Pixelmator PRO on iOS

Discuss Pixelmator for iOS and mobile image editing.
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2020-04-27 08:49:19

To be fair, full-featured PXD support basically requires us to create a Pixelmator Pro for iOS... :smiley: In theory, adding support for preserving text layers/images/shapes is possible but if there are any nondestructive effects/adjustments, they need to be dealt with in some way.

Just out of interest though, what kind of things do you usually look to fix on the go? I'd just like to get a better idea about the tools you'd potentially need.
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2020-05-12 05:17:22

by Andrius 2020-04-27 12:49:19 To be fair, full-featured PXD support basically requires us to create a Pixelmator Pro for iOS... :smiley: In theory, adding support for preserving text layers/images/shapes is possible but if there are any nondestructive effects/adjustments, they need to be dealt with in some way.

Just out of interest though, what kind of things do you usually look to fix on the go? I'd just like to get a better idea about the tools you'd potentially need.

Another person here: the Ultimate Dream

1. Workflow between .photo and PXD (start in photo and edit a copy in PXD kinda like LR or CO20)
2. Would be great – some of the ML stuff... that makes PP stand out


I just checked out pixelmator on the iphone... it's pretty good... so if we could get those same features for a PXD plus we could get layer masks/local adjustments plus the stuff I noted (non-destructive) ... I would quit Adobe at this second.

Thanks... hope that helps
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2020-05-12 13:13:47

Rohan, the feedback is very much appreciated — thanks for taking the time to share it. :pray:
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2020-05-12 23:53:54

by Andrius 2020-05-12 17:13:47 Rohan, the feedback is very much appreciated — thanks for taking the time to share it. :pray:

Do you think we will ever see a photo to PP workflow in 2020 and how long you think for local adjustments
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2020-05-14 08:50:31

In 2020? It's possible, probably towards the end of it, though. As for local adjustments, probably a little longer but it really is difficult to say before we start working on it.
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2020-05-27 22:28:35

by Andrius 2020-03-31 22:32:15 ...while the raw compute power of the iPad matches that of modern desktops, the memory stuff makes it more difficult (though not necessarily impossible) to bring "heavy-duty" desktop-class apps to iOS.

So Affinity Photo & Designer and full desktop-class Photoshop from Adobe doesn't count (and keep in mind amazing Procreate)? :)
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2020-05-28 07:44:50

by henrypix 2020-05-27 22:28:35 So Affinity Photo & Designer and full desktop-class Photoshop from Adobe doesn't count (and keep in mind amazing Procreate)? :)
Two things. One, please re-read my post very carefully. The key part is where I say it's "difficult (though not necessarily impossible)".

Two, full desktop-class Photoshop? Really? Just in case you don't feel like clicking that link, here's a key excerpt:
The outrage seems to stem from the fact that users felt misled by Adobe’s marketing of the app as “real Photoshop,” a term many took to mean that the app would mirror the desktop experience. To Adobe, Photoshop for iPad is “real”: it uses the same codebase as the desktop app, and files sync between the two so users can keep working across devices. But Photoshop for iPad is far from the “full Photoshop,” which would mean every tool and feature brought to the iPad. For now, only the basics are here.
Adobe, a company with over 22,000 employees, who have released loads of apps on loads of different platforms didn't bring anything close to the "full Photoshop" to iPad. Why do you think that is?

And one more thing — Procreate is amazing, for sure. But do you have any idea about the differences in memory requirements for an app like Procreate and, for example, a "heavy-duty" app like Xcode? They're not even in the same ballpark. And even in Procreate, depending on the size of your document, there's a maximum number of layers you can add. I can tell you they're doing that not because they feel like it, there are very specific technical reasons for that and they also relate to the amount of available memory.
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2020-05-30 16:34:27

by Andrius 2020-05-28 14:44:50
Two things. One, please re-read my post very carefully. The key part is where I say it's "difficult (though not necessarily impossible)".

Two, full desktop-class Photoshop? Really? Just in case you don't feel like clicking that link, here's a key excerpt:



Adobe, a company with over 22,000 employees, who have released loads of apps on loads of different platforms didn't bring anything close to the "full Photoshop" to iPad. Why do you think that is?

And one more thing — Procreate is amazing, for sure. But do you have any idea about the differences in memory requirements for an app like Procreate and, for example, a "heavy-duty" app like Xcode? They're not even in the same ballpark. And even in Procreate, depending on the size of your document, there's a maximum number of layers you can add. I can tell you they're doing that not because they feel like it, there are very specific technical reasons for that and they also relate to the amount of available memory.
I understand there are technical limitations, and of course they won't bring complete Photoshop experience (3D, Video, batch jobs, RAW engine, plugins, etc, anything that's a heavy package), but these "basic features" are basically the core of the application, and it covers all the needs (since we're running on an iPad).

The main idea is that those apps at least exists (even though "there's a maximum number of layers you can add.", i'll take that). And Pixelmator Pro (even with Pro) it's not an Xcode either, right? :)

Basically, I'd just be happy to have Pixelmator Pro on iPad Pro with some limitations, why not, that's all. And examples of similar applications are already given (Affinity both Photo/Designer, Photoshop, Procreate). The rest of the applications are a little lighter. So hope you guys will find the way to make it happen.
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2020-06-01 12:31:11

Oh, of course, I'm not saying we can't bring a great image editing experience to iPadOS — we need to make it possible to open and edit Pixelmator Pro files on iPad for sure and we plan to do that. Your reply was to me answering a question about why it's more difficult to bring the really memory-intensive desktop apps to iPad, and I didn't even say it's impossible, it was just clarifying the situation. :wink:
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2020-06-06 16:13:51

by Andrius 2020-06-01 12:31:11 Oh, of course, I'm not saying we can't bring a great image editing experience to iPadOS — we need to make it possible to open and edit Pixelmator Pro files on iPad for sure and we plan to do that. Your reply was to me answering a question about why it's more difficult to bring the really memory-intensive desktop apps to iPad, and I didn't even say it's impossible, it was just clarifying the situation. :wink:
Could we expect that for 2020?
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2020-06-10 14:56:06

Maybe not, but you can definitely expect some more great updates to Pixelmator for iOS in 2020!
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2020-07-27 02:55:31

Damn, I love Pixelmator Pro in my Mac. But using Pixelmator for iOS really confuses me, I got so use to the tools and the way they are organized in the Mac app that makes me just not use the one for iOS.
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2020-11-15 22:48:46

Here is a thought in the meantime. Why not be able to have pixelmator pro save a version that can be edited in in iOS app even with limited features. Even make it an automatic setting like save iOS editable version with some feature limits you cant get in the mac OS version.

At least this way we could still take advantage of the apps we have.

Its a matter of saving a version in the (old) file format.

Just give us the layers. We can take care of the rest.

David
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2020-11-16 13:56:59

Image

Someone asked this on Twitter and got an answer, does this mean Pixelmator Pro for iPad is confirmed?
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2020-11-21 22:56:55

You asked earlier what we might want from Pixelmator Pro on iOS. For me, the ability to add text layers and smart shapes to imported collages of images. I might do more retouching on iOS, given the availability of Apple Pencil, but mostly I want to continue the same workflow (mostly those two functions) I use Pixelmator Pro for on my Mac.
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2020-11-27 11:54:03

I have no idea why there is no PM Pro on the iPad. It is a major oversight IMO. Especially now.

Without being able to open my PM Pro files for editing on my iPad I am forced to rely on Affinity Designer/Photo who managed to get their software running on iOS quite a while ago.

I would have thought that the PM team would have paid attention to this important detail given how long PM has been in development (especially compared to the Affinity team) but also because PM's tight integration with Apple's products. design strategy, etc...

I would love to use PM Pro more often but the longer they take to add the essential iOS component the more my workflow will continue to revolve and entrench itself around Affinity. This is disappointing because, generally speaking, I would prefer to be using PM.
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2020-12-19 20:46:52

Will this ever happen? I am seriously considering going with Affinity instead
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2020-12-22 12:44:47

We're currently working on adding support for Pixelmator Pro files to Pixelmator for iOS, which is a big step in the right direction. As for editing features, Pixelmator Pro for iOS will happen but it's still not something we're actively working on, so it's really difficult to provide any timeframes. Next year may bring some news on this front, however.
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2021-01-03 07:32:14

Thank you for your continued updates on this. Just don’t want you to forget about us iPad users. It Continues to be a big frustration that pro isn’t available. It’s so much more convenient to do photo editing with an Apple Pencil. I tried buying Pixelmator pro for MacBook- it’s a million times harder to go back to using a mouse after you’ve gotten used to the precision and ease of a stylus (especially one as good as Apple Pencil) honestly - the future of photo editing has to be on tablets. There’s just no comparing. A mouse is sooooo tedious. If the Mac version of Pixelmator pro allowed for a less buggy use of iPad sidecar - it might be one solution. But it is essentially impossible to use sidecar with it as currently stands. The tools won’t size appropriately, and and the zoom is all over the place. Please don’t abandon the thought of Pixelmator pro for iPad.
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2021-01-05 11:17:47

by Ben Hermes 2021-01-03 05:32:14 Please don’t abandon the thought of Pixelmator pro for iPad.
We haven't! PXD file support in Pixelmator for iOS is a big and very important first step and that's what we're working on. :pray:
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2021-01-28 10:13:36

Huge fan of Pixelmator Pro for Mac, not much of a fan of pixelmator for iOS/ipad. I have full versions of both, and I wish that pixelmator iOS would mimic more of the features of Pro. I use pixelmator mostly for illustration and graphic work, and Pro is amazing! Just wish I could work on my projects in pro from my iPad (using my pencil).

Ive tried to sidecar Pro from my mac to my ipad pro and for some reason the pencil does not link with the cursor, so that leads me to a full stop. Is there a fix that the pixelmator team is working on for this?

Pixelmator for iOS/ipad does not allow to edit shapes at all. I also don’t have the capability to draw shapes that are either just filled or just stroked on iOS, so pixelmator iOS for ipad is pretty much an empty purchase at this point... unless it were to be updated to mirror/mimic the same functions as pro for Mac... right now iOS just seems like different software altogether.

Are there any updates in store to improve the cross functionality of iOS that is more than just PXD support?

Looking for a friend... haha
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2021-01-28 17:24:33

by Brian C. 2021-01-28 15:13:36
Pixelmator for iOS/ipad does not allow to edit shapes at all. I also don’t have the capability to draw shapes that are either just filled or just stroked on iOS, so pixelmator iOS for ipad is pretty much an empty purchase at this point... unless it were to be updated to mirror/mimic the same functions as pro for Mac... right now iOS just seems like different software altogether.

Are there any updates in store to improve the cross functionality of iOS that is more than just PXD support?
Totally agree with you, Pixelmator Pro on mac is awesome,and imo the best image editing software for my use, but I prefer using the iPad it simply feels more fun, but the iOS counterpart is honestly so bad, it doesn’t even feel like its made by the same guys, in the other hand Pixelmator Photo for iPad is sooo nice, but not the complete package, so at this point in the iPad the best software is the Affinty suite, I really hope to see pix pro on iPad, i’d pay the full price if it’s as good and high quality as the mac version.
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2021-01-29 14:30:46

PXD support is our main project right now and it's pretty much taking up most of our time. So, just to second Andrius, there aren't really very concrete plans as to what comes next. I do know there are some painting engine improvements on the roadmap so it's possible that we'll be bringing the painting experience closer to what it currently is on the Mac.
Pixelmator for iOS/ipad does not allow to edit shapes at all. I also don’t have the capability to draw shapes that are either just filled or just stroked on iOS
Pixelmator for iOS is, originally, a raster-based editor, so it offers only very basic shape editing options (in terms of manipulating the shapes themselves) but you can definitely change the shape styles. If you tap Tools (the paintbrush icon at the top of the screen) with a shape selected, the "Style" and "Arrange" menus should appear. In the "Style" menu, you can add or remove the shape's fill, change its color, add a stroke, and more. Of course, anchor point editing would be a cool thing to add, too.
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2021-03-31 21:35:06

Add me to the list of folks who would love to see a Pixelmator Pro on the iPad. I don’t have a Mac and I currently do all my graphics & photo work on Pixelmator & Pixelmator Photo for iPad. i’m actually confused a bit on what pixelmator pro is, but I believe it’s a combination of Pixelmator and Pixelmator Photo for the iPad. if Pixelmator Pro does come to the iPad, it would be great if they could include some shortcut scripting features to assist in automating some workflows.
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2021-04-16 23:13:30

What app can you use to open Pixelmator Pro files on iPad ? I am trying to figure out which apps to get to replace Photoshop on both MBP and iPad sine i use both extensively. Thx!