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Even after browsing the comparison page, the differences between Pixelmator Pro and Photomator are not entirely clear. Possibly this is because of where they ar

Even after browsing the comparison page, the differences between Pixelmator Pro and Photomator are not entirely clear. Possibly this is because of where they are in their life cycle. For casual image editing, including photos, I turn to Pixelmator Pro most of the time. I'm not sure at this time how I would use Photomator. If it eventually integrates metadata management and cataloguing, then I would happily jettison Lightroom Classic.

hoherd 3y ago
I too was looking for a replacement for Lightroom Classic. I was hoping this could be it. I downloaded it and quickly found that it is not it. - Photomater's photo library is the Apple Photos library - Files are copied into the Apple Photos library when importing, even when Photos.app has the preference set not to - Edits are not saved to the dng. (There is a preference to save a sidecar file when editing, but I couldn't find the sidecar. Could be a bug.) I think that if they had just not used the Apple Photos library for their library, and had their own library browser, I probably would have bought it. The app performed really well and the experience was nice for simple photo edits. Their B&W editor was nice, and seemed to maintain brightness while adjusting individual color channels. I'm still holding onto my LR6 perpetual license as tight as I can, even with all of the broken features, waiting for something that isn't a subscription that can function as a photo library and editor.
- wizee 3y ago
  Capture One? That’s what I migrated to after using Apple Aperture for many years past its discontinuation. Perpetual licenses still exist for it.
- drcongo 3y ago
  Those are the reasons I love this and always hated Lightroom. I'm not a pro photographer, just a better than average amateur. I guess I'm probably much more the target market for Photomator.
- k2enemy 3y ago
  I found the sidecar files by going to Photomator > Settings > Editing then clicking the "Manage Files..." button. This revealed a potential showstopper for me. Each RAW file that I worked on created a 100 MB sidecar file. I think this is just an image preview though. I could delete the sidecar file and my edits were preserved.
JKCalhoun 3y ago
My suspicion is that Pixelmator Pro is the odd duck — perhaps an attempt to move Pixelmator from pixel-editor toward more of a photo-tool. Photomator might be an acknowledgment that pixel and photo editing are fundamentally different processes (... and never the twain shall meet).

hoherd 3y ago

I too was looking for a replacement for Lightroom Classic. I was hoping this could be it. I downloaded it and quickly found that it is not it. - Photomater's photo library is the Apple Photos library - Files are copied into the Apple Photos library when importing, even when Photos.app has the preference set not to - Edits are not saved to the dng. (There is a preference to save a sidecar file when editing, but I couldn't find the sidecar. Could be a bug.) I think that if they had just not used the Apple Photos library for their library, and had their own library browser, I probably would have bought it. The app performed really well and the experience was nice for simple photo edits. Their B&W editor was nice, and seemed to maintain brightness while adjusting individual color channels. I'm still holding onto my LR6 perpetual license as tight as I can, even with all of the broken features, waiting for something that isn't a subscription that can function as a photo library and editor.

wizee 3y ago
Capture One? That’s what I migrated to after using Apple Aperture for many years past its discontinuation. Perpetual licenses still exist for it.
drcongo 3y ago
Those are the reasons I love this and always hated Lightroom. I'm not a pro photographer, just a better than average amateur. I guess I'm probably much more the target market for Photomator.
k2enemy 3y ago
I found the sidecar files by going to Photomator > Settings > Editing then clicking the "Manage Files..." button. This revealed a potential showstopper for me. Each RAW file that I worked on created a 100 MB sidecar file. I think this is just an image preview though. I could delete the sidecar file and my edits were preserved.

JKCalhoun 3y ago

My suspicion is that Pixelmator Pro is the odd duck — perhaps an attempt to move Pixelmator from pixel-editor toward more of a photo-tool. Photomator might be an acknowledgment that pixel and photo editing are fundamentally different processes (... and never the twain shall meet).