Download Pixelmator Pro for Mac

In the edit

Pixelmator Pro 4.3 can open layered Photoshop files, SVG vectors, and a long list of RAW formats — right out of the box. If you are moving from another editor or trying it for the first time, here is what stands out.

Non-destructive editing and one-window canvas for quick alignment fixes

• Non-destructive editing on a single-window canvas that keeps tools close without clutter.
• Reshaping people or objects with the repositioning tool — useful when a group shot needs a quick alignment fix.
• Opening and editing layered PSDs without flattening or losing layers.
• Generating images or custom vector shapes from text descriptions, new in version 4.3.
• Sharing edits straight to Photos, Mail or AirDrop from the app.

Requires macOS 26 and Apple silicon with 11 language options

• Requires macOS 26 and an Apple silicon Mac — no Intel version for the current release.
• Interface is available in eleven languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
• Version 4.3 also adds a Content Hub with built-in photos, graphics and illustrations, plus improved Switch Control and VoiceOver support.

Culling and color-correcting a wedding gallery before Sunday morning

You have just come back from a Saturday wedding in Kent. You need to cull, colour-correct and export a highlight gallery before the couple wakes up on Sunday.

Pixelmator Pro fits that Sunday-morning workflow better than most editors I have used. Open a RAW file from the card, and the app reads it natively — no separate converter, no waiting for a preview to load. The Core ML enhancement is the first thing I hit on most portraits: one click, and the exposure and skin tones even out without looking overdone. For the group shots where someone is blinking or looking away, the repositioning tool lets you shift a head or an arm by a few pixels without rebuilding the whole layer stack. It is not magic, but it saves the shot.

When the couple wants a mix of colour and black-and-white, I duplicate the layer, desaturate the top copy, and paint the mask back in with a soft brush. The single-window interface keeps the layers palette, the colour picker and the histogram visible at the same time, so I am not digging through menus to find what I need. By the time the kettle has boiled, the first twenty images are already sitting in a shared Photos album, sent straight from the app via AirDrop.

Switch the canvas background to neutral grey for better contrast

Out of the box, Pixelmator Pro is set up to be approachable, but a few adjustments make it feel like your own. Head into the preferences and switch the canvas background to a neutral grey — it stops the white canvas from fooling your eye during exposure adjustments. If you work with RAW files often, check that the RAW engine is set to apply minimal sharpening by default; you can always add more later per image.

For anyone who exports frequently, the export preset panel lets you save a custom set of dimensions, format and compression settings. Name it "Client Web Gallery" or "Instagram Square" and it stays one click away. The brush cursor can be set to show the full brush size outline instead of the default crosshair — a small change that makes a difference when you are painting masks on a detailed background.

These are not hidden features. They are just easy to skip when you are eager to start editing. Taking five minutes to set them up saves a lot of menu-diving later.

Content Hub replaces browser searches for stock photos

The jump to 4.3 is not a facelift — it is the kind of update that changes how you start a project. Content Hub is the most obvious addition. Instead of opening a browser to find a stock photo or a vector icon, you pull the hub from the toolbar and browse built-in graphics, shapes and illustrations. For a social media graphic or a quick flyer, you can have the base image and a decorative element placed inside a minute. No tab-switching, no licensing worries.

Generate Image and Generate from Image are the headline features, and they work as you would expect from a tool that now sits inside Apple's Creator Studio. Type "autumn leaves on a wooden table" and the app gives you a few options to drop onto the canvas. Generate from Image lets you select a region and describe the change — "replace the sky with a sunset gradient" — and the app handles the rest. It is not meant to replace careful compositing, but it is fast for mood boards, client drafts, or filling a gap in a background.

Custom vector shape generation from text descriptions is the quieter win. If you need a specific arrow, a badge shape or a decorative border, typing a description gives you a clean vector that you can scale, recolour and edit as a shape layer. For photographers who also design their own albums or save-the-date cards, this cuts out the trip to a vector app.

On the accessibility side, Switch Control and VoiceOver support have been improved. That matters more than most release notes let on: it means a colleague who relies on those tools can navigate the same canvas, adjust layers and apply effects without a workaround.

Event photographers get RAW handling and batch processing via Automator

Pixelmator Pro has always aimed at the space between pro-grade editors and casual photo apps, and version 4.3 keeps that balance.

Photographers shooting events or portraits will appreciate the RAW handling, the non-destructive workflow and the batch processing via Automator. If you export the same set of sizes for every job — full-res JPEG for the client, compressed for Instagram, black-and-white for the album — you can automate the whole pipeline and walk away.

Designers who work mostly in print or web layouts will find the vector tools, text handling and PSD compatibility enough to skip a second app for quick edits. SVG import works well, so logos and icons from clients land on the canvas as editable shapes rather than flattened pixels.

Illustrators who paint on a Mac get a solid set of brushes, layer blend modes and a colour picker that respects the canvas. The Apple Pencil support on the iPad side is worth mentioning if you move between devices — the same file opens on both, and the tools translate well.

Casual users who edit family photos and make the occasional greeting card will find the learning curve gentle. The interface does not overwhelm you with panels, and the ML enhancement handles the tricky parts of exposure and colour balance so you can focus on cropping and framing.

Color adjustment presets preview live on the canvas before applying

Some of the best features in Pixelmator Pro are the ones that do not announce themselves. The colour adjustment presets, for instance, live in a small dropdown that lets you preview each one live on the canvas before applying it. Hover over "Warm Portrait" or "Cool Landscape" and the image updates instantly — no commit required until you click.

The layer mask thumbnails show a real-time preview of the mask alongside the layer content. That might sound minor, but when you are painting a complex mask on a hair detail or a tree branch, seeing the mask update as you brush saves you from flipping the visibility on and off constantly.

Pixelmator Pro can open and edit layered Photoshop files without flattening. If a client sends a PSD with adjustment layers, smart objects and layer groups, the app reads the structure and lets you tweak individual elements. When you save back to PSD, the layers stay intact — no surrender of your edits to a single flattened image.

The Photos app integration is another quiet win. You can launch an image from your library into Pixelmator Pro, edit it, and save the result back to the same library entry. The original remains untouched; the edited version sits alongside it. For anyone who keeps their life in the Photos app, this keeps the workflow inside one ecosystem.

If you download Pixelmator Pro from a source you trust, these are the details that turn it from a capable editor into the one you reach for first. Whether you need to generate a quick concept image, retouch a portrait or build a multi-layer composite, the tools are laid out in a way that does not get in the way of the work.

New this release

• Content Hub for inserting photos, graphics, shapes and illustrations.
• Generate Image for creating images from text descriptions.
• Generate from Image for text-based edits and transformations.
• Custom vector shape generation from text descriptions.
• Improved support for Switch Control and VoiceOver.

Mac it needs

• macOS 26 or later
• Apple silicon Mac