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Pixelmator Pro gets update for M1 Macs

Pixelmator Pro gets update for M1 Macs

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Plus, a big redesign

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Pixelmator

Pixelmator has announced Pixelmator Pro 2.0, the newest update to the image-editing software Pixelmator Pro. The app will be available starting tomorrow, November 19th.

The big news is that Pixelmator Pro 2.0 will run natively on Macs with Apple’s new M1 chip. Currently, versions of apps that were developed for Intel systems can only run on the new Macs through an emulation layer called Rosetta 2. Other third-party developers, such as Adobe, don’t plan to release the final Arm-native versions of their software until later this year, so photo editors may be relieved to see Pixelmator Pro support so soon after the M1’s launch. (You’ll still be able to run Pixelmator Pro 2.0 on Intel-based Macs as well.)

Pixelmator Pro 2.0 also includes new machine-learning features that take advantage of the M1’s 16-core neural engine. The company says that functions like ML Super Resolution, which enlarges low-resolution photos while preserving details and textures, will be up to “15 times faster” on the new Macs.

The app also has a new icon. With macOS Big Sur, Apple updated its dock icons to better resemble their counterparts in iOS and iPadOS. The Pixelmator Pro icon adopts the same rounded-square shape that Apple’s new icons have.

And the app has a new redesign as well, in keeping with the new aesthetic of Big Sur. Pixelmator describes it as “all-new, more refined, and more modern.” The interface includes a new unified toolbar, as well as two new browsers and over 200 new presets. You can read the full list of new features on Pixelmator’s Updates Page.

Current Pixelmator Pro users can upgrade to 2.0 for free. You can purchase the app for the first time in the App Store for $39.99.