Pixelmator Photo for iPad
$4.99 From Pixelmator Team, pixelmator.com/photo Made for iPad Pro, iPad (5th gen or later), iPad Air (3rd gen or later), iPad Mini (5th gen or later) Needs iOS 11 or later Pixelmator and its Pro version are much–loved photo and graphics applications for the Mac. So it’s no surprise that the team behind them has now brought a photo–specific version to the iPad platform. Though there are other iPad photo apps, including Apple’s own out there, this one stands out for its excellent features and design. Let’s look at what it can do.
Your first step is to load an image, and the app can see your local image library as well as iCloud, Google Drive and other cloud locations you may have set up on your iPad. You can search easily and use color tags. All major image formats are supported, including RAW files, which professional photographers will likely be using due to their higher level of detail. iOS supports the RAW format natively, but developers still have to enable their apps to be able to use it.
The edit tools are well laid out and will be familiar to anyone who has used Apple’s own Camera app, even if the range of tools here is much more advanced. The first tab is “ML”, for Machine Learning. Tap this and the app analyses your image and uses its database to calculate what changes it thinks an image needs. Using this option results in quite broad brush changes — you’re probably better off using the ML options found on individual edit sections, where changes are more subtle and easier to control.
In the main Edit mode, you get a great choice of color, tone, exposure and other controls, including curves and a selective color mixer to alter the hue and saturation of individual tones. There are preset looks, displayed along the base of the window, and these are useful rather than garish as some can be. The results are pleasing and sympathetic, and you should find it quick and easy to improve and change your images.
Editing is nondestructive, so you can revert any section at any time without affecting others, or revert the whole image back to its original state. There are good cropping and perspective tools, and special mention must go to the Repair tool which lets you draw over an object, and have the app’s algorithms magically remove it. This tool is far and away the best of its kind we’ve ever used and does an extremely good job of removing even quite complex elements in just a couple of seconds. When you’re done editing you can output and share your images in a number of formats. Using this app is a great experience.
the bottom line. A gorgeous and powerful photo editing app with tools you will actually use. Hollin Jones