Pixelmator 1.31

Using version 1.23 was a far superior experience compared to to version 1.0 and even 1.1. A nice set of features were present, although some notable omissions were obvious, so I had to frequently resort to Photoshop for my web design tasks. Pixelmator developers have announced during mid-2008 that 1.30 update will address quite a few shortcomings and then some.

1.30 was finally released in mid-November, followed quickly by 1.31 update that resolved certain bugs and introduced a couple of new features. 1.30 brought us features that deal with selections, eraser, color palettes and text editing. One of my fav new feature is smart palette, i.e. when choosing a tool and trying to apply it on the image, other palettes disappear from the workspace.
Besides new features, probably the most important benefits were actually "under the hood". Version 1.30 is now much faster - opening large TIFF images doesn't bring Pixelmator to it's knees. Working with large image by using Transform tools is now better, although I still had occasional glitches using Transform - Rotate tool.

Text feature now allow easier selection of text on layer, as well as basic anti-aliasing feature. There is however still room for improvements. One of the most requested feature is for text tool to include kerning. Another one is to allow text effects, such as drop shadow and glow.

I already mentioned that version 1.30 had some bugs. To address these, 1.31 update has been released. PXM file import issue has been fixed, Transform tool are behaving even better now and as an added bonus, couple of new features have been introduced (Color Management, Refine Selection tool with real-time preview, iSight support).

Even with these impressive updates, there are still a few obvious tools missing. Save for Web is still not available (currently promised for 1.5 update). There is also no Smudge tool, no Rotate functionality where user can enter the amount of rotation etc.
Although few perspective users might be waiting for the above features to appear in the future updates, I can strongly recommend Pixelmator. For $ 59, you are getting a mature and quality application that is continuously updates and refined.