So Apple is buying Pixelmator. Some of the internet is excited, and some not so much. I fall in the not-so-much camp.

I think there are 2 possibilities:

  1. Pixelmator and Photomator become Apple Pro apps like Final Cut or Logic.
  2. Technology and talent are taken from Pixelmator and Photomator and put into Photos, and the original apps are sunsetted.

I'm most concerned about Photomator's fate. I recently canceled my Lightroom subscription and switched to using Photomator for my "big camera" workflow. I'd rather not change my workflow again.

I have a Sony A7C that I use on a semi-regular basis. I shoot in RAW because I'm cool. I like keeping my RAW photos separate from my processed photos. I like having one app for managing my RAW library and editing—like Lightroom or now Photomator—and another app for everything else. After importing and editing in Photomator, I export to Photos so that I only have my favorite edits in my iCloud library. I don't want to pollute my Photos library with thousands of RAWs. The separation makes sense to me.

We'll see how it shakes out and if I need to change my workflow or not. I just hope they turn into Pro apps to compete with Adobe rather than beefing up their consumer offerings. Maybe a combination of both.