What I can say, though, is that Pixelmator Pro has more tools and customizable options for size, thickness, style, and texture than I've seen in a lot of painting apps. I'm absolutely not an artist and have very little experience with digital illustrating. Not only are there some fantastic photo adjustment tweaks, but there is a huge array of painting tools with dozens of brushes, each with a variety of textures, sizes, brush styles, and more.

It's all about the toolsĪnother major upgrade to Pixelmator Pro is the many new tools. The currently-selected tool is still in place, but you don't have all of those little icons on the side getting in the way. To add even more to the photo-first design, you can hide all of the tools and interface by selecting Hide Interface from the View section of the App Menu. Your layers are visible on the left side of the interface, and can also be hidden at any time with just a click on the leftmost button and selecting 'Hide Layers'. If you need to quickly view your photo without the tools, simply click on the photo edit icon in the top right corner of the screen and it hides completely. The tools blend into the black border, and sub-tools are translucent until you click on one to access all of the customizations. It may not seem like much, but it really makes a difference in how I interact with the app. Instead of floating tools that lay on top of your image, you're presented with a full view of your photo with the tools resting off to the sides, which you can hide at any time. The biggest difference between Pixelmator and Pixelmator Pro (aside from the many additional tools) is the complete overhaul of the interface.

Pixelmator download