Intro to selection tools in Pixelmator Pro on Mac
You can use selection tools to isolate a specific area in a layer, then apply color adjustments, effects, painting, or other modifications to the selected area, leaving the rest of the image untouched.
Pixelmator Pro offers nine selection tools designed for different situations. Quick Selection and Select Subject use algorithms to automatically detect objects and edges. Manual tools like Rectangular Selection and Free Selection give you complete control over selection shape. Color-based tools select areas that have similar colors or tones. Selections are also useful for copying and pasting, or removing specific areas in a composition.
All selection tools work with the same core workflow: Make your initial selection, modify it if needed, then apply edits.
Selection tools
Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Makes square and rectangular selections. |
| Makes circular and elliptical selections. |
| Makes horizontal selections of a custom height and the full width of the canvas. |
| Makes vertical selections of a custom width and the full height of the canvas. |
| Allows you to draw freehand selections. |
| Allows you to draw polygonal, jagged selections. |
| Makes selections that intelligently snap to edges in the document, including edges within an image. |
| Selects similarly colored areas in an image. |
| Intelligently selects part of an image as you drag over it. |
Tip: To quickly move any part of your image, select it using any selection tool, click in the Tools sidebar, then drag the selected area to another part of your image.