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I've been a Photoshop user since 1992 starting with Photoshop 2 (that's "2" not "CS2"). I worked in technical support for a color printer manufacturer and we needed to use and learn Photoshop because our customers were using it to print to our printers. Sometimes customers would send their files so we could troubleshoot them and figure out why they weren't printing the way the customer expected. This type of troubleshooting required research, working with Adobe and a lot of trial and error. With all that experimenting I became pretty adept at using Photoshop. Over time there were other titles that came and went, like CorelDraw and Painter, but nothing ever seemed to hold a candle to Photoshop, but then I encountered a game changer.

Guy #1 (Mark) had been telling me about Pixelmator, how good it was and how he could do most things that he used to do with Photoshop (but couldn't afford to purchase a new copy). For $59, it was almost a no-brainer to give Pixelmator a try. While it took a little getting used to, I have to say Pixelmator is a very good substitute for Photoshop. If you don't need to record macros (aka Actions) or work for print output (CMYK), Pixelmator can do most things Photoshop can do — and often a lot better.

Four Reasons I’ve Switched To Pixelmator

1. Speed — Try launching both programs at the same time (or separately and time them). Pixelmator takes about 1/5th the time to launch as does Photoshop. I don't keep a lot of apps open, and Photoshop is a memory hog. I normally close Photoshop when I'm done with a particular task only to open it up later in the day. Launching it grew annoying. On the other hand, before I'm done clicking on the Pixelmator icon it's ready, able and willing. Pixelmator makes Photoshop look like opening Pages versus Word. No comparison.
2. Similar Workflow — I do a lot of resizing and cropping images for websites. Sometimes I'll adjust the color or saturation. Pixelmator is just a champ at these tasks and others as well. For instance, creating rounded corners is vastly superior to Photoshop's 17 steps of using layered masks method.
3. Price — For $59 and a free upgrade to when the next version arrives, Pixelmator is incredibly affordable. On the otherhand Adobe's "bundling" (aka bungling) — the Creative Suite you see — and hundreds of dollars later I'm wondering where my hard drive space went and what I'm going to do with apps I have no need for. What's more, Pixelmator is available from the App Store and not some serial-number-verification-cross-check that Adobe makes you jump through on their website. Sometimes I wonder if it was easier to rent a movie from Blockbuster (14 pieces of ID) or buy an upgrade from Adobe (15 proofs of purchase)?
4. Built for the Mac — 64bit, Aperture support, filters that use Core Image, and the list goes on. Pixelmator is a Mac OS X product. It's not a Windows version port or some melding of compromise to be on parity with another platform. Pixelmator is built completely unadulterated for OS X, for Mac people.

I still use Photoshop for a few tasks, but it is maybe once or twice a week. I have no plan to upgrade — ever. In contrast, Pixelmator has been a great surprise on the Mac platform. I can't wait for the next version!

9 Comments

1. Patrick ~ May 26, 2011 14:12
   For my (very light occasional graphics) needs, Pixelmator is perfect. I bought a copy about a year ago and love it. My only concern is how to exist in a Photoshop world. Do you have any tips on how to handle Photoshop files that others send you, or how to send someone a Photoshop file after you've created the graphic in Pixelmator?
2. Joe ~ May 26, 2011 14:41
   I think Pixelmator is less $$ on the Mac App Store, I think it is $29.99.
3. Robert ~ May 26, 2011 16:13
   I tried Pixelmator when it first came out. This was after I had ended 25 years in the publications and presentation field (most as an in-house system manager). We used Photoshop when it first came out and continue to use it for huge posters and regular photo editing. I was involved with the purchasing of a volume license for CS1-3, then it got all messed up after I left. I bought Pixelmator and use it on my personal Macs when I want to do more than iPhoto or Aperture allows. I do wish it would use a different way of saving files. I know Photoshop saves in psd as it's native format but you get the option to change that when you save. Pixelmator makes you either export the file in another format or saves it in it's original format (if you're lucky). Having the option to change color space to CMYK would be great and would really make this application a competitor to Photoshop. I never used the actions in Photoshop but I know the production people did. I remember getting it for $29 through the App Store before the latest version came out (upgrade from original purchase).
4. Frank Petrie ~ May 26, 2011 16:20
   I produce a daily Mac news podcast which requires me to build about a dozen new graphics for each show's stories. Pixelmator allows me to build these in no time! Is there a shortcut to create drop shadows? That would complete the package for me.
5. Oy ~ May 26, 2011 18:16
   To convert to/from Photoshop (PSD) format, use Preview. In "save as" you can choose "Photoshop" and it ends up as a .psd file.
6. Neil ~ May 26, 2011 19:48
   Pixelmator is a great alternative to Elements, or for adding to the limited functionality of iPhoto, but it cannot be considered a serious replacement for Photoshop CS5 in any way. Do we really need to make a list of the things Pixelmator *cannot* do?
7. E. Werner Reschke ~ May 26, 2011 21:10
   Hi Neil, Yeah, it really depends on what your workflow is. It also depends on what your budget is. Pixelmator covers 90% of what I need, and I assume it will get really close to 100% with the next version. If you are a hard core, deep in the bowels of Photoshop user, then yeah Pixelmator won't cover the bases... but for most of us, I suspect it does and will. Best, -Werner
8. Jeff Knutson ~ June 12, 2011 04:10
   Pixelmator is pretty cute and it'll cover most of what web designers and the average joe will do at home. However, even though I spend a lot of time being annoyed with the very bloated CS5 and older Adobe products, nothing works better for a designer that produces images for use on the web, screen print, vinyl print and digital and offset print than the Adobe products. I'm looking forward to the day when someone will realize that Adobe just needs to cut the redundancy aspects of it's products and streamline them so that they're not so darn bloated and slow! Maybe after a few more versions of Pixelmator have been produced, it'll become a contender, and knock Adobe of it's perch! And if it does, you'll find me at a bar celebrating! Good Luck
9. Mario C. ~ June 14, 2011 15:02
   I love Pixelmator. For someone who only works in the RGB color space, it's fantastic. My only gripes are that it doesn't have lens correction (native or via plugin), and the Photo Browser is limited to the Pictures folder and iPhoto Library. Otherwise, it does everything else I need to do with photos. I can't wait for version 2!

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