Hot off the heels of their iPad app, the Pixelmator team have today released Pixelmator 3.3 for Mac. This update centers around design and structural optimizations for OS X Yosemite, including an extension for integration with other apps and a new icon to match the ‘flatter’ aesthetic of the operating system. The update also includes a new file format to improve syncing and compatibility with the iPad version.
Although the app largely resembles previous versions, with custom floating panels and black chrome, it now takes advantage of Apple’s transparency effects to mesh well with the OS.
Interestingly, the app also embeds an app extension exposing Pixelmator’s Repair Tool technology across the system in other apps. This means you can quickly edit images in Mail or TextEdit, for example, to remove unwanted objects from a scene.
Although extensions are now widely adopted on iOS, Mac developers have been slower to take advantage of the inter-app communication features so it’s nice to see Pixelmator at the forefront of the latest API’s. Right now, only the Repair Tool is available in the extension, although it seems logical that Pixelmator will make more editing tools available in the future.
Pixelmator 3.3 can be purchased for $29.99 from the Mac App Store and, as always, the update is free for existing customers.
