Pixelmator Team’s Pixelmator ($30) has become a go-to app when it comes to editing photos — it’s significantly cheaper than the 800 lb. gorilla that is Photoshop, and delivers most of the functionality that the typical user would need. Further, Pixelmator Team keeps enhancing it, and version 3.5 adds smarter selection tools and deeper integration with the OS X Photos app. The Quick Selection Tool and Magnetic Selection Tool have both been improved to make it easier to make detailed and precise selections, and a new Retouch Extension for Photos lets you take advantage of seriously advanced retouching tools without having to leave the Photos app.
That’s not all, though: Pixelmator 3.5 has a whole list of other performance improvements, fully optimized for OS X El Capitan. The Stroke effect is much faster and smoother than ever before, as is the Refine Selection dialog. Outlines with the Color Selection Tool, Paint Bucket Tool, and Magic Eraser Tool are also smoother and more precise for El Capitan users, and a long list of other small problems have been addressed with various tools to improve the overall experience. Yosemite and Mavericks users have also gotten some fixes and improvements, and the Pixelmator Distort Extension for the OS X Photos app has also been polished up and fixed.