apple Color Picker palettes
  • Quick Look plug-in built-in
  • Quartz Composer compositions support

Automator Actions

  • Pixelmator includes Automator actions for converting, resizing, enhancing and adding special effects (Leopard-only)
  • Special Effects action allows you to add over 130 Core Image-powered filters
  • Change type of image action allows conversion of over 100 still image file formats
  • Enhance actions offers over 16 color correction tools
  • Resize images action allows you to edit size and resolution of images

Colors

  • ColorSync
    • Assign ColorSync profiles
    • Match to ColorSync profiles
  • Select colors using Apple Color Picker
  • Add, remove and pick colors from Swatches pallete
  • Pick colors from Scratch palette
  • Eyedropper allows picking colors from images

Metadata

  • View or extract metadata from images
  • Add, remove or edit keywords
  • Use Spotlight to find images by any metadata info
  • Available over 50 metadata tags

Technologies

  • Pixelmator is built using Cocoa
  • ImageMagick foundation is used as a base of Pixelmator
  • Image processing is powered by Core Image and Open GL
  • Includes Automator actions
  • ColorSync color management
  • Quartz Composer
  • Quick Look support
  • Spotlight support
  • QuickTime
  • Sparkle
  • Cairo

Languages

  • English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese

Portions of the Pixelmator Team Software utilize or include third party software and other copyrighted material. Acknowledgements, licensing terms and disclaimers for such material are contained in the “online” electronic documentation for the Pixelmator Software, and your use of such material is governed by their respective terms.

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