Pixelmator Pro Launches on iPad: Apple Announces
▼ Summary
– Apple acquired the Pixelmator team in late 2024, and Pixelmator Pro is now launching on iPad alongside Apple Creator Studio on January 28.
– The new iPad app is a touch-optimized version of the Mac software, offering full Apple Pencil support and the ability to work between iPad and Mac.
– It requires an iPad with an A16, A17 Pro, or M1 chip or later, running iPadOS 26 or later.
– While the Mac version is a one-time purchase, it is unclear if the iPad app requires an Apple Creator Studio subscription, which unlocks exclusive features like a new Warp tool.
– Apple Creator Studio also provides exclusive features for other Apple apps like Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.
The arrival of Pixelmator Pro on the iPad marks a significant expansion for the professional image editing software, following Apple’s acquisition of the development team. This launch coincides with the introduction of Apple Creator Studio, bringing the desktop application’s full suite of tools to a touch-optimized platform. The new version is engineered from the ground up for iPadOS, harnessing the power of Apple silicon to deliver a fast, intuitive, and portable creative experience.
The app debuts on January 28, requiring an iPad with an A16, A17 Pro, or M1 chip (or later) running iPadOS 26. It introduces a completely redesigned workspace built for touch and Apple Pencil, offering full support for features like hover, squeeze, and double-tap gestures. Creators gain access to the comprehensive Layers sidebar for building designs with images, shapes, text, and video. Smart selection tools and advanced masking capabilities allow for precise, effortless edits, while hardware-software integration unlocks features like Super Resolution for upscaling photos and Deband for cleaning up compression artifacts.
A deep collection of pressure-sensitive brushes transforms the Apple Pencil into a natural painting instrument. The app also supports seamless workflow between iPad and Mac, ensuring projects can move fluidly across devices. While the Mac version remains available as a standalone $49.99 purchase, the pricing model for the iPad app is less clear from the announcement; it is not specified if it will be a separate purchase or tied to the new Apple Creator Studio subscription.
Notably, Apple is reserving some advanced features exclusively for Apple Creator Studio subscribers across its pro apps. For Pixelmator Pro, this includes a powerful new Warp tool for manipulating layers and a library of Warp-based product mockups. Similar exclusive features are being added to Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for subscribers. This move signals a strategy where core applications remain available for individual purchase, while a subscription unlocks a tier of premium, cross-app functionality.
This launch represents a major shift, as Pixelmator Pro was previously exclusive to Mac, with the older Pixelmator app receiving few updates on iOS. The new iPad version effectively brings the complete professional editing toolkit to a mobile form factor, promising desktop-class design power wherever users take their device.
(Source: 9to5Mac)
