The Pixelmator Team has released an update to its popular Pixelmator image editor for Mac OS X. Pixelmator 3.5 Canyon offers a number of new features, including a smart Quick Selection Tool, a Magnetic Selection Tool that automatically snaps to object edges, a powerful Pixelmator Retouch extension for the Photos app, and more.
Quick Selection Tool
The new Quick Selection tool allows users to select complex area with just a single brushstroke. The tool analyzes colors, textures, contrasts, shadows, highlights, and a number of other elements of an image, and automatically detects the object being selected.
Magnetic Selection Tool
The Magnetic Selection Tool automatically snaps to the edges of the object that is traced, so users can precisely select detailed areas with just a few clicks. Pixelmator says the algorithm behind the new tool is based on A* Pathfinding (which is used for developing navigation algorithms in video games), and ensures a perfect outline around almost any object.
Pixelmator Retouch Extension for the Photos App
The new Pixelmator Retouch extension offers a set of Pixelmator retouching tools for the Photos app. Users can remove anything from a photo with a single swipe, effortlessly clone objects or entire areas, adjust the lightness and saturation of specific parts, sharpen the details, and soften the background, all right within the Photos app. Pixelmator built the extensions from the ground up on Metal, Apple’s powerful graphics-processing technology.
Pixelmator 3.5 also brings a number of other enhancements and bug fixes, including:
- On OS X El Capitan, the totally redesigned Stroke effect is now up to 15 times faster and much smoother.
- Thanks to the redesigned Stroke effect, resizing a selection with the Refine Selection dialog is also up to 15 times faster (on OS X El Capitan).
- The outlines that you get when using the Color Selection Tool, Paint Bucket Tool and the Magic Eraser Tool are much smoother and more precise (on OS X El Capitan).
- In the Pixelmator Distort Extension, the brush size now auto-adjusts as you zoom in and out of your image, so it always stays the right size.
- When using the Repair Tool, double-clicking the canvas would resize the document window. Fixed.
- Choosing the Red Eye Tool when editing tiny images made the app quit unexpectedly. We fixed that, too.
- When using the Glass, Vintage, Noise, Rain, Snow, or Sketch effects on layers smaller than the canvas, some pixels at the edges of the layer would be stretched across the empty areas. We fixed this.
- The preview animation shown in the Bar Swipe effect thumbnail was shown at an angle. Fixed.
- While transforming a layer with a shadow, small, grey squares would sometimes appear on the canvas. Not anymore.
- The Column Marquee Tool would sometimes make selections that were 1 pixel wider than they were supposed to be. Now they are pixel-perfect.
- When refining a selection with the Clone Stamp Tool selected, parts of the red selection overlay that marks the non-selected area would sometimes disappear. We fixed this.
- When a text layer was used as an overlay for a clipping mask, converting it into a pixel layer would cause the text to disappear. Fixed.
- Sometimes, the coordinates of a shape layer could get lost and this would make it impossible to save or open the document. Fixed.
- Improved stability when opening PSD files with specific Photoshop text features.
- On OS X 10.9, the Add to iPhoto option was missing from the Share menu. It’s back.
- On OS X 10.10, when applying Blur effects to layers that don’t fill the entire canvas, some pixels at the edges of the layer would be stretched across the empty areas. Fixed.
- On Mac computers with a Retina Display, the effect preview, which is shown on your image while a Color Adjustment dialog is open, made the image look slightly blurred. Fixed.
- On iMac computers with 4K Retina Displays, when painting with a brush-based tool, moving the brush outside the document window made the screen flicker. We fixed this.
- In the Pixelmator Distort extension, clicking the image before choosing a tool would automatically select the Warp Tool. It now works as it should.
- Other stability improvements.
Pixelmator 3.5 Canyon is available exclusively from the Mac App Store for $29.99. [GET IT HERE] – The new version is a free upgrade for all existing Mac customers who purchased the app from the Mac App Store.
