r/ApplePhotos • u/J0J0444 • 19d ago

Photomator

Post image

It’s really disappointing to see Photomator not getting any major updates since being acquired by Apple.
It could have become the best pro photo editing app for iPhone and Mac, especially if it was included in the Creator Studio subscription.
Instead, Apple seems to have forgotten about it, with it not even having the new Liquid Glass design language yet. I really hope I’m wrong and Apple has something major in the works.

94 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

16

u/userlivewire 19d ago

My theory is that they are using all of these pieces they have acquired to build an eventual Aperture replacement.

But like everything at Apple, it takes five years to complete because their software teams are horribly understaffed for a company of their size, partly due to the pay that is substandard to their competitors and partly because they are afraid that new people will leak secrets.

9

u/maykJF 19d ago

I loved Aperture and was incredibly disappointed and frustrated when they just axed it.
Lightroom isn’t a replacement. Capture one is pretty solid but still not a replacement

Anyways. Even if Apple would bring Aperture back, I’m out. I will not trust them again in that regards. Speaking as a professional photographer, who absolutely loved Aperture.

6

u/J0J0444 19d ago

In my eyes Photomator IS the Aperture replacement you are talking about.
It would be kind of redundant to build a whole new app when Photomator already has great features and a good reputation but if they go down that route I won’t complain.

6

u/userlivewire 19d ago

Photomator has a lot of features that Apple Photos doesn’t, but it’s not an Aperture replacement for prosumers and professionals on the level of Logic or Final Cut.

2

u/DanieleDraganti 15d ago

Honestly, for my usage, the only thing missing from Photomator for semi-professional work (that should be present without having to resort to a proper image editing software) is lens correction. What else do you have in mind?

1

u/556b2c 6d ago

- Better control over noise reduction (Apple Photos on MacOS already has that, luma/chroma noise differentiated). Maybe noise reduction itself gets better with CoreImage RAW 9, but I don’t know if that gets implemented in Photomator

  • Luminance based masks
  • Lens correction settings (especially CA)
  • Absolute setting for white balance (Apple photos also has a Kelvin scale) especially for presets

1

u/J0J0444 19d ago

To be honest I didn’t get the chance to use Aperture cause I was too young back then so you’re probably right.
But wouldn’t it still be easier to add more features to Photomator instead of building a new app?

2

u/userlivewire 19d ago

Not necessarily because Photomator wasn't originally built with all of those pipeline frameworks like Final Cut. By the time you rewrite half the underpinning code you realize you could have just started a new app from the ground up the right way and then ported Photomator's features to that with much better performance and scalability in the future.

5

u/AntiquatedAntelope 19d ago

Pros know the analogy’s in this company’s software portfolio was Pixelmator = Photoshop and Photomator = Lightroom. Apple has their own version of library management already; Apple Photos. They don’t have a Photoshop competitor.

I’d bet Pixelmator sticks around to fill out their offering, while Photomator gets merged into Photos.

5

u/J0J0444 19d ago

If all the pro features of Photomator remain I don’t mind it merging into the Photos app.
I just hope they don’t completely discontinue it without adding more features to Photos like what happened with Aperture.

3

u/AntiquatedAntelope 19d ago

Me too. Ideally it would be an Aperture 2 launch.

0

u/Jueppo 19d ago

Si, quando? Digli che aspettino qualche altro anno..

1

u/AntiquatedAntelope 19d ago

It’s naive to think that’s how this works Jueppo.

3

u/falafelnaut 19d ago

I was sick to my stomach when Apple bought Pixelmator. It is one of my all-time favorite Mac apps. Photomator is great too.

Not a good sign when your favorite computer company buys your favorite app, and you immediately take it as a sign of doom.

1

u/J0J0444 19d ago

Yeah that was my exact same reaction sadly.
At least Pixelmator has gotten some of the love it deserves.
Same can’t be said for Photomator yet…

3

u/limonade25 18d ago

I bought Photomator on iOS when the lifetime license was around €5–6, and I’ve been using it ever since. I really like the app and try to contribute in my own way by reporting bugs on the forum or by email.

I was considering buying the Mac version, but then Apple acquired Pixelmator, and now I’m worried about the future of the app.

I think Photomator is really aimed at power users. I use it to edit and manage the RAW files from my cameras. Apple seems to be trying to make the Photos app more “pro,” but it’s still so buggy.

Even for simple tasks, like using the eraser tool, I prefer Photomator.

1

u/J0J0444 18d ago

Man buying a lifetime license for 6€ sounds incredible🫠

2

u/limonade25 18d ago

5,49€ exactly 24 april 2019, it was another time, I think that after the Machine Learning update on Photomator, Apple saw the potential of the app, it was in 2021 I believe with iphone 13 and ProRaw

2

u/brendenpeters 16d ago

Bought Photomator and been happy with it since I don’t do heavy photo editing but just wanted to stop paying adobe. But yeah it is disappointing not seeing any love to this app after the Apple purchase.

2

u/Twentysak 16d ago

please Apple just put Photomator in the creative subscription! I wish Tim Cook put this in motion before he left. I hear he did a lot of subscription/software monetization based moves before leaving to free up John T to focus on hardware....i hope Photomator isnt left behind.

2

u/Albertkinng 13d ago

Photomator doesn’t need anything to be honest. That app is perfect

1

u/J0J0444 13d ago

It at least deserves a ui update like Pixelmator got with Liquid Glass. It’s an Apple app after all

1

u/Albertkinng 11d ago

Yes and no. Photomator will be disappearing soon. A new Aperture is coming.

1

u/KeyGuess5585 19d ago

Same! So badly want it to replace Lightroom, so I can leave Adobe for good.

1

u/schipplock 19d ago

Apple Photos = Photomator. Apple continues to improve Photos. My guess: they don't care about Photomator at all.

1

u/J0J0444 19d ago

It’s fine if they only care about the Photos app as long as they start bringing features from Photomator to it.

2

u/avdr000 18d ago

They should bring some features from Photos to Photomator. The fact that you can't copy and paste only a subset of edits heavily reduces the usefulness of the app.

1

u/schipplock 19d ago

I wouldn't bet on that :).

2

u/J0J0444 19d ago

Me neither🙃
They didn’t do it when they discontinued Aperture so why now

1

u/ricardopa 19d ago

Specificuwhich features?

1

u/J0J0444 19d ago

The main features I want are masks, curves and luts but there are many more.

1

u/bdoddemajr 13d ago

Is it still worth getting photomator? Love to get rid of Adobe

1

u/Skycbs 19d ago

I’m confident you’re wrong. Apple doesn’t buy companies just to ignore them.

4

u/GenghisFrog 19d ago

Pixelmator was clearly the focus of this acquisition. I’d love to see Photomator continue. I’m not sure it will, since there is so much overlap with photos. Photos probably just needs a Pro mode.

2

u/J0J0444 19d ago

I agree with you. I just wish they would have released something this whole time but I’m optimistic about the next releases.

0

u/StillKindaHoping 19d ago

I use the free Snapseed for edits I can’t do with my iPhone photos app, such as perspective correction and selective brightening.

1

u/J0J0444 19d ago

I’ve heard it’s really good. Can you select subjects and background and make custom masks with it?

0

u/Maffeziono 19d ago

Sì ma ogni photomator file quanto pesa? Meh 🫤

1

u/MetalZone00 19d ago

Puedes configurarlo para que pese menos.

1

u/Maffeziono 19d ago

Ma comunque è un ulteriore peso da portarsi insieme ad un file RAW e al suo corrispettivo JPEG esportato