Launching today
Mojave Paint
Direct manipulation of static images on the Mac platform
70 followers
Direct manipulation of static images on the Mac platform
70 followers
Bitmap images are still, even in 2026, a hugely important medium of communication. Which is why I made Mojave Paint – a Mac-based image editor that lets you really own the production of these bitmap images. They've been making image editors since the original Mac and the Amiga and I'm sure even long before that. But somehow the choices in the modern era fall short. So I have a new option, presented by an upstart software shop in Seattle. If you're looking for AI features, look elsewhere.
I get a little depressed when I see Reddit threads of people asking for AI tools to make screenshots for their iOS app. Just make them yourself! You're not a great designer, so what? Ugly is better than AI-loooking. And Mojave Paint is just one of many tools you can use to make graphical assets. I'm not saying it's better than other options, but it's an option, and a pretty darn good one if you're on an Apple Silicon Mac.
Love the no-nonsense approach, especially the stance on AI. One thing that would make this way more useful for me: native support for layered TIFFs and PSDs so I can round-trip work with older projects without flattening everything on import.
@nurtenglerh4ra Thanks for the feedback, I was waiting until I at least get layer styles in before adding PSD import, and that just went in last week so, yeah, I think PSD is coming soon, within a few weeks. Of course the unimplemented things would simply get dropped, like vector shapes. How much of a surprise would that be? Maybe with the right messaging it would be ok?
@nurtenglerh4ra Also I just added PSD support to the "Interactive Roadmap" on the Mojave Paint homepage, feel free to give it an upvote.
I really appreciate the intentional "if you're looking for AI, look elsewhere" stance. Do you see that as a temporary product decision, or a long-term design philosophy? In other words, are there AI features you believe could genuinely improve image editing without taking away the sense of craftsmanship?
@tarqiya_forgah It's a fine line isn't it. I can't totally bury my head in the sand regarding AI. I doubt I'd be adding "AI upscaling" because such images make me sick to my stomach with their cartoonish look. But AI for masking, or for making depth maps, maybe? And could there be some AI inpainting features "just for fun", not for any serious work but like for making novelty birthday cards for you friends? I think such things could be added without taking away from the core vision. There actually already is an External Services tool, and the only supported tool at the moment is Nano Banana Pro. So the anti-AI stance is already slightly hypocritical but my justification is that "what happens on the remote server is your own business."
Downloaded it yesterday and the layer blending feels really snappy on my M2, no lag like in some of the bigger apps. The brush engine has a nice texture to it that reminds me of older Mac tools.
@azizayerrm9y That's interesting because I only have a most rudimentary brush shapes, circle and square, in variable softness. No real brush simulation like "charcoal stick" or whatever. My thinking is real artists will be using something like Procreate. And I'll be totally honest, Acorn's brush engine is quite far ahead of mine in terms of performance, if you do a lot of hand painting with mouse or Wacom, I'd check that out as well.
I’ve been using Mojave Paint since it first appeared on Reddit and I love it - I bought it straightaway. John regularly updates the app and adds new functionality, and it now does ~95% of what I need from graphics software. Being spectacularly old I appreciate the 90s aesthetic of the interface, but mostly I appreciate that it’s lightweight (9.2MB installed), fast and does almost everything I need it to do. Based on the last few months’ progress, I doubt I’ll need to use any other software by the end of the year. Unless you’re a graphics professional - in which case you probably need the bells and whistles other, vastly more expensive, software provides - I thoroughly recommend Mojave Paint.
Love the no-AI stance, that alone sets it apart. One thing that would make me reach for it over Pixelmator though, native support for opening and saving indexed-color PNG files with a real palette editor. Most editors downsample or strip the palette these days, and it's a pain when working with retro game art or pixel assets. Would be a perfect fit given the Mac heritage angle.
@derin0wbm Oh wow, this is my first real vote for GIF style indexed color, I didn't think it was super needed in this day and age. Thanks for the feedback.
Also note, there is a regression in 1.3.1 (fixed, waiting on Apple review) where the pencil tool is acting soft like a brush tool. That fix will be available today, and it's essential for making pixel art. I did make all the icons in Mojave Paint itself using Mojave Paint of course, and with saved color swatches and shift key for straight lines it's a pretty pleasant tool for that. Of course I'm not an illustrator, and that's why my brush tool icon looks like a chili pepper on a stick!
'If you're looking for AI features, look elsewhere' is a great line. I spend my days compositing images with ImageMagick math ops, and the older I get the more I value tools that do exactly what you tell them. Is there any scripting/automation hook, or is direct manipulation the whole philosophy?
@kojimajunya I would like to add that eventually. I'm curious -- Acorn image editor for Mac has pretty extensive hooks for automation, I assume AppleScript but also Javascript. I'd be looking for a primo example of scriptability done right, just curious what you think of his approach? Or if you have any pointers to Mac apps that do a great job of this.