Pixen for Mac

What's new in this version:

Pixen 5.6.1
- Colors can now be deleted, rearranged, and replaced in color palettes docked in the sidebar on the right
- Multi-digit color palette indices can now be selected by typing them with the keyboard
- Custom color palettes docked in the sidebar on the right are now restored across app launches
- Duplicate colors can now be added to color palettes by default
- Improved the sorting of color palettes
- Improved the quality of exported SVGs
- Improved the reliability of the rectangular selection tool
- You can now hold the Shift key while using the Move tool to lock movement in horizontal or vertical directions
- Fixed a bug where pressing the delete key while using the Text tool could delete the selected pixels instead of the last character


Pixen 5.6
- Colors can now be deleted, rearranged, and replaced in color palettes docked in the sidebar on the right
- Multi-digit color palette indices can now be selected by typing them with the keyboard
- Custom color palettes docked in the sidebar on the right are now restored across app launches
- Improved the sorting of color palettes
- Improved the quality of exported SVGs
- Improved the reliability of the rectangular selection tool
- You can now hold the Shift key while using the Move tool to lock movement in horizontal or vertical directions


Pixen 5.5.4
- Text can now be pasted in when using the Text Tool by pressing Command-V
- Improved the documentation for the app to cover the latest features and improvements
- Fixed an issue where merging hidden layers could cause their contents to disappear


Pixen 5.5.3
- Improved the color accuracy of shape tools
- Selecting custom fill colors for shape tools now takes one fewer click
- Fixed an issue where selecting tools could require two clicks


Pixen 5.5.2
- Fixed an issue where selecting tools could require two clicks


Pixen 5.5.1
- Improved the accuracy of Photoshop (PSD) exports
- Improved the responsiveness of the Pencil tool
- Retitled some settings to improve clarity


Pixen 5.5
- Export layers and animation frame sequences at different scales
- Export sprite sheets in different image formats
- Customize the color depth when exporting BMP files
- Apply patterns with the Flood Fill tool
- Choose whether patterns should be tiled or drawn in when using the Pencil tool to draw patterns
- Quickly create images and animations by right-clicking on Pixen's app icon in the Dock


Pixen 5.4.10
- In animation projects, added a toolbar button to provide easier access to animation settings
- In animation projects, the toolbar can now be customized independently of that of image projects
- Dithering options now respect pixels' alpha channel
- Improved the appearance of the feedback form
- Improved UI makes it more obvious when colors are selected in color palettes
- Fixed the top crash in the app
- Pixen is fully compatible with macOS 15 "Sequoia"


Pixen 5.4.9
- In animation projects, added a toolbar button to provide easier access to animation settings
- In animation projects, the toolbar can now be customized independently of that of image projects
- Dithering options now respect pixels' alpha channel
- Improved the appearance of the feedback form
- Improved UI makes it more obvious when colors are selected in color palettes
- Pixen is fully compatible with macOS 15 "Sequoia"


Pixen 5.4.8
- In animation projects, added a toolbar button to provide easier access to animation settings
- In animation projects, the toolbar can now be customized independently of that of image projects
- Dithering options now respect pixels' alpha channel
- Improved the appearance of the feedback form
- Improved UI makes it more obvious when colors are selected in color palettes
- Pixen is fully compatible with macOS 15 "Sequoia"


Pixen 5.4.7
- Pixen is fully compatible with macOS 15 "Sequoia"
- Improved UI makes it more obvious when colors are selected in color palettes


Pixen 5.4.6
Added:
- a preset for the Playdate's screen size in the Create New Image / Animation window
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to 1-bit command, with thresholding and dithering settings included
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to Grayscale command
- a 1-bit color palette to the default set of color palettes, which can be docked in the sidebar
- a button for inverting colors to the Pattern Editor window
- an option for creating patterns from 1-bit images in the Pattern Editor


Pixen 5.4.5
Added:
- a preset for the Playdate's screen size in the Create New Image / Animation window
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to 1-bit command, with thresholding and dithering settings included
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to Grayscale command
- a 1-bit color palette to the default set of color palettes, which can be docked in the sidebar
- a button for inverting colors to the Pattern Editor window
- an option for creating patterns from 1-bit images in the Pattern Editor


Pixen 5.4.3
Added:
- a preset for the Playdate's screen size in the Create New Image / Animation window
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to 1-bit command, with thresholding and dithering settings included
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to Grayscale command
- a 1-bit color palette to the default set of color palettes, which can be docked in the sidebar
- a button for inverting colors to the Pattern Editor window
- an option for creating patterns from 1-bit images in the Pattern Editor


Pixen 5.4.2
Added:
- a preset for the Playdate's screen size in the Create New Image / Animation window
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to 1-bit command, with thresholding and dithering settings included
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to Grayscale command
- a 1-bit color palette to the default set of color palettes, which can be docked in the sidebar
- a button for inverting colors to the Pattern Editor window
- an option for creating patterns from 1-bit images in the Pattern Editor


Pixen 5.4
Added:
- a preset for the Playdate's screen size in the Create New Image / Animation window
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to 1-bit command, with thresholding and dithering settings included
- different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to Grayscale command
- a 1-bit color palette to the default set of color palettes, which can be docked in the sidebar
- a button for inverting colors to the Pattern Editor window
- an option for creating patterns from 1-bit images in the Pattern Editor


Pixen 5.3.5
- Blend modes can now be changed using the top level Layers menu in the menu bar (previously this was only possible with the context menu in the layers pane)
- Added the ability to scale layers with the Layer -> Transform Layer -> Scale Layer command
- Added different algorithms as options to the Filter -> Convert to Grayscale command
- Added a new color palette which is installed when trying Pixen for the first time
- Custom color palettes can now be assigned to the sidebar on the right above the layers, in addition to the existing Recent Colors and Document Colors palettes
- Fixed an issue where applying a preset would sometimes not honor the color in the preview


Pixen 5.3.4
- Custom color palettes can now be assigned to the sidebar on the right above the layers, in addition to the existing Recent Colors and Document Colors palettes
- Pressing the Option key no longer affects the Tools palette of background document windows
- Fixed issues around pressing the Escape key to close the About window


Pixen 5.3.2
- Pressing the Option key no longer affects the Tools palette of background document windows
- Fixed issues around pressing the Escape key to close the About window


Pixen 5.3
- Pressing the Option key no longer affects the Tools palette of background document windows
- Fixed issues around pressing the Escape key to close the About window


Pixen 5.2
- Pressing the Option key no longer affects the Tools palette of background document windows
- Fixed issues around pressing the Escape key to close the About window


Pixen 5.1
- Modernized the appearance of tool icons

Added:
- a Pixel Perfect mode to the Pencil, Line, and Eraser tools that ensures the widths of drawn paths are at most 1px
- a command to the Animation Settings sheet to apply the default frame duration to all of the current frames in an animation document
- a command to the Animation Settings sheet to set an animation document to a FPS rate
- a command to the Welcome window to create an image from the clipboard if there is an image on the clipboard
- support for restoring tool properties across app relaunches if Auto Save is enabled

Enhanced:
- Enhanced selection rotations to no longer deselect pixels when done, allowing you to perform a second rotation more easily
- Enhanced selection flips to no longer deselect pixels when done, allowing you to perform a second flip more easily
- Renamed Rotate Selection/Layer/Canvas commands to make it easier to assign custom keyboard shortcuts to them
- Renamed Flip Selection/Layer/Canvas commands to make it easier to assign custom keyboard shortcuts to them

Improved:
- the legibility of the zoom in / out cursor
- discovery of tools for new users
- compatibility with macOS Sonoma

Fixed:
- a rare crash that could occur while undoing moves performed with the Move tool
- a rare crash that could occur while using the Brightness tool


Pixen 5.0.3
- Compatibility fixes


Pixen 5.0.2
- Crash fix


Pixen 5.0.1
- Crash fix


Pixen 4.1.7
- Crash fix


Pixen 4.1.5
- Crash fix


Pixen 4.1.4
- Crash fix


Pixen 4.1.3
- Compatibility fixes


Pixen 4.1.2
- Compatibility fixes


Pixen 4.1.1
- Compatibility fixes


Pixen 4.1
- Added a new Dark appearance that can be unlocked via in-app purchase (and also help support the project)
- Some tools are now up to 10x faster when working with larger images
- Fixed an issue where the Text tool would stop working on animation documents


Pixen 4.0.11
- Pixen is now also available for iPad
- Palettes are now saved in a new, more future-proof file format
- GIMP palettes can now be imported


Pixen 4.0.10
- Fixes a bug where older animation documents would not load
- Fixes a bug where the Magic Wand tool would select incorrect pixels


Pixen 4.0.9
- Certain color palettes now load faster and are more accurate


Pixen 4.0.8
- The Text and Move tools are now more reliable


Pixen 4.0.6
- The background color of the Preview window can now be changed
- The color is persisted per-document
- Fixed an issue where exported animated GIFs would not loop


Pixen 4.0.5
- Improved animated GIF imports


Pixen 4.0.4
- Various stability improvements when using the Text tool and importing files


Pixen 4.0.3
- Various bug fixes and performance improvements


Pixen 4.0.2
- Various bug fixes and performance improvements


Pixen 4.0.1
- Various bug fixes and performance improvements


Pixen 4.0
- The Background picker has been re-designed
- A "Share" command has been added to the File menu and can be used to quickly share images as PNGs and animations as animated GIFs
- A new Brightness tool has been added for lightening and darkening pixels underneath the cursor
- A new Text tool has been added
- Pressure-sensitive drawing is now supported on Force Touch trackpads
- Blend modes can be set for layers by right-clicking them in the Layers pane
- Pixen Image (PXI) and Pixen Animation (PXA) file formats are now more space-efficient
- Note: PXI and PXA files saved in Pixen 4 cannot be edited in previous releases of Pixen
- Animation documents now show a unified color palette or a per-canvas color palette
- A "New Layer from Image" command has been added to the Layers menu (you can also drag-and-drop an image into the Layers list)
- A "Flatten Image" command has been added to the Layers menu
- A "Stroke Selection" command has been added to the Edit menu for quick framing/outlining
- Opacity percentages in the Layers list can now be double-clicked and edited
- Patterns can be exported from the Pattern Editor by right-clicking a pattern and selecting the new "Export..." command
- The left [ and right ] square bracket keys can now be used to change the line thickness, tolerance, or border width of the respective tools
- Pixen can now open and save files in the LEGO MINDSTORMS Graphics Format (RGF)
- A new Posterize filter has been added that snaps each pixel value to the closest color in a palette
- Images can now be reduced to their top N primary colors using the Reduce to Primary Colors filter
- The padding, frame spacing, row spacing, and maximum number of frames per row can now be customized in the Export Sprite Sheet window
- Images can now be exported at multiple resolutions/file types using the revamped "Export" command under the File menu
- The most recent file name and types used for export are now saved in PXI/PXA files
- Images can now be exported as SVGs
- Pixen now directly integrates with iCloud Drive
- Document colors can now be sorted by frequency or hue
- A preference for choosing the top or bottom left as the origin has been added
- A preference for changing the preferred drawing cursor has been added
- The color of the Alignment Crosshair can now be changed in the Preferences window
- Patterns can now be shared with system sharing services from the context menu in the Pattern Editor
- New filters for changing the hue, exposure, saturation, contrast, and brightness of a layer or selection have been added
- A new Remove Alpha Components filter has been added
- The new "Convert Pixen Image" Automator action can be used to convert batches of images from the PXI format to other image formats
- Palette panels can now be shown with the "Show New Palette Panel" command in the "Palette" menu


Pixen 3.8.1
- Bug fixes


Pixen 3.8
- Tile Mode is back!
-- Click the Gear icon in the Preview panel to enable Tile Mode
-- Use the panel's Zoom button to size the panel to wrap the preview
- Added an option in Grid Settings for displaying an isometric grid
- The Pixen Color Picker now includes an 8-bit color palette
- The new Animation Settings sheet (found under the Animation menu) can be used to set whether animated GIFs should loop
- Refreshed the Export Sprite Sheet window's UI
- Updated the Discover Pixen tutorial
- Improved the color accuracy of exported animated GIFs
- Animated GIFs with frames of different sizes can now be exported
- The last-used tool is now selected on launch
- The keyboard shortcuts for the Invert Selection, Resize Canvas, Scale Image, Zoom to Fit, Zoom to 100%, Delete Layer, Merge Down menu items have changed to better match other editors
- Fixed a rare crash that would occur in the Export Sprite Sheet window
- Up-scaled animation frames are no longer anti-aliased in the film strip
- Improved the accuracy of the Frequent Colors palette
- Importing backgrounds is now more reliable
- Minor UI and stability improvements


Pixen 3.7
- Refreshed interface for OS X Yosemite
- Animated PNGs can now be imported as animations
- Added two filters: "Invert Colors" and "1 bit"


Pixen 3.6
- Advanced custom backgrounds support
- Color palette with "smart" swapping capabilities
- Grid customization
- Tiled editing mode
- Alignment crosshair
- Full alpha support
- Advanced layer functionality
- A plethora of tools
- 100% Cocoa with a beautiful Aqua interface
- A design geared towards modern pixel art


Pixen 3.5.19
- Stability improvements


Pixen 3.5.18
- Performance improvements


Pixen 3.5.17
- Use multi-touch pinch gestures to zoom the canvas in and out
- Scale factors can now be decimal numbers in the Scale Canvas sheet


Pixen 3.5.16
- Changes to colors in the frequency palette now update continuously
- Improved color accuracy