Apple buys popular photo editing app Pixelmator – and Photos could soon get a massive upgrade

• Apple has conscionable acquired nan celebrated photograph editing app Pixelmator
• There won't beryllium immoderate changes to Pixelmator's app "at this time"
• The move could beryllium a large boost for photograph editing connected iPhones and Macs

Apple has conscionable bought nan celebrated photograph editing app Pixelmator – and that could beryllium immense news for photograph editing connected iPhones, iPads and Macs.

The news was shared by Pixelmator successful a astonishment blog post, which says that it's "signed an statement to beryllium acquired by Apple, taxable to regulatory approval". That support is apt to beryllium a formality, fixed Pixelmator is acold from nan biggest food successful nan image editing pool.

If you're a Pixelmator fan, you don't request to interest astir large changes for now – nan app shaper says location will not beryllium "material changes to nan Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps astatine this time".

However, it added to "stay tuned for breathtaking updates to come" and it's difficult not look up to what Apple could do pinch nan apps. The evident parallel is Dark Sky, a comparatively mini startup that Apple acquired successful early 2020, earlier folding it into its ain Weather app.

It looks highly apt that Apple will do nan aforesaid pinch Pixelmator's tech and its Photos app, which likewise exists connected nan iPhone, iPad and Mac. And that would beryllium large news for photograph editing connected those platforms...

The caller Aperture?

Apple erstwhile made a pro-level image editor and organizer called Aperture for nan Mac, which existed betwixt 2005 and 2015, erstwhile it was discontinued. This Pixelmator acquisition could perchance capable that spread – and besides springiness Apple fans a powerful autochthonal replacement to nan likes of Photoshop.

On nan iPhone, galore photography fans for illustration Pixelmator to Adobe's apps. TechRadar contributor Paul Hatton precocious wrote that nan iOS app fto him say goodbye to Photoshop, partly because it's designed specifically for iOS and iPadOS (so tin return afloat advantage of Apple silicon).

We besides complaint Pixelmator Pro highly successful our guideline to nan best photograph editing apps for Mac, calling it a "great all-rounder" and amended worth than an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. If Apple does yet fold Pixelmator's tech into nan Photos app, it could go moreover amended worth – possibly moreover free, for Apple fans.

The imaginable for that move has understandably made Pixelmator fans a small nervous. Apple won't needfully sorb Pixelmator into Photos, but it seems nan astir apt early scenario.

While Apple Intelligence does now powerfulness features for illustration Clean Up for removing distractions from photos, nan acquisition of Pixelmator suggests that Apple still thinks it's down nan likes of Google's Magic Editor and Adobe erstwhile it comes to autochthonal AI image editing and organizing.

That's surely nan lawsuit erstwhile you look astatine TechRadar's Phone of nan year, nan Google Pixel 9 Pro, but we could soon spot Apple drawback up

You mightiness besides like...

• This app fto maine opportunity goodbye to Photoshop and I mightiness beryllium amended disconnected for it
• I tested Photoshop's caller AI instrumentality for fixing aged photos – and it's earnestly impressive
• I tested nan Google Pixel’s Long Exposure photograph mode – and it’s different logic to time off my pro mirrorless camera astatine home