Autodesk sells popular PIXLR photo editing app to 123RF
May 1, 2017
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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It feels a little odd to see that Autodesk are actually selling something for a change. Normally they seem to be acquiring companies and software like Monopoly property. And PIXLR isn’t really much of an exception to that. Autodesk acquired the popular photo editing app in 2011. Now, six years later, they’re selling it on to stock photography provider, 123RF.
It’s not surprising that a stock image company has started to take an interest in editing apps. After all, Adobe also runs a stock agency, and they’re kind of the king of editing apps. With Adobe Stock integrating itself into recent Adobe applications, the stock world’s competitors need to step up.
I am a little surprised that Autodesk are letting something go. Of course, their primary domain is 3D, and so perhaps they don’t feel it’s really where they should focus their attention. While the PIXLR iOS and Android apps are pretty solid, the web app certainly seems to have fallen behind a little. I mean, it still requires Flash.
So, perhaps this means that there’s hope for the web based application after all. And if Autodesk had truly lost interest, the mobile apps won’t be dying, either. Great news for those fans that PIXLR has picked up along the way.
As is usual when a company buys out software, though, things go one of two ways. Either it continues on in the direction it’s always been heading or gets a complete overhaul. It will be interesting to see which route PIXLR takes. Will it build upon what’s already there, or will it take a new direction entirely?
I’d also be keen to see just how much forced interaction there may be with 123RF. Something like that might put users off who only want to work on their own images.
[via Android Police]
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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5 responses to “Autodesk sells popular PIXLR photo editing app to 123RF”
There is no way to compare PIXLR with adobe, but PIXLR also providing a good support for photo editing needs. Stock photos need thousands of images editing every day, so if you have option ?(for editing apps), you can choose the best one for you. And this way providers improve there quality for survive.
This is an interesting read—thanks for sharing the update on PIXLR’s transition! Autodesk’s move to sell the app does seem unexpected given their usual acquisition-heavy approach. It makes sense, though, as they likely want to focus more on their 3D specialties. Curious to see how 123RF integrates PIXLR into their platform—could be a smart play to compete with Adobe’s ecosystem. Always appreciate insights on industry shifts like this.
This is such an interesting shift in the tech landscape! It’s fascinating how Autodesk, known for acquisitions, is now selling PIXLR to 123RF—a smart move for a stock photo company looking to expand its toolkit. As a longtime PIXLR user, I’ve always appreciated its accessibility, and I’m curious to see how 123RF will integrate it into their ecosystem. Autodesk’s focus on 3D makes sense, but it’s still surprising to see them let go of such a beloved app. Excited to see where this goes!
“Interesting move by Autodesk—PIXLR has been a handy tool for quick edits since they acquired it, and this article captures the shift well. It makes sense for 123RF to expand into editing tools, especially with Adobe’s tight integration of stock and software. Autodesk’s focus on 3D likely made PIXLR feel like a sideline, but I hope 123RF keeps its simplicity intact. Always curious to see how these transitions play out for users!”
“Interesting read—always good to see industry shifts analyzed clearly. While Autodesk selling PIXLR is unexpected, it makes sense if they’re refocusing on 3D. Still, I’d question whether 123RF can compete with Adobe’s tight app-stock integration. Feels like an uphill battle without deeper editing tools.”