Subscribe by RSS feedPixelmator: Photoshop replacement?
Being a (recent) convert to the land of independent Mac development, I’ve managed to find replacements for all my workflow tools, software which is smaller, and just so much better. Komodo Edit became TextMate, which is now threatening to become Coda, YummySoup is doing an excellent job of managing my recipes, and it’s really just Photoshop that’s left.
I went searching and found Pixelmator, which seems a very attractive replacement for Photoshop. With good reviews, I downloaded it, loaded up a mockup I’d been working on for a day and, boom, there’s no layer folders. Instant deal-breaker, I’m afraid. A bit of searching showed that layer folders, and layer effects, were some very frequently asked-for enhancements, but as of 1.4 they’re not part of the product yet.
Apart from these two omissions, however, the rest of it does seem good. I’m sure I’ll get used to the overabundance of translucent black HUD windows in time. Functionally, the tools I need all seem to be there, and keystrokes are the same as, or similar to, Photoshop’s. I haven’t yet tried it with my Wacom tablet, but the website says it’s compatible and pressure-sensitive. The interface layout seems much more user-friendly than Photoshop, with none of the tiny fiddly controls that fill every panel on Adobe’s product.
I’ve only spent a short time with it, but I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on the updates – the moment layer folders make their way into the app, I’ll be picking up a copy.
