Pixel Sorting Software for Mac and Windows: Which Tool Fits Your Project?

Which pixel sorting software fits your project?

Artfkt made the poster for this comparison. Details for madpixelsort and Pixel Sorter 4 come from their publishers’ documentation, checked 2 November 2026. We did not install those two tools.

Artfkt for a poster you can use again

Look at the red light in the middle of the stage. In the original it forms a pool behind the performers. In the sorted version, those same reds run sideways through the blue beams while the audience stays dark. Pixel Sort orders neighboring colors along a row or column. The dark and light limits decide where each run starts and stops.

Try Pixel Sort on your photo. The free demo opens with orange flowers against a blue background. Choose Use your own image to replace the flowers and keep the settings. You can export the result as a PNG.

For the BEAM INDEX poster, we sorted horizontally and kept the darkest parts of the room out of the brightness range. With your own image, try moving the Dark limit first. When too much of the subject starts to smear, raise it. For a worked example of direction, brightness and streak length, follow the step-by-step pixel sorting tutorial.

The useful buying question came when we booked the imaginary band a second Friday. The band name and show date were separate text layers above the treated photo. We saved the composition as an Artfkt project, reopened it and changed 13 NOV to 20 NOV. The beams, band name and doors time carried over to the second poster.

The desktop app runs on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 13 or later and is available for x64 PCs with Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11. Check the system requirements for your machine. One purchase includes the current collections and Artfkt 1.x updates. If a single still is all you need, the browser demo lets you make and export it for free.

madpixelsort for streaks you can steer

Imagine bending a strip of light around the rim of a drum. Artfkt’s Pixel Sort offers rows and columns. madpixelsort also lets you sort along waves, circles and custom paths. Its publisher describes masks for choosing where the sort happens and keyframes for changing it through a shot. Those are good reasons to choose a dedicated sorter even if you already have somewhere to set the type.

The publisher lists macOS Big Sur 11 or later on Apple silicon, Catalina 10.15 or later on Intel Macs, and 64-bit Windows 10 as the Windows minimum. It sells madpixelsort as a standalone, one-time purchase. You can inspect the moving examples on its product page. The free trial linked there is for the separate madphase app. madpixelsort features, purchase and system requirements

Pixel Sorter 4 for an existing edit

If a client asks for a shorter glitch halfway through a cut, there is a reason to buy a plug-in: you can adjust that shot in the host project where the edit already lives. The publisher documents installation for After Effects and Premiere Pro on Mac and Windows, an OpenFX version for Resolve and Nuke, and a Photoshop panel for Photoshop 2023 or later. Final Cut Pro is a Mac option. Start with the install instructions for the editor you own. Pixel Sorter 4 host documentation

The main edition lists a two-computer license. If Photoshop is the only place you need the effect, there is a less expensive Photoshop-only edition. Try the corresponding download on a short shot or one image before choosing a license. Pixel Sorter 4 editions and trials

For a broader set of damaged-signal tools, see glitch art software for Mac. For a film look with an editable title, see film emulation software for Mac and Windows.

The stills came from Artfkt’s renderer, and the revised date was rendered from the saved project.