Huge Pixelmator Pro 2.4 gains a new-look Layers sidebar, new shapes, and more

Pixelmator Pro 24 Update (Image credit: Pixelmator)

What you need to know

Pixelmator Pro 2.4 is now available for download.
The latest Pixelmator Pro update adds a new Layers sidebar and more.
The new update is free for existing users.

Pixelmator Pro, a popular Mac app for editing images and more, has a big new version 2.4 update in the App Store. Dubbed Pixelmator Pro 2.4 Odesa, the new update is now available for download and brings with it a redesigned Layers sidebar, more than 200 new vector shapes, and more.

Those who already have Pixelmator Pro installed can get the update now via the App Store and it's well worth it. The newly-redesigned Layers bar not only has a new look but is designed to make layers more easily recognized for quicker navigation.

The Layers sidebar has been redesigned with a fresh new look and a range of usability improvements – different layer types are now much more easily recognizable, layers feature informative subtitles, it's now possible to customize layer thumbnail sizes, and more.

Other improvements include color adjustments and effects layers that allow users to work on colors or effects on all layers more easily.

Color adjustments and effects layers let you nondestructively change the look of entire layered compositions more quickly and easily than ever before. These new layer types also make it possible to more easily make selective edits to photos, designs, and illustrations, completely transforming many common workflows.

Those who make extensive use of vector shapes will be pleased to learn that Pixelmator Pro 2.4 adds more than 200 new artist-designed ones across categories that include science, symbols, and activities. The new update also takes full advantage of the latest Apple silicon including the new M1 Ultra chip.

Pixelmator Pro is a Universal app that runs natively on M1-powered Mac devices, taking full advantage of all the power of the new M1 Ultra chip and its unified memory architecture. Thanks to machine learning model optimizations, ML-powered tasks, like automatic background removal, super resolution, and photo enhancement are up to 1.7 times faster on M1 Ultra compared to M1 Max.

Those looking for a full rundown can read the announcement blog post or read the full App Store release notes.

Don't yet have Pixelmator Pro installed? You can get it from the App Store now, priced at $39.99.

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.