Run the excellent Mac image editor Pixelmator Pro to create stunning iPhone, iPad and Mac mockups with realistic shadows, editable device frames, etc.
We use Federico Viticci’s excellent Apple Frames shortcut to put screenshots captured on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch inside physical device frames.
Well, the advanced Mac Photoshop alternative Pixelmator Pro now lets you do the same in the latest update but with much greater creative freedom.
Apple device mockups in Pixelmator Pro
Mocking up device screenshots in Pixelmator Pro 3.3.1 is a cinch, as the update brings a dozen Apple device mockups featuring the latest Mac, iPhone and iPad.
You can quickly replace the placeholder images with your own designs or refine the look of your mockup with various shadow styles and background colors. To try out the new Apple device mockups, open Pixelmator’s templates browser by starting a new project (Command + N), then check out the What’s New category.
This feature takes advantage of design templates and customizable mockups added to Pixelmator Pro in September 2022. “In today’s update, you’ll find a collection of beautiful, true-to-life mockups and some stunning stylized versions designed by professional artists,” according to the Pixelmator blog.
Photographic and stylized mockups
Here’s what you get in Pixelmator Pro 3.3.1:
- Photographic mockups
- Standard Apple device bezels
- Pixel-perfect screen sizes
- Transparent backgrounds
- Ultra-realistic shadows
- Stylized mockups
- Artist-designed device bezels
- Pixel-perfect design and screen sizes
- Fully editable shape layers
- Resolution-independent scaling
Customizing device mockups
Templates in Pixelmator Pro let you drop your own images into ready-made designs, making creating device mockups a cinch. You can edit these designs as well. For instance, you can adjust the intensity of the shadows, move placeholder images around, combine several devices together and paste them into other designs.
“And with pixel-perfect screen sizes, you can be sure your designs will always look exceptionally sharp,” the Pixelmator team notes. For further information, read a tutorial on the Pixelmator website.
If you’d instead use a shortcut to frame your screenshots with transparent Apple device images, be sure to check out the Apple Frames shortcut on MacStories. It was just updated to version 3.1 with some bug fixes and the ability to automate and extend the shortcut itself.
How to download Pixelmator Pro
Pixelmator Pro 3.3.1 is a free update for all existing users. New customers can get Pixelmator Pro from the App Store for $50.
Pixelmator Pro makes use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver some pretty wild features, like one-click banding removal and one-click color adjustments that automatically adjust the lightness, white balance, hue, saturation and color balance for optimal results.
The app was recently updated with basic video editing features.