[Beta] Pixelmator Pro 1.1.4 beta info + feedback

[Andrius]

On Friday, we announced the launch of our new beta program and, today, we released our first ever public beta — very exciting! Sign-ups are still open, so feel free to apply here. In the meantime, the applications have been rolling in and I thought we could have a place on the forum to discuss the beta, new features, and provide general feedback (you can also send any comments to [email protected]).

So, here we go. A few important points:

– Because this version introduces several new effects, any Pixelmator Pro documents with any effects will not be backward compatible with previous versions of the app.
– Secondly, it's a beta version, so expect things to go a little wrong from time to time. If Pixelmator Pro quits unexpectedly, you'll be able to send us the crash report, but in the comment section, please say what you were doing when the crash happened and share any steps you can to help us reproduce the issue.
– If the app stops responding, you won't be able to send anything to us automatically and we'll need a spindump from the Activity Monitor.
– In the unlikely circumstance that you get a kernel panic or a GPU reset, we'll also need you to share those reports with us.

Finally, please take a look at the release notes and try out some of the new features, even if you wouldn't usually use them — it would really help us out!

[st3f]

I tried editing a brush in Pixelmator Pro 1.1.3. It crashed when I tried to upload an image as the shape. Pixelmator Pro 1.1.4beta2 didn't crash so, if you've tried a bug-fix here, I can confirm that it works.

Spin blur tested (well I had to, really) . Works fine, but I would like an extended range available when holding the option key. Actually looking at it, Spin, Motion, Disc and Box all don't have extensible ranges. That makes this sound more like a feature request so I'll post it there.

Auto-select check-box tested by making sure that right click on canvas and checkbox are always in sync. Works fine. At the moment, though, I'm using a 12" MacBook and the checkbox is off-screen. While I can still scroll down to it to use it, it can't really be used as a status indicator on a small screen.

Also, I have a question. Is it safe to run the production and beta versions of Pixelmator Pro on the same machine? I've got the beta in my Applications directory but renamed as 'Pixelmator Pro beta'. I haven't found any problems yet but thought I'd best ask.

Aaaaaand.... I just found my first suspected bug. In 1.1.3 if I double click on the title bar, away from any buttons and away from the filename, the window switches between current/default size and maximum size (well, the biggest it can get without entering full-screen mode). In 1.1.4beta2 it goes from current to maximum then shrinks straight back down. I hope I'm describing this clearly enough.

[Andrius]

I tried editing a brush in Pixelmator Pro 1.1.3. It crashed when I tried to upload an image as the shape. Pixelmator Pro 1.1.4beta2 didn't crash so, if you've tried a bug-fix here, I can confirm that it works.

We did indeed include a crash fix here, so I'm glad to hear it's working.

Spin blur tested (well I had to, really) . Works fine, but I would like an extended range available when holding the option key. Actually looking at it, Spin, Motion, Disc and Box all don't have extensible ranges. That makes this sound more like a feature request so I'll post it there.

Noted!

Auto-select check-box tested by making sure that right click on canvas and checkbox are always in sync. Works fine. At the moment, though, I'm using a 12" MacBook and the checkbox is off-screen. While I can still scroll down to it to use it, it can't really be used as a status indicator on a small screen.

That's a fair point and probably applies to a few different parts of the Pixelmator Pro interface on smaller screens.

Also, I have a question. Is it safe to run the production and beta versions of Pixelmator Pro on the same machine? I've got the beta in my Applications directory but renamed as 'Pixelmator Pro beta'. I haven't found any problems yet but thought I'd best ask.

It is. In fact, you need to have either Pixelmator Pro or the original Pixelmator installed to be able to run the beta, so you're all good.

Aaaaaand.... I just found my first suspected bug. In 1.1.3 if I double click on the title bar, away from any buttons and away from the filename, the window switches between current/default size and maximum size (well, the biggest it can get without entering full-screen mode). In 1.1.4beta2 it goes from current to maximum then shrinks straight back down. I hope I'm describing this clearly enough.

Odd, I wasn't able to repro this one. Does it reproduce for you even after quitting and reopening the app?

[st3f]

I wasn't able to repro this one.

Me neither. If I see it again, I'll try to find a reproducable way of generating it.

[st3f]

Clouds effect opacity looks too transparent
I just tested Clouds and the transparency looked a little off so I put a 100% Opacity effect on a 50% Opacity layer next to a 50% Opacity effect on a 100% Opacity layer. Results below.

Also, it's worth noting that 100% Opacity Red/Blue Clouds are the fastest way to a simulated migraine.

[st3f]

Blend mode non-functional in Style Fill
Found this in 1.1.4 Beta 2 but it is also present in 1.1.3 so, assuming you can reproduce it, I've no idea how far back this goes.
To reproduce:
1. Create a filled shape.
2. Duplicate the shape and place them so they overlap.
3. Set the blend mode of the fill style of the top layer to something that should allow the lower shape to show through (say Screen).
Notice that the appearance is unaffected by the blend mode.

As I'm seeing this as non-functional in 1.1.3, I'm wondering how far back this bug goes and... if it has ever worked. Because if nobody has ever successfully used this feature and no-one has ever complained, I can think of a really easy bug-fix.
Then again, it could have come in with blend mode previews...

[Andrius]

The opacity thing does seem a little fishy — we'll dig deeper here. The blending mode issue is essentially by design. For now, styles only blend with the contents of the layer they're applied to and in that case of shapes, the only contents they have is the fill, therefore there's nothing to blend with. This is basically the same as changing the blending mode of the only layer in an image — there's nothing below it, so it won't blend any differently with a different blending mode. We could make it possible for layer styles to blend with the rest of the image, which would open up some possibilities for blending shadows and fills separately.