Pixelmator Pro 3.4 takes PDF editing to a whole new level

Pixelmator Pro 3.4 on Mac
(Image credit: Pixelmator / Future)

Pixelmator Pro is already one of the best Mac image editing apps, but it's now so much more than that. The latest update, Pixelmator Pro 3.4, takes things to a whole new level.

Editing PDF files is something that a ton of people do on their Macs daily and now Pixelmator Pro offers more advanced editing options than ever before. No longer will you have to import an entire PDF just to edit a single page, for example. And editing multi-layer PDFs is now a thing, too.

The new version of Pixelmator Pro is of course a free update for existing users — and it's one well worth downloading. 

New layers to PDF editing

Pixelmator announced the new update via a blog post, noting that users can look forward to a revamped PDF engine that changes the way people will work with those files.

At the top of the list of changes is the ability to import a single page within a multi-page PDF, making it easier to edit specific portions without all the cruft that isn't needed. A new import dialog also includes additional options. "You can also set the page resolution, and adjust its width and height to the size you need," the blog post notes. And there's more, too.

"Thanks to the major PDF engine redesign, Pixelmator Pro now lets you import PDF files with layers," the Pixelmator team explains. "This means that if a PDF you’re opening includes images or shapes, you can now import these elements as separate layers and edit them individually. Or, if you prefer editing PDFs as flat images, you can import them with all layers merged."

The new update also includes support for vector PDFs created by Safari, Keynote, Pages, and other Apple apps. The result is the ability to import entire web pages from Safari, safe in the knowledge that the vector-based PDF will preserve all of the formatting you see online.

Finally, Pixelmator Pro 3.4 now supports additional shortcuts that make it " easy to convert multiple Pixelmator Pro documents, Adobe Photoshop files, and other files to PDF."

All of this is available right now and existing Pixelmator Pro owners who have automatic updates enabled might already have it. And for everyone else, the Mac App Store download is currently on sale for 30% off, too.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.