Photomator supports over 750 RAW image formats and has powerful AI tools that many users never find.
Photomator isn't a professional-ready editor yet, but it has simple RAW processing capabilities with several impressive hidden features. AI Masking instantly selects subjects, skies, or backgrounds in your photos. Auto Enhance automatically improves images like a pro photographer would. This tool packs more punch than you might expect.
Photomator and Lightroom each shine in different ways. Photomator has an extensive collection of powerful color adjustments and everything needed to make your photos pop. The price tag is also cheaper than Lightroom, which makes it a great option for photographers watching their budget.
This Apple photo editor stands out with its recent breakthroughs. The AI-powered auto-leveling in version 3.3.22 claims to work 5x better than the built-in framework. Super Resolution can boost photo resolution without unwanted blurring. Pixelmator brought AI subject selection to the table back in 2021, but both editors have grown significantly since then.
These 10 hidden features make this photo editor worth your time, according to many photomator review sources.
AI Auto-Leveling Tool
Image Source: Pixelmator Support - Pixelmator Pro
Photomator's AI Auto-Leveling tool marks a major advancement in automatic photo straightening technology. The latest Photomator version 3.3.22 brings this feature that uses artificial intelligence to spot the horizon line in photos and level them perfectly.
AI Auto-Leveling overview
The AI Auto-Leveling feature spots horizon lines in images and corrects their rotation automatically, even with mountains, clouds, or foliage blocking the view. Traditional auto-leveling tools use simple edge detection, but Photomator's AI-powered version studies the whole composition to find the true horizon.
The developers trained this technology on millions of image pairs to spot proper alignment patterns in photography styles and scenarios of all types. You need just one click to activate the tool that runs naturally in the background and saves your editing time.
Benefits of AI Auto-Leveling
Photomator's AI Auto-Leveling shines with its improved accuracy rate. Tests reveal an 84% success rate compared to about 50% with older algorithms. This helps photographers who need to process many images at once.
The tool also offers these features:
- Spots horizon lines even behind mountains, trees, or other elements
- Applies exact rotation angles (up to 9-20 degrees when needed)
- Reduces time spent on manual photo adjustments
- Works with Photomator's other AI tools for complete editing
You can fine-tune the results or go back to the original alignment since the adjustments don't damage the original image.
Limitations of AI Auto-Leveling
The AI Auto-Leveling tool has its limits despite its impressive features. Complex compositions with multiple possible horizon lines might confuse the tool.
Tests show that 16% of images got wrong adjustments or partial fixes. Photos with artistic tilts or Dutch angles might get "fixed" even though the original tilt was planned.
Images with heavy distortion might get better but not perfect alignment.
Best use case for AI Auto-Leveling
Landscape photographers who need straight horizons will find this AI Auto-Leveling tool most useful. The tool works great for:
- Processing multiple photos from one shoot
- Landscape shots with water horizons, even with mountains or trees in view
- Architecture photos that need straight vertical and horizontal lines
- Quick edits of travel photos from different scenes
Start with this tool before other adjustments to get the best results. The tool brings images closer to proper alignment even when it can't achieve perfection, which means less manual work.
This feature shows how Photomator uses machine learning to fix common photography problems with better results.
Denoise AI Tool
Photographers who work with high ISO noise know how it can ruin image quality. Photomator's Denoise AI tool comes to the rescue. This machine learning-powered solution does more than just cut down on grain.
Denoise overview
Photomator's Denoise feature uses advanced machine learning algorithms to clean up digital noise and JPEG compression artifacts from photos. You can quickly access it by pressing Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + D or selecting it from the More menu in the toolbar.
The technology behind this tool stands out. Photomator rebuilt their Denoise algorithm from scratch to handle noise at any scale. It works well with both fine digital noise and larger issues like film grain. The team doubled their machine learning training dataset and made the noise analysis four times smarter. This led to twice the noise reduction performance.
Benefits of Denoise
The newest version of Photomator's Denoise tool brings several major improvements:
- Enhanced noise recognition: The updated UNet-like neural network architecture doubled the size of the noise removal model. This makes it twice as good at filtering out noise
- Color and contrast recovery: The tool now brings back image colors and contrast. This fixes the faded, flat look you often see in high-ISO photos
- RAW decoder artifact removal: It gets rid of unwanted color shifts and banding that show up during RAW file conversion
- Adjustable intensity: A Denoise Intensity slider lets you fine-tune the balance between noise reduction and detail preservation
The comparison view is a great feature. You can see before/after results with a split-screen slider and check how well it preserves details in sensitive areas.
Limitations of Denoise
Photomator's Denoise tool isn't perfect. Setting the Denoise intensity too high can wipe out too many details and make photos look artificially smooth.
One reviewer gave it a B- rating because it sometimes removes too many details. Users occasionally need to go back to their original version. The results really depend on the specific image you're working with.
RAW files present a unique challenge. Tests show that Photomator uses macOS to decode RAW files, which already includes some noise reduction. This means RAW files opened in Photomator might look soft even before you use Denoise. For really noisy RAW files, specialized tools like ON1 NoNoise AI or DxO PureRAW might work better.
Best use case for Denoise
This tool works best in specific situations:
- Low-light photography: It shines when cleaning up photos taken in dim conditions with high ISO settings
- Night photography: The tool excels at denoising night skies and dark areas in architectural shots
- Post-editing cleanup: Use it after other edits to remove any remaining noise
You'll get the best results by using moderate intensity settings (20-30%). This helps balance noise reduction with detail preservation. The tool works great on large uniform areas like skies while keeping complex parts of your image sharp.
Photomator's Denoise is a valuable addition to your editing toolkit. With careful use, it can boost your final images without losing important details.
Smart Deband for Color Correction
Image Source: DPReview
Have you seen those ugly color bands in your sky photos where there should be smooth transitions? This pesky problem, called color banding, can spoil your best shots. Photomator's Smart Deband feature gives you a simple fix.
Smart Deband overview
Color banding shows up as distinct color strips instead of smooth transitions between subtle shades. You'll often see it in lower-quality images or photos with large gradient areas like skies. Photomator's Smart Deband uses AI to turn these harsh bands into smooth gradients without losing image details.
This feature stands out because it does two things at once. Smart Deband removes banding and boosts your image's color depth to 16 bits per channel. The result matches RAW image color depth, which creates incredibly smooth color transitions.
You can apply Smart Deband with just one click. Mac users can press Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + B or find it in the Tools menu. The comparison tool lets you check your results right away.
Benefits of Smart Deband
Smart Deband comes with several great advantages:
- Enhanced color depth - Steps up from standard 8-bit (16.7 million colors) to 16-bit, giving you about 281 trillion color values
- Smooth gradients - Turns harsh color transitions into natural-looking gradients
- Preservation of detail - Fixes compression artifacts while keeping other areas sharp
- Editing flexibility - Higher bit depth stops further posterization during extra edits
A reviewer pointed out that Smart Deband can boost JPEGs and other lossy format photos to "near-RAW quality". This makes it valuable if you work with compressed images.
Limitations of Smart Deband
Smart Deband has its drawbacks. Processing takes time usually 15-20 seconds for each image. Results also vary based on how bad the banding is and the image quality.
Smart Deband works best with 16-bit color depth. You can deband without increasing color depth by pressing Option ⌥ + Control ⌃ + Shift ⇧ + B, but this won't give you the best results.
Best use case for Smart Deband
Smart Deband really shines with:
- Sunset/sky photographs - Where gradients stand out and banding is obvious
- Heavily compressed JPEGs - It can fix images exported at very low quality settings (as low as 20%)
- Batch processing - You can fix multiple photos at once
This feature excels at saving photos you might otherwise trash. A photographer called it "fantastic" after it saved a favorite photo with "heinous banding." It turned "a headache-inducing cacophony of rough tonal transitions into a nearly perfectly smooth sky".
Manual debanding might take 30 minutes or more. Smart Deband does the job in about 30 seconds. This quick fix works great for both professional and amateur photographers.
Photomator vs Lightroom Color Tools
Color management is a vital battleground when we look at color editing capabilities between popular photo editors. Photomator and Lightroom each take their own path to help you achieve your creative vision.
Color tools comparison
Photomator gives you a detailed set of color adjustment tools. These include exposure, shadows, highlights, black point, white point, clarity, structure, colors, saturation, and selective color adjustments. The tools are arranged like Lightroom Mobile's organization.
The main difference lies in how Photomator depends on LUTs (Look-Up Tables) and Adjustment Presets for color work. LUTs act as standardized color adjustment settings that you can apply with one click. They work in photo editing software of all types. Presets, on the other hand, are Photomator-specific saved adjustments you can use again on multiple photos.
Lightroom brings more advanced color management to the table. It includes specialized tools like Dehaze, a feature that Photomator users often wish they had. Lightroom also comes with reliable color profiles for different camera models, something you won't find in Photomator.
Strengths of Photomator
The ML Match Colors feature stands out as Photomator's crown jewel. This clever tool lets you match color grades from any reference photo by simply dragging and dropping. This opens up great possibilities for photographers who love someone else's work but can't get their presets.
On top of that, Photomator makes complex color tasks simple with its easy-to-use interface. The color adjustments pack plenty of power while being approachable. You'll find the learning curve nowhere near as steep as Lightroom's.
Weaknesses vs Lightroom
Photomator's biggest drawback is its lack of proper color profiles. Your RAW files' colors might not match your camera's in-camera JPEG output without some manual tweaking. You could try using Match Color to line up your RAW with its JPEG counterpart, but tests show this method isn't always reliable.
There's another reason Lightroom has an edge - it has so many more learning resources for color grading techniques. This can make advanced color work trickier for people new to Photomator.
Best use case for Photomator
Photomator's color tools work best for photographers who:
- Want simple solutions and quick results over perfect precision
- Need to match colors from photos that inspire them
- Like working in Apple's ecosystem with continuous connection
- Edit photos occasionally but want quality results
Of course, Photomator gives exceptional value to photographers who edit occasionally and want quality results without diving deep into color manipulation. Most photographers can adapt to Photomator's workflow pretty easily since the basic photo editing concepts stay the same, even though the color management approaches differ.
Photomator Price and Subscription Options
Price plays a crucial role for photographers choosing their editing software. Photomator stands out by offering flexible payment options that work with different budgets and usage needs.
Photomator pricing overview
You can choose from three different payment models. Right now, these options include:
- Monthly subscription: $7.99 per month
- Yearly subscription: $29.99-$39.99 per year (varies by region)
- Lifetime license: $119.99 one-time payment [192]
The prices might vary a bit based on your location. The most up-to-date pricing for your region shows up in your App Store's "In-App Purchases" section of the Photomator product page.
Photomator delivers exceptional value compared to its competitors. Adobe Lightroom's basic plan costs $11.99 monthly, which adds up to $143.88 per year. You could buy Photomator's lifetime license for less than a year's worth of Lightroom Mobile.
Subscription vs Lifetime
The subscription and lifetime licenses come with similar features and tools.
The lifetime option looks more appealing as software subscriptions keep piling up. A user put it well: "For roughly the same cost as 12 months of Adobe's Photography Plan, I could own Photomator outright".
Family sharing adds extra value since both subscription and lifetime licenses work with Apple's Family Sharing at no extra cost.
Device compatibility
Photomator lives exclusively in the Apple ecosystem. The app runs on:
- macOS Ventura 13 or later (fully optimized for Apple silicon)
- iOS 17 or later
- iPadOS 17 or later
- visionOS 1.0 or later (for Apple Vision Pro)
One license lets you use Photomator on all your compatible devices. Just download the app on your new device and restore your previous purchase to get started.
Best value option
Monthly subscriptions work well for casual editors. The yearly plan saves you about 69% compared to monthly payments.
The lifetime license pays off after 3-4 years compared to annual subscriptions. This option makes sense if you're committed to the Apple ecosystem and plan to use Photomator for years to come.
Try the 7-day free trial before you decide. Download Photomator and sign up for either subscription to test all features, you can cancel anytime. Want to speed up your workflow? Shop for Photomator Presets to add professional-quality adjustments to your editing toolkit.
AI Masking for Subject and Sky
Selecting precise areas has always been one of the most time-consuming parts of photo editing. Photomator tackles this challenge with innovative AI Masking tools that turn complex selections into simple one-click operations.
AI Masking overview
Photomator's AI Masking feature makes use of innovative machine learning to identify and select common elements in photos automatically. You can precisely select subjects, skies, or backgrounds with a single tap. The technology analyzes your image through sophisticated algorithms that recognize different elements, which lets you make targeted adjustments instantly.
The tools are easy to access. You can tap Color Adjustments in the toolbar, select Image Layer, and tap the + button to choose between Select Subject, Select Sky, or Select Background. Your selected portion becomes ready to edit right away.
Benefits of AI Masking
Photomator's AI Masking saves dramatic amounts of time. Tasks that once needed careful manual selection now take seconds. This feature brings several advantages:
- Complex elements get selected instantly without tedious manual work
- Edges detect precisely even with fine details like tree leaves
- AI-generated masks can be refined to perfect selections
- Different mask types combine to create complex edits
The smart subject detection algorithm keeps fine details intact, which makes complex selections like palm tree leaves possible without special tools.
Limitations of AI Masking
Photomator's masking isn't perfect despite its advanced AI. The subject mask sometimes fails to detect subjects correctly, especially in complex scenes. Challenging scenarios might need manual refinement when subjects share similar colors with backgrounds.
Fine tree branches against bright skies can create imprecise selections that need fixing. Simple scenes can prove more challenging for the AI than complex ones, which might surprise some users.
Best use case for AI Masking
Landscape and portrait photography showcase Photomator's AI Masking strengths when different elements need separate adjustments. Common scenarios include:
- Bright foregrounds with properly exposed skies
- Sky colors that change without affecting the image below
- Enhanced subject details with soft backgrounds
- Specific image areas that need selective color adjustments
AI masks work best when combined with the invert option to create powerful editing workflows. A sky selection can be inverted to adjust everything but the sky, something landscape photographers often need.
Levels and Curves Adjustments
Photomator's color manipulation toolkit includes Levels and Curves adjustments. These powerful tools give you precise control over your image's tonal range and color balance.
Levels and Curves overview
Photomator's Levels adjustment gives you simple control over shadows, midtones, and highlights through a histogram interface with sliders. You can adjust the black point, white point, and midtones to improve contrast and brightness. Curves gives you even more detailed control through a diagonal line on a grid where you can add up to 16 individual points to make precise tonal adjustments.
Benefits of Levels and Curves
These tools excel at improving your photos in different ways:
- Tonal control: Levels is great at simple exposure adjustments and offers user-friendly sliders for quick edits
- Color precision: Curves gives you superior control over individual RGB channels for sophisticated color grading
- Selective adjustments: Unlike simple contrast sliders, both tools let you target specific tonal ranges without affecting others
Curves has a unique "hand tool" feature that lets you click directly on specific areas of your image to brighten or darken exact tonal values.
Limitations of Levels and Curves
These are destructive adjustments in Photomator that can cause loss of information if overused. Aggressive Levels adjustments might reduce color saturation and need additional editing steps.
Best use case for Levels and Curves
Levels works best for straightforward exposure fixes and simple contrast improvements. Its simplicity makes it perfect for beginners or quick edits.
Curves is your go-to tool when you need precise control over specific tonal areas or color correction work. Its multiple control points make it better for creating subtle gradients or dramatic contrast through S-curves.
Photomator vs Pixelmator Workflow
The difference between apps that look alike can save you hours of frustration. Photomator and Pixelmator serve different purposes but go together with one another in the Apple ecosystem.
Workflow comparison
These apps differ in their core purpose, Photomator focuses on photography while Pixelmator Pro helps create graphics from scratch. Photomator's workflow is optimized for batch editing. Users can jump from their photo library into editing with just one keypress. Users save about 5 seconds per image when they use Photomator instead of Pixelmator's extension-based workflow in Apple Photos.
Strengths of Photomator
Photomator shines in photography-focused tasks. The app gives quick access to your iOS photo library and provides optimized photo editing workflows. Users point to its quick switches between library browsing and editing as its most important advantage.
Strengths of Pixelmator
Pixelmator Pro stands out with its layer-based editing features that Photomator doesn't have. This makes it perfect for complex compositions, text additions, and graphic design work. Pixelmator handles multi-photo blends and exposure brackets that are nowhere near Photomator's capabilities.
When to use each
Note that Photomator works best for quick photo edits and batch processing. Pixelmator Pro becomes essential when you need to add text, shapes, or mix multiple images. These apps create a powerful combination. Edit photos in Photomator first, then move complex projects to Pixelmator Pro to add finishing touches.
Apply LUTs for Cinematic Looks
LUTs (Look-Up Tables) in Photomator are a great way to turn ordinary photos into cinematic masterpieces with a few clicks. These color-transforming tools started in professional film production and made their way into consumer photo editing software.
LUTs overview
A LUT is a mathematical formula that remaps color values in your image. The technical explanation is simple - it's a table that shows original colors next to their replacement values. Photomator has five LUT categories: Cinematic, Color Blindness, Duotone, Grayscale Conversion, and Photo Filter.
You can apply LUTs easily. Just click Color Adjustments in the toolbar, turn on LUT, and pick from the available collections. The intensity slider helps you adjust the effect's strength for subtle results.
Benefits of LUTs in Photomator
LUTs come with several advantages:
- Time savings through quick application of complex color grades
- Cross-platform compatibility since the same LUT works in different apps
- Consistency across multiple images or projects
- Creative possibilities with film-inspired looks
Limitations of LUTs
LUTs are helpful but they do have some drawbacks. They work as "black box" tools and don't understand image content. The process is destructive - values outside the table's range might get clipped and lose shadow or highlight detail. LUTs designed for specific cameras or color spaces could give unexpected results on incompatible images.
Best use case for LUTs
LUTs shine when you need to create specific moods or cinematic atmospheres. The best results come when you reduce intensity to 50%. Once you find a look you love, you can Shop for Photomator Presets to expand your creative options.
Photomator lets you import custom LUTs in .cube format, which opens up unlimited creative possibilities beyond the included collections.
Vignette and Grain Effects
Artistic photographers use vignette and grain effects to create mood and authenticity in their images. Photomator has both tools as specialized color adjustments that copy traditional photography characteristics.
Vignette and Grain overview
Photomator's Vignette adjustment darkens or lightens your photo's outer edges to draw attention to the center. You can find this tool in the Color Adjustments panel with three main sliders: Exposure, Black Point, and Softness. The Grain adjustment works differently by adding textured granularity that copies analog film's unique look. You can quickly achieve film-like results with just two controls: Size and Intensity.
Benefits of Vignette and Grain
We used vignettes to direct viewer's attention to the subject by toning down distracting elements at the frame edges. This subtle effect creates natural visual flow when applied correctly. The grain effect adds sharpness to soft images and creates a convincing retro look. Grain can even fix color banding issues in some cases.
Limitations of these effects
Heavy vignetting looks amateurish or unnatural. Strong grain can hide important details or make photos look too dated. Both effects work best when used sparingly, usually at lower intensity settings in modern photography styles.
Best use case for Vignette and Grain
Portrait photos look great with subtle vignettes that focus attention on faces. Street and documentary photos become more authentic with light grain. The best results come from mixing a soft vignette (20-30% Exposure) with minimal grain (10-15% Intensity) to improve mood without overwhelming your image.
Conclusion
Photomator is a powerful yet available photo editing solution that works perfectly in the Apple ecosystem. You can find AI-driven tools like Auto-Leveling, Denoise, and Smart Deband that help fix challenging photos quickly. The AI Masking's precision and LUTs' creative options deliver professional-grade results easily. Photomator's flexible pricing makes it a better choice than subscription-based tools like Adobe Lightroom. These ten hidden features are a great way to get results whether you edit landscapes, portraits, or street photography. Shop for Photomator Presets can help streamline your workflow with professional presets. Photomator may not have all the advanced features of Pixelmator Pro, but its focus on photography creates impressive results for most editing tasks. These hidden features will without doubt raise your photo editing skills and save time. The best editing software needs to balance powerful features with simplicity - that's what Photomator wants to deliver.
Key Takeaways
Discover how Photomator's hidden AI-powered features can transform your photo editing workflow with professional results at a fraction of traditional software costs.
• AI Auto-Leveling achieves 84% accuracy - Automatically straightens horizons even when obscured by mountains or foliage, saving time on landscape photography batch processing.
• Smart Deband upgrades images to 16-bit color depth - Transforms harsh color bands into smooth gradients while preserving details, perfect for salvaging compressed JPEGs.
• AI Masking enables one-click subject selection - Instantly isolate subjects, skies, or backgrounds for targeted adjustments without tedious manual selection work.
• Lifetime license costs less than one year of Lightroom - At $119.99 one-time payment versus Adobe's $143.88 annual fee, Photomator offers exceptional value for Apple users.
• ML Match Colors copies any photo's color grade - Simply drag and drop a reference image to instantly match its color treatment, eliminating guesswork in color grading.
These features showcase how Photomator leverages machine learning to solve common photography challenges while maintaining an intuitive interface that doesn't sacrifice power for simplicity.