Another useful Photo Editing application (not free)

[Robert Watcher]

Came across a photo organizing and editing application that wasn’t on the radar when I purchased on1 for my MacMini a couple of years ago. Photomator came out early last year, based on the iOS app Pixelmator. It works within the Apple framework only, and in a way provides functionality to iPhotos that was lost when Apple stopped developing Aperture years ago. It is fully integrated into iPhotos, but also in the last couple of months has added a file manager that allows for accessing Files from iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox, Hard Drives, etc.

My motivation for considering it and purchasing the Lifetime license, is based on my 3 week European adventure to Holland, England and Belgium in April. I will not be taking a laptop and so was hunting around to see what was currently available for full featured editing and inclusion of some of the AI technologies I have in on1 - example subject, sky and background detection. My go to iOS application in Snapseed and I advocate it. I purchased Affinity Photo for iPad and do make use of it primarily when I have layering and composite needs. But both Snapseed and Affinity Photo, do not any facility for working with directories of photos.

In reality, the best option is Lightroom for iPad, but I made the decision a couple of years ago to give up my Adobe subscription. On1 has an App for tablets, but requires a subscription - so I have no idea how it works. For my needs I have taken a gamble on Photomator. Especially since one License allows the application to be used on my macOS desktop, my iPad and my iPhone. It appears to be the closest thing to what I could do in Lightroom. Here are a few screenshots taken running on my iPad. All non-destructive editing that can be modified on different devices and all iOS Sharing and iCloud features

Info here: https://www.pixelmator.com/photomator/

——

 

[Robert Watcher]

iPhotos Integration

New Filemanager

Basic Editing Panels (handles 600 RAW formats)

 

[Robert Watcher]

AI subject detection masking

AI sky detection masking (Background detection also available)

Masks can be edited and refined (missing is edge detection marching ants)

Cropping including AI Auto mode, basic perspective controls

AI Upresing, Denoise and Debanding (active development it appears. Not as good as products like topaz, but I don’t have them with me on my iPad when travelling)

Decent Customization of editing tools

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Robert,

Very nice. The masking is of course just wondrous!

By the way, I find the example shot of the woman working on a quilt to be of itself very charming!

Thanks for this nice review.

Doug

 

[Robert Watcher]

Hi, Robert,

Very nice. The masking is of course just wondrous!

By the way, I find the example shot of the woman working on a quilt to be of itself very charming!

Thanks for this nice review.

Doug

I appreciate that Doug.

That woman working on the quilt, is my charming wife Anne. She has a constant stream of quilts going out of her workspace - commissioned and mostly gifts that the recipients treasure for life. No better way to get someone to love you.

Anne’s website is https://craftedcomforts.com

I have started taking a lot of photos and some back story videos of her projects as a record of her skills.

—-

 

[Asher Kelman]

This is wonderful, especially getting access to directories.

How much is it?

Does it include ads for in app purchases and why not get Pixelmaker Pro instead as it also has layers?

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

This is wonderful, especially getting access to directories.

How much is it?

Does it include ads for in app purchases and why not get Pixelmaker Pro instead as it also has layers?

Asher

I’m not sure of the USD price. I believe it is subscription model ($29.99 yearly, $4.99 monthly) or a lifetime purchase fee ($99.99). I paid more in CAD at $149.00. But at least I own the app.


How I looked at it (from what I read as I couldn’t try it) is that Pixelmator is kind of like Photoshop - very full featured —— and Photomator is more like Lightroom and is a modern app dependant on some AI technology. Different workflows. One has an extensive toolset for single image editing, and the other works well for batch editing, quick selections and adjustments. That is my understanding anyway.

Going back to 2008 when we started travelling, I have virtually always used and preferred Lightroom for all of my organizing and editing - even though it didn’t have the feature set of Photoshop. Powerful Photoshop and Affinity Photo have their limited use in my workflow.

A lot has changed since March of 2000 when Anne and I returned home from Central America because of Covid. Being we are always home in our apartment, I have abandoned my laptop in favour of new Apple desktop computer and stopped my dependence on Adobe products. This April will be the first time travelling again and I needed something more than Snapseed. Something like Lightroom - although I never got to try it on iPad. I am relying on my iPad and iPhone to process any images I will be posting. It appears Photomator will be a good replacement. For extensive editing, I tend to do that on my powerful workstation at home. Plus I have already purchased Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer for my iPad, if I need the heavy duty Photoshop / Illustrator style toolset on the road.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I try to understand Lightroom Classic but it’s so non-intuitive after years of Iview Media Pro then Phase One Media Pro until they abandoned it for Capture one extra features which are also opaque to me!

Currently, I am trying again Capture One. Frustrated by non-intuitive copy and paste (by hitting out of reach arrows in top right of screen), as opposed to standard Command C or Command V in the Apple universe!

Capture One does have an excellent Culling feature which I am studying but I am looking for ability to batch edit eyes, eyebrows, lips, lighting, bg etc and for that I am looking for an AI program.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Does Photomator take PS/LR plugins like On1, Topaz, Nik etc?

 

[visualsparrow]

I’m not sure of the USD price. I believe it is subscription model ($29.99 yearly, $4.99 monthly) or a lifetime purchase fee ($99.99). I paid more in CAD at $149.00. But at least I own the app.


How I looked at it (from what I read as I couldn’t try it) is that Pixelmator is kind of like Photoshop - very full featured —— and Photomator is more like Lightroom and is a modern app dependant on some AI technology. Different workflows. One has an extensive toolset for single image editing, and the other works well for batch editing, quick selections and adjustments. That is my understanding anyway.

Going back to 2008 when we started travelling, I have virtually always used and preferred Lightroom for all of my organizing and editing - even though it didn’t have the feature set of Photoshop. Powerful Photoshop and Affinity Photo have their limited use in my workflow.

A lot has changed since March of 2000 when Anne and I returned home from Central America because of Covid. Being we are always home in our apartment, I have abandoned my laptop in favour of new Apple desktop computer and stopped my dependence on Adobe products. This April will be the first time travelling again and I needed something more than Snapseed. Something like Lightroom - although I never got to try it on iPad. I am relying on my iPad and iPhone to process any images I will be posting. It appears Photomator will be a good replacement. For extensive editing, I tend to do that on my powerful workstation at home. Plus I have already purchased Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer for my iPad, if I need the heavy duty Photoshop / Illustrator style toolset on the road.

Thank you for the detailed insights! Your perspective on software options is incredibly helpful and much appreciated.

 

[eleanormiles]

Came across a photo organizing and editing application that wasn’t on the radar when I purchased on1 for my MacMini a couple of years ago. Photomator came out early last year, based on the iOS app Pixelmator. It works within the Apple framework only, and in a way provides functionality to iPhotos that was lost when Apple stopped developing Aperture years ago. It is fully integrated into iPhotos, but also in the last couple of months has added a file manager that allows for accessing Files from iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox, Hard Drives, etc.

My motivation for considering it and purchasing the Lifetime license, is based on my 3 week European adventure to Holland, England and Belgium in April. I will not be taking a laptop and so was hunting around to see what was currently available for full featured editing and inclusion of some of the AI technologies I have in on1 - example subject, sky and background detection. My go to iOS application in Snapseed and I advocate it. I purchased Affinity Photo for iPad and do make use of it primarily when I have layering and composite needs. But both Snapseed and Affinity Photo, do not any facility for working with directories of photos.

In reality, the best option is Lightroom for iPad, but I made the decision a couple of years ago to give up my Adobe subscription. On1 has an App for tablets, but requires a subscription - so I have no idea how it works. For my needs I have taken a gamble on Photomator. Especially since one License allows the application to be used on my macOS desktop, my iPad and my iPhone. It appears to be the closest thing to what I could do in lr mod apk. Here are a few screenshots taken running on my iPad. All non-destructive editing that can be modified on different devices and all iOS Sharing and iCloud features

Info here:

——

I am not much for editing pics, but my wife wants to be able to edit the pics if she wants to. I am shooting in JPEG format not Raw right now. Should I be shooting in Raw?

The main question is what photo editing program does everyone recommend. I have been looking at Lightroom and don’t mind paying $10 a month for a subscription. Just looking for some recommendations for an easy program to use. Trending towards Lightroom but I know zero about photo editing. Thanks in advance.

 

[visualsparrow]

I am not much for editing pics, but my wife wants to be able to edit the pics if she wants to. I am shooting in JPEG format not Raw right now. Should I be shooting in Raw?

The main question is what photo editing program does everyone recommend. I have been looking at Lightroom and don’t mind paying $10 a month for a subscription. Just looking for some recommendations for an easy program to use. Trending towards Lightroom but I know zero about photo editing. Thanks in advance.

Yes, you should shoot in RAW for better editing flexibility. Lightroom is a great choice for beginners and offers excellent editing tools. The $10/month subscription is worth it for its ease of use and powerful features.

 

[Robert Watcher]

I am not much for editing pics, but my wife wants to be able to edit the pics if she wants to. I am shooting in JPEG format not Raw right now. Should I be shooting in Raw?

The main question is what photo editing program does everyone recommend. I have been looking at Lightroom and don’t mind paying $10 a month for a subscription. Just looking for some recommendations for an easy program to use. Trending towards Lightroom but I know zero about photo editing. Thanks in advance.

If you are good with the monthly subscription, then Lightroom will probably be your best option.

I get excellent jpeg results with my gear and so personally do not feel the need to shoot in RAW. There is no problem editing jpg files. So shooting RAW would be a choice not a requirement.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I am not much for editing pics, but my wife wants to be able to edit the pics if she wants to. I am shooting in JPEG format not Raw right now. Should I be shooting in Raw?

The main question is what photo editing program does everyone recommend. I have been looking at Lightroom and don’t mind paying $10 a month for a subscription. Just looking for some recommendations for an easy program to use. Trending towards Lightroom but I know zero about photo editing. Thanks in advance.

For your wife, perhaps she should try the free iPhone and iPad app, Snapseed. It’s basic, easy to use to get some pretty sophisticated results.

To me a critical start is to correct any brights and darks for your taste. Then use the curves to create the correct contrast at each level of bright ness.

One call also sharpen or blur features reasonably selectively but not exactly.

So it works for me and it’s free.

However it cannot select a person or object or change the background as in Lightroom or Photoshop.

I have been looking at On1 and that seems powerful, logical to use and inexpensive.

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

To use Snapseed on a Mac, you must download an Android emulator like Bluestacks, which allows you to run Android apps on your Mac. Once the emulator is installed, you can download Snapseed on your Mac to edit your photos.

 

[James Lemon]

I shoot with a Nikon and have always used the free software for editing my raw files it also has some nice features for the selection process and exporting the jpeg images.I believe that other camera brands like Canon also provide free software for editing raw files for their cameras as well.

 

[eleanormiles]

Came across a photo organizing and editing application that wasn’t on the radar when I purchased on1 for my MacMini a couple of years ago. Photomator came out early last year, based on the iOS app Pixelmator. It works within the Apple framework only, and in a way provides functionality to iPhotos that was lost when Apple stopped developing Aperture years ago. It is fully integrated into iPhotos, but also in the last couple of months has added a file manager that allows for accessing Files from iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox, Hard Drives, etc.

My motivation for considering it and purchasing the Lifetime license, is based on my 3 week European adventure to Holland, England and Belgium in April. I will not be taking a laptop and so was hunting around to see what was currently available for full featured editing and inclusion of some of the AI technologies I have in on1 - example subject, sky and background detection. My go to iOS application in Snapseed and I advocate it. I purchased Affinity Photo for iPad and do make use of it primarily when I have layering and composite needs. But both Snapseed and Affinity Photo, do not any facility for working with directories of photos.

In reality, the best option is Lightroom for iPad, but I made the decision a couple of years ago to give up my Adobe subscription. On1 has an App for tablets, but requires a subscription - so I have no idea how it works. For my needs I have taken a gamble on Photomator. Especially since one License allows the application to be used on my macOS desktop, my iPad and my iPhone. It appears to be the closest thing to what I could do in Lightroom. Here are a few screenshots taken running on my iPad. All non-destructive editing that can be modified on different devices and all iOS Sharing and iCloud features


sourece : https://tapestodigital.com.au
——

Photomator seems like a great option for your needs, especially since it offers non-destructive editing, syncs across devices, and integrates with cloud services like iCloud and Google Photos. It's a good alternative to Lightroom without requiring a subscription, and the AI features you’re looking for, like subject and sky detection, make it a strong choice for editing on the go. The lifetime license for use on macOS, iPad, and iPhone adds extra value.

 

[Robert Watcher]

To be honest, I haven’t used Photomator much since I put in on my devices when travelling to Europe last year. Although I may find more use again, when my wife and head off in a few weeks to Mexico for an extended stay of two months.

I still use ON1 Photo Raw for all of my photo organizing and most of the editing on my MacMini desktop setup. However ON1 still doesn’t provide what I will need when travelling using an iPad only. So I am glad that I still have Photomator available and will have start planning my workflow using it again.

 

[Robert Watcher]

“try the free iPhone and iPad app, Snapseed. It’s basic, easy to use to get some pretty sophisticated results.”

Snapseed is still my most used editing app on both my iPad and iPhone. My wife has Snapseed on her iphone as well. I am so familiar with it, and have a set of one click presets saved in it, that work in a variety of situations with my shooting style. It is so convenient and quick to use when I am on the streets and want to get a pic processed, exported at an appropriate file size, and uploaded to Social Media. That is my main use for Snapseed.

The edited files from Snapseed can be saved with the ability to Revert to the original for non destructive editing, although this can only work within Snapseed and not other applications that I can see. What I am seeing when I use Photomator to view and edit a saved processed file from Snapseed, is the photo with processing and no ability to revert to the original. With other non-destructive applications like ON1 or LR, I would see the unedited original when viewing those in Photomator or Photos app, and have no access to the processed image unless it had exported with the processing baked in

However there are no file organization features or extended noise and banding reduction or resizing functionality in Snapseed. And those are the features that I need with Photomator on my portable devices.

 

[Robert Watcher]

I have checked the version of Photomator on my iPad and see that it is now 3.4.9. So curious what changes or additions this has provided since I purchased it over a year ago.

So here is the first thing I noticed off the bat. A section called Utilities that provides essential file organization and culling features that are familiar in ON1 and other such applications. So looking forward to making use of that. This functionality may have been there, but easier to access now.

Those flagged files can then be selected and BULK EDITED

 

[Robert Watcher]

How Photomator stacks up against Pixelmator. I find the differentiation can be challenging to figure out. Pixelmator and Photomator are both excellent tools, but they cater to slightly different needs when it comes to organizing photos.

Photomator is specifically designed for photo management and editing. It integrates seamlessly with your device's Photos library, allowing you to organize albums, create folders, and sync edits across devices via iCloud. It also offers features like star ratings, flagging favorites, and rejecting unwanted shots, making it a robust choice for organizing large photo libraries.

Pixelmator, on the other hand, is more focused on editing and creative design rather than photo organization. While it does allow you to browse and manage photos, its organizational features are not as extensive as Photomator's.

If your primary goal is organizing photos efficiently, Photomator might be the better choice. However, if you're looking for a tool that combines basic organization with powerful editing capabilities, Pixelmator could work well.

 

[Asher Kelman]

are they made by the same company?

 

[Robert Watcher]

are they made by the same company?

Yes. And both owned by Apple now as far as I am aware as of Feb 2025.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Yes. And both owned by Apple now as far as I am aware as of Feb 2025.

Let’s hope Apple doesn’t close them down as big companies sometimes do!