How much RAM needed for editing iPhone 48MP ProRAW?

[leophoto]

Hello,

I've just started using Pixelmator on my macbook and am encountering high RAM spikes / usage issues.

Setup: Macbook M1 Air with 16GB RAM, MacOS 12.

Issue: When editing a single iPhone 48MP ProRAW file (around 60MB) with just two adjustment layers, Pixelmator's RAM usage spikes. Initially, it uses 2.5GB RAM, but on making edits like increasing highlights or adding layers, the usage jumps to 7-10GB, significantly slowing down the system before eventually decreasing.

Also tried: Editing a 2.8MB HEIC version of the same file (48MP) results in smaller RAM spikes. Yet, duplicating the layer and adding Gaussian blur causes the RAM to spike to 8-10GB again. I also have grain enabled.

Is this level of RAM usage normal for such tasks in Pixelmator? Is photomator any different?

I'm wondering if pixelmator team or users are familiar with how much RAM is needed to edit an iPhone ProRAW. I'd really like to edit on this machine. Thanks for any advice!