Appletell

Pixelmator, which claims to be “Image editing for the rest of us,” comes full of all sorts of different features for a relatively small price ($59.00) compared to other graphic design/image software of this nature such as Aperture and Photoshop.  If what the app contained before wasn’t enough to cause you to buy it, the new update may help.  The Pixelmator team has now released version 1.2 Draftsman of it’s beautiful, GPU powered image editor that comes as a free update for people who already use the product.  One of the key features in this update is new rulers tool.  This tool allows users to have even more control of the alignment on the layers and includes many different units such as pixels and centimeters.  This update also comes with the usual bug fixes as well as an addition of some more Automator actions.

Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team says, “Pixelmator opened the door for all users to explore their imaginative side through image creation, editing, and enhancement.  Now with powerful, but easy-to-use rulers, guides, curves, auto enhance, color balance, and polygonal lasso tools, Pixelmator provides users with an even wider range of creative opportunities.” Sounds great to me.

If you own Pixelmator and have downloaded the new version, let us know how it is.  The new features sounds extremely great and useful, and we love to hear your feedback!

For those of you who missed out on the downloadable MacHeist Bundle, MacHeist recently announced that a hard-copy version will be for sale soon.  At MacHeist.com, there is a teaser video, showing a vault with the Bundle in it getting robbed, and a line at the end that tells you to buy it before the time runs out.  Below are more info on some of the apps with which I have had personal experience:

Cover Sutra:  When paired with iTunes, Cover Sutra acts as a control for your music from the Desktop.  You can customize its great UI to your preferences, making this a good looking, though fairly pointless, app all the better.

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Pixelmator has grabbed a lot of attention since its release not long ago. It seems everyone in the Mac blogosphere has been talking about it - and therefore it wasn’t surprising to see it included in the MacHeist 2 bundle. Pixelmator has just been updated to version 1.1.2.

The patch offers quite a few bug fixes, and a short list of interface tweaks and improvements. The selection tools have been improved along with the color fills. The colors now work in real-time rather than “fake-time”. This update should apply to MacHeist users too, as their licenses should apply for the whole of version 1 of Pixelmator. This app is a great shareware alternative to Photoshop. It definitely doesn’t have all the pro stuff with it - but for most people - this is by far enough for image editing. It is also designed beautifully, and loads much faster than Adobe’s Photoshop.

The update is available for download now from the developer’s website. Alternatively, you can check for updates within Pixelmator.

Via [TUAW]

Finally, after selling 5000 bundles, and then reaching $100,000 in donations to charity, the entire MacHeist bundle has finally been unlocked. This means that future buyers and people who have already paid for it will now get the three best apps: CSSEdit, Snapz Pro X and Pixelmator. In addition to the initial 10 apps that were announced, Speed Download was also added to the bundle, as the 11th app. There is still an empty spot on the MacHeist homepage, so there could be possibly be another secret app waiting to be revealed.

If you can successfully get a friend of yours to purchase a bundle, you will also receive LaunchBar, a Spotlight-like app that helps improve your productivity. With just another 9 days left to make up your mind, and such good value plus the option to donate to charity, this is turning out to be a no-brainer. So what are you waiting for? Get your bundle for just $49 today.

Via [MacHeist]

As if MacHeist II hasn’t caused enough hype on the Apple blogosphere, here’s some more MacHeist II news. According to TUAW’s sources, they have learned that the contents of the final bundle will be announced on January 9, and it will cost the same as last year’s bundle: $49. Pixelmator is the only known app out of the 9 others that will be included in this bundle. But you’ll definitely be getting a good deal - an amazing deal in fact. Pixelmator alone costs $59, so combine that with 9 other apps and price it at $49 and you get the MacHeist bundle. Plus, as last time, 25% of the profits will go to a charity - so you’re donating to a good cause, saving money and getting more software than you could want - sounds good to me.

I think John Casasanta and Phil Ryu have got a guaranteed large paycheck from the second MacHeist. Although, there have been concerns about how much developers are receiving from this event. The MacHeist team should not be ripping the developers off, as they are making a large profit from this event. The developers are the ones who have put time and effort into making the software that is being distributed, and they should be credited equally for their work.

Via [TUAW]

Pixelmator, the delicious generation photo editor (think Photoshop), after much hype has finally gone into private beta. I was lucky enough to be one of the lucky people who have gotten in on the beta so far. I can’t post any screenshots/information yet until the final version is released, but I will say I like what I see.

If you want more information on what the beta is like, TUAW’s David Chartier has been given permission from the Pixelmator Team to post his initial thoughts. TUAW also has two videos displaying some of Pixelmator’s functionality that I recommend taking a look at if Pixelmator interests you. If you want to get in on the beta yourself, you can email the Pixelmator Team with your Mac specifications and your skills. You don’t have to be a designer to try out the beta, the Pixelmator Team wants “Life fans, switchers from Windows, grandfathers and grandmothers, 6-year-old kids, and our secret friend John Gruber trying out Pixelmator beta.”