iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Barring any show stoppers, the final beta (for now) is out and about. I’m going to swap over to getting Retrospecs v4 into a beta-worthy state before I pick Pixel Processor back up again, which should hopefully allow time for some of the UI ideas I want to try to solidify.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

If all goes to plan, there should be a new beta out within the next week or so, which fixes some macOS 27 oddities. Once that’s been released, I’ll be pausing for a while so I can try a different UI approach. So… umm… yup. 🤔

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Apologies if you’re experiencing issues running the Pixel Processor beta on macOS 27, but it’s likely to be a few weeks before I can properly investigate. (I only have one Mac, and some other software I need for the day job apparently doesn’t play nice on macOS 27 at the moment.)

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I'll sleep on it, but I suspect it might be for the best to have a bit of a re-think and perhaps focus on an update to @retrospecs.bsky.social that exposes the new engine effects before returning to Pixel Processor.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Hmm… I'm becoming increasingly tempted to pull the plug on a potential 1.0 release any time soon. There's things I want the app to be able to do that don't fit within the current semi-flexible pipeline approach, and it would be painful to put out a release and have to maintain compatibility.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Of course, it's entirely possible that Pixel Processor is never released and instead just becomes an endlessly rolling beta that gradually grinds to a halt under a heap of distressingly esoteric features. That's always an option. 🤔

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Having a bit of a pause for a few weeks before trying to get a 1.0 release out there. Any feedback on the current build would be much appreciated. 👍

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

There’s nothing quite like putting together content for a macOS Help Book to make you wish there was something else you could doing instead.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Must confess I was planning on dropping animated GIF output in a (potential) Retrospecs 4.x release, as things like the CRT effects wouldn’t be feasible, but I’ll see how it goes. (Likewise, a lot of the static image animations are a bit odd if CRT or LCD options that add a border are enabled.)

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Hopefully some of the UI madness makes more sense now that you can import and export such things. 😀

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

(The icon is currently blank, but double clicking should still work - if not, open via File -> Import -> Import preset, option or package…)

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Incidentally, if you're bored and using the latest build of Pixel Processor with the yellow and blue icon, here's some CRT effects option profiles… pixelprocessor.co.uk/packs/Pixel%...

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Did another beta. Excitingly, I then immediately realised one of the icon file mappings was incorrect. Let us all enjoy this naked icon while it lasts.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Of course, sometimes less is more. (This might not be one of those occasions.)

A macOS icon consisting of a off-black "P" character in the top left and a large, bright blue cog towards the bottom left, both of which are sitting on a slightly graduated yellow background. The cog has faint white gridlines running across it.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Playing around with some icon options. (Yes, I still suck at icons.) These are the macOS 27 renditions, as there's not a great deal of value in targeting the macOS 26 Icon Composer look at this point in time.

A macOS icon consisting of a black "P" character in the top left and a large cog cutout towards the bottom left, both of which are sitting on a graduated yellow to black background.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Doing more typings of late - trying to move towards a 1.0 release, although there’s still lots to do. It’s fair to say that it’ll always be a (very, very) niche app, but hopefully it’ll be useful to some

An abstract image of large, chunky blocks in orange and sea-green, depicted as they’d appear on a low quality CRT television.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Did another beta. Mostly tidy-ups. Mostly.

An image of a hand holding a physical representation of a mouse pointer over a green cutting mat. It’s rendered as it would appear on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Not much progress on Pixel Processor of late, so no new beta this weekend. (Just been doing some behind the scenes tidy-up work - necessary, but dull.)

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Reposted by Pixel Processor

Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Beta seven is now available. I think this is the first version of Pixel Processor where it feels like it’s becoming its own thing rather than just an increasingly elaborate test bench for potential future Retrospecs functionality. Grab the TestFlight via pixelprocessor.co.uk

An image of a macOS image processing app window. Three quarters of the window are filled with a heavily pixelated interpretation of Drew Struzan’s artwork for The Thing, rendered in a lurid, predominantly purple palette.

The other quarter of the window contains various user interface controls. They look a bit nicer than the last time I posted a screenshot.

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Reposted by Pixel Processor

Thomas Fuchs 🫯 @thomasfuchs.at · 02/08/2026

Dog in 8 Old Computers

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

For a brief moment, there was a beta six. It contains a bad though, so has been expired.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Next up is something long overdue - The Great UI Tidy-Up™ has finally begun. Although it’s mainly just putting things in boxes. 🤔

A screen from an in-development macOS showing a large image of a magic 8-ball sitting on a table, rendered as if it was on a late 80’s computer and TV. To the right of the image are some user interface controls, but they’re not particularly relevant or indeed exciting.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Next up is bug fixing and tidy-ups. So… err… yeah. That’s exciting? 🤔

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

As was foretold by the prophecies (see previous post), the mutator functionality is now available for your enjoyment - the latest beta escaped containment at some point overnight. 🥳

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

What's next, you might wonder? (It'll be the mutator functionality. The mutator functionality will be next.)

A screen grab from the Pixel Processor iOS app, consisting a grid of images filling 3/4 of the window, with some UI controls on the right hand side. Each image in the grid is different, but are clearly different interpretations of the same source image of a magic 8-ball sitting on a table.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Did another beta. (#4) Don’t care what you think - you’re not my real dad. [ Flounces off. ]

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

An in-development macOS pixel processing app. Supports Ventura and up. Grab the current TestFlight beta via pixelprocessor.co.uk * The icon is temporary. * The UI is very much a work in progress. * Future functionality is still to be determined. Thoughts and feedback very much appreciated. 🙏

pixelprocessor.co.uk

Pixel Processor | a macOS image processing utility.

Pixel Processor is an in-development macOS image processing utility.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

There’ll be a few new bits in the next beta, such as the ability to process media at native resolution, and “crop mode” that’ll let you use the source media aspect ratio. There’s also a few fixes and improvements such as ensuring that noise-based effects are randomised for each video frame, etc.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

And if you’ve not seen the app, and you’re wondering why there’s a need for The Great UI Reckoning™, here’s the current state of play. Admittedly this is close to the worst case scenario, and you can close all the options you’re not using, but even so. 😬

A screen grab of a very, very, very long and complex looking set of UI controls.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Next up will be a few “missing” features from Retrospecs. Specifically, a “crop mode” that lets you use the source media aspect ratio instead of the preset one, and a port of the preset mutator. After all, there’s still time to cram a few more controls in there before The Great UI Reckoning™ 😅

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Beta three brings news from afar, the headline being that video conversion is now supported. 🥳 You can now also use Pixel Processor on macOS 13 (Ventura) and up, rather than needing Sequoia. Join the TestFlight via pixelprocessor.co.uk

A heavily pixelated still from the film They Came from Beyond Space, processed as if to appear from an early 90’s computer. It consists of a head and shoulders image of a man in a suit wearing a bizarre headset consisting of what appears to be riveted metal with two mismatched camera lenses stuck on the front.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Or… I might just do a new beta sooner rather than later, as there’s basic video support up and running already. 😀 Just need to fix a few issues first.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Hmm… that radio star is looking pretty ropy. 🤔 Hopefully another beta on the way within the next few weeks.

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Reposted by Pixel Processor

Thomas Fuchs 🫯 @thomasfuchs.at · 28/06/2026

Lazy Sunday (Commodore 64-style) made with @pixel-processor.bsky.social #retrocomputing

A simulated Commodore-64 resolution and color palette CRT image of a photo of a sleeping cat

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

The second beta of Pixel Processor should now be out and about on TestFlight. 🥳 Link available via pixelprocessor.co.uk if you’d like to have a play.

pixelprocessor.co.uk

Pixel Processor | a macOS image processing utility.

Pixel Processor is an in-development macOS image processing utility.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

I’ve doubtless missed lots of edge cases, but this should hopefully be a good start. All being well, it should be out and about within the next few days.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

The initial beta is actually a few weeks old - recently I've focused on palette and character set importers. Having spent lots of time manually tweaking font images into a format Retrospecs could parse, I wanted to create an importer that was flexible enough to handle most situations.

A image of a macOS window showing a grid of pixel font glyphs with a coloured grid overlaid over the top. Below the glyphs are a series of controls and buttons.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Here's where things are currently at. There's a long way to go in terms of fleshing out the editors and adding import and export tools, but all of the new options in the re-written underlying engine are available to explore and experiment with.

A screenshot of the Pixel Processor macOS app. It shows a heavily processed pixelated image of a cassette tape from the 1980's on the left hand side of the screen, with a variety of controls and settings on the right.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

However, this contains the rewritten conversion engine along with the new CRT and LCD effects that'll (eventually) be available in the next version of Retrospecs, albeit with a greatly simplified set of options. Hope you all enjoy.

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Pixel Processor @pixel-processor.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

So… it's been a while. Must confess I didn't think there'd be the best part of four years since the last beta release, but there you go. The icon is temporary, the palette and character set editors are very basic and there's lots of missing functionality. testflight.apple.com/join/cSEDna6C

testflight.apple.com

Join the Pixel Processor beta

Using TestFlight is a great way to help developers test beta versions of their apps.

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