Pixelmator Photo's in-depth image editing comes to the iPhone

Pixelmator Photo has been available for pros and enthusiasts who want to work with photos on their iPads, and now it's an option in their pockets. Pixelmator has released a version of Photo for the iPhone that brings the advanced image editor to smaller screens. Much like the tablet app and Pixelmator Pro, you can make a wide range of non-destructive edits to photos either from the phone (including ProRAW from some iPhones) or from 600-plus RAW formats from dedicated cameras.

You'll most likely be using some of the 30-plus color adjustments, including basics like exposure and white balance through to a wheel-based color balance system like you'd find for video grading. However, Pixelmator Photo also makes use of some helpful (if increasingly familiar) AI editing features, including object removal and upscaling for low-resolution shots. You can also expect fairly tight integration with Apple's Photos and iCloud, such as saving edits to (or opening images from) your library.

Pixelmator Photo normally sells for $8, but it's available for $4 to help spur iPhone buyers. The app is a free update for those already using the iPad version. This probably won't tear you away from Adobe Lightroom and other pro photo editing apps, but Pixelmator's classic strategy might still apply here. It's offering an affordable, pay-once alternative to Lightroom's Premium membership and other subscriptions you frequently need for this level of editing.