# Pastello — Photo to Glorious Dry Media > App transforms photos into dry media art styles like pastel, charcoal, and pencil. (iPhone/iPad app by JixiPix Software.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastello/id1074343686 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [JixiPix Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/380605671) - Category: Photo & Video, Productivity - Price: $29.99 - Rating: 4.74/5 from 43 App Store ratings · 19 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 123 MB - Released: 2016-02-11 - Data updated: 2026-06-01 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastello/id1074343686/reviews.md ## What is Pastello? Transform photos into a fine art drawing with Pastel, Pencil, Chalk, Charcoal and Crayon Introducing Pastello, a brand-new companion app to JixiPix’s Impresso Pro. Pastello takes you back in time to the 15th century. Away from brushes and large strokes and into the realm of dry media with color that is both brilliant and subtle. The “Dry color method” made famous by Leonardo da Vinci is so powerful in its simplicity and beauty with its black and red chalk and yellow pastel highlights. Later, artists would paint charming portraits in a smooth heavily blended fashion. Move forward a few centuries later and pastel quickly became filled with brilliant color and crisp detail. Fast forward to today and a digital age has made it so you, the artist, can mix and match media that is difficult or impossible in a traditional setting. Pastello makes it simple and convenient to take an image and change it into Pastel, Chalk, Charcoal, Crayon, Colored Pencil and Graphite drawings. Use alone or combine these medias using powerful layers to produce interesting expressive sketch effects filled with colorful personality and passion. And the best part is Pastello does all the work. With Pastello, photographers and artists can now go beyond the camera to turn image files into creative works that resemble traditional handmade media using a professional workflow that is easy and comfortable to operate. Pastello has a pro workflow that automatically transforms a photo into a pastel drawing and places it on an art paper with options to customize. The Pastel can then be changed to Chalk, Charcoal, Colored Pencil, Graphite, Conte or Crayon using Layer styles. The medias start out delicate like traditional drawings do, then allows you to build them up using fills, shading and detail layers. The medias are beautiful as they are, or mix them for an expressive artwork. Pastello includes plenty of traditional sketch styles as well as a DaVinci effect using a mixed media of pencil, charcoal, crayon and old paper. It’s easy to use! We have mixed the media into one-click presets with all the freedom to customize, blend and fine-tune for your own unique artwork filled with age, depth and timeless beauty as if created by the renaissance artist himself. Pastel Styles: Colored Pencil, Graphite, Charcoal, and Chalk come with a fill and detail option that can be layered for infinite variation. Conte has a dynamic sketch feature that lets you fill in shadows, mid-tones and highlights with crosshatching or scumbling. All with the ability to change stroke direction, size, volume and variation. Pastel—(Soft) is a soft, buttery consistency and intense color. This effect is dense and filled with the grain of the paper. Chalk—(Hard Pastel) is a light dusty effect with little specks of preserved paper. This chalky pastel is known for it’s soft strokes and velvety texture. Charcoal—creates a velvety black charcoal effect with shades of grey. Use it for warming up the under painting of a composition, or to complete a finished charcoal piece. Colored Pencil—creates soft colorful strokes in the drawing that can be layered to build up color then burnished with a light Pencil Layer, or the Smudge tool. Pencil—creates pencil drawings with fluid outlines and soft, limpid tonal shadings for a drawing filled with warmth and charm. Conté—is a beautiful crayon media for enhancing highlights, midtones and shadows in drawings using classic colors. Crayon—creates a colorful waxy base to a drawing, then burnished it with a Conte White for highlights or Bistre for shading. ## Key features - Photo to Pastel, Chalk, Charcoal, Crayon conversion - Layering of different dry media - Customizable stroke direction, size, and volume - One-click presets with customization options - Traditional sketch styles and DaVinci effect - Professional workflow for artists and photographers ## Recent user reviews (10 of 19) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastello/id1074343686/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Realmente bonito *2022-11-26* He comprado ésta app por el descuento del Black friday ya que me parecía algo costosa, los efectos son increíbles, muy por encima de sus apps no profesionales. Para quien se quejó de la baja resolución, eso es solo dentro de la app por razones de memoria, pero cuando se exporta, lo hace en alta resolución. También la calidad va a depender de si es una foto grande o pequeña, para fotos pequeñas, si se amplia no se ve bien, pero para fotos grandes, si se amplía, los detalles se aprecian perfectamente sin pixelarse. ### 5/5 — Always Exactly What I Need *2021-12-14, version 1.1.9* I’ve used Jixipix products for many years. I love their apps for many reasons. First, they have so many varieties of styles for photo manip. Some are styles are realistic like watercolor. Some are outré. Secondly, each style has in-depth options to modify the style, including overlays. Third, I can make and keep as a preset any styles that i develop and want to reuse. Fourth, they continue to maintain existing apps and to develop new apps. Currently they have been making apps to modify the shape of images such as rip and tear. I adore these new apps—so cool and stylish and like nothing else in the app store. Fifth, all apps are made to professional standards. They have similar look and feel so no big learning curves when purchasing new apps (and this includes all the OS options!). All options work as expected and any problems are quickly resolved. Sorry this post is so long. I could write much more but I only included basic features that I appreciate so much. Which reminds me—they have great sales throughout the year too! ### 5/5 — Id love a higher resolution *2021-02-09* For some works I think it’s a bit far from the expected or hoped results. The program is fantastic by itself, but ... higher definition, please, ### 5/5 — Incrível *2020-04-19* Simplesmente incrível ¡ um dos melhores. ### 5/5 — Super! *2019-11-17* Beste App dieser Art die man für’s iPad bekommen kann! Auch die Entwickler antworten schnell wenn man Fragen oder Vorschläge hat. ### 2/5 — Needs to be updated *2019-10-10, version 1.1.3* Bought yesterday...initially worked on the first image, then continually crashed on every attempt after. iOS 13 ### 5/5 — Не работает *2019-10-08* После обновления ios 13 приложение перестало функционировать на iPad pro. Верните деньги или исправьте ошибки. ### 5/5 — Bought this after impresso *2018-10-14* After being impressed with impresso pro and how customized you make it... I bought this and very glad I did ... didn’t think I was going to like the effects as much as impresso but it’s ok to be wrong 😊 ... thank you ### 5/5 — My new favourite app *2018-07-25, version 1.1.2* Produces fantastic results and the level of customisation is incredible. It’s made me fall in love with pastels. Well worth the higher than average price. Other apps just slap a filter on the to produce a pseudo genuine result. With this app I can create incredible art work that I can sell. All of the Jixipix apps are worth the money and customer support is excellent too. ### 1/5 — Rip off *2017-10-30, version 1.0.5* Dont buy this app, wow really is a do nothing crap app and if i could get my money back i would! Not worth the money and i feel really stupid for buying it! I want my money back! ## Frequently asked questions about Pastello ### What art styles can Pastello create? Pastello can transform photos into various dry media styles including Pastel, Chalk, Charcoal, Colored Pencil, Graphite, Conte, and Crayon. It also offers traditional sketch styles and a unique DaVinci effect. ### How does Pastello handle layering of media? The app allows you to mix and match different dry media using powerful layers. This enables the creation of complex and expressive sketch effects with unique color personalities and depth. ### What is the price of Pastello? Pastello is a paid application priced at $29.99. There are no in-app purchases or ads mentioned. ### What devices is Pastello compatible with? Currently, Pastello is supported on iPad devices. It was released on February 11, 2016, and its latest version is 1.1.16, last updated on February 22, 2024. ### How often is Pastello updated? The app was last updated on February 22, 2024, indicating ongoing support and potential for future improvements. Its version history shows regular updates since its release in 2016. ### What is the age rating for Pastello? Pastello has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. This suggests the content is generally appropriate for children and adults. ### What makes Pastello's workflow professional? Pastello offers a pro workflow that automatically transforms images into drawings on art paper, with options for customization. Users can adjust fills, shading, and detail layers for a professional finish. ### What is the user sentiment for Pastello? Pastello has received positive feedback, holding a rating of 4.7 stars from 43 ratings. This indicates a high level of user satisfaction with the app's features and performance. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.1.16 — 2024-02-22 Optimization, bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 1.1.14 — 2023-11-28 Optimization, bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 1.1.12 — 2023-01-01 Optimization, bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 1.1.11 — 2022-12-31 Optimization, bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 1.1.10 — 2022-12-11 Optimization, bug fixes and performance improvements. ## Apps similar to Pastello | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Photo to Painting: Oilbrush](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-to-painting-oilbrush/id1496018527) | 4.9 (1,404) | Free | Photo & Video | | [BeCasso: Photo to Painting App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/becasso-photo-to-painting-app/id1125534178) | 4.8 (8,084) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Project Indigo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/project-indigo/id6742591546) | 3.1 (241) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Photo to Watercolor Waterbrush](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-to-watercolor-waterbrush/id1496018540) | 4.9 (2,710) | Free | Photo & Video | | [BeFunky](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/befunky/id442716817) | 4.7 (10,833) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Photo Enhancer: Gigapixel AI](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photo-enhancer-gigapixel-ai/id6503354018) | 4.6 (143) | Free | Photo & Video | ## More apps by JixiPix Software - [Vintage Scene](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vintage-scene/id382686992) - [PhotoArtista - Oil](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photoartista-oil/id388848929) - [Grungetastic](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grungetastic/id418140198) - [Simply HDR](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simply-hdr/id438948516) - [Dramatic Black & White](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dramatic-black-and-white/id457075492) - [Rainy Daze](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rainy-daze/id473116056) All apps by JixiPix Software: https://appshunter.io/developer/380605671 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-01.*