Modify selections in Pixelmator Pro on Mac
After making a selection, you can modify it in various ways—from simple additions and subtractions to more advanced refinements with brushes.
Move a selection outline
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection.
Important: Make sure the selection mode is set to New (Choose New in the selection tool pane).
Do any of the following:
Drag inside of the selection to move it.
Press an arrow key to move the selection by 1 pixel.
While pressing and holding the Shift key, press an arrow key to move the selection by 10 pixels.
Change the shape or size of a selection
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection.
Do one of the following:
Drag a selection handle in the canvas to change the shape or size of the selection. (To constrain the proportions of the selection, drag a selection handle while pressing and holding the Shift key.)
Control-click the selection in the canvas and choose Transform Selection. Transform the selection using the controls in the Transform pane.
Note: To turn selection handles off, or on, choose View > Layer and Selection Handles.
Modify a selection using selection modes
After you make a selection, you can change the function of any select tool to modify an active selection.
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection, then click any of the following in the selection pane:
Add: Adds areas to the existing selection.
Subtract: Subtracts areas from the existing selection.
Intersect: Reduces the new selection area within the bounds of the existing selection.
2. Use any selection tool to modify the current selection.
Modify selection edges using sliders
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection, then choose Edit > Select and Mask (or click Select and Mask in the selection pane).
In the canvas, all areas outside of the selection are covered with a color overlay.
Modify the selection edges using sliders in the Select and Mask pane:
Make the edges rounder: Drag the Roundness slider to the right.
Make the edges softer: Drag the Softness slider to the right.
Expand the edges: Drag the Expand slider to the right to move the edges outward, and make the selection larger.
Click the Output pop-up menu, then choose Selection.
Click Apply at the bottom of the pane.
Refine selection edges using a brush
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection, then choose Edit > Select and Mask (or click Select and Mask in the selection tool pane).
In the Select and Mask pane, click the brushes pop-up menu, then choose Refine Edge Brush.
Select
to add to your selection while you refine the edges or
to subtract from your selection while you refine the edges.
Drag the Brush Size and Brush Softness sliders to customize the Refine Edge Brush.
Drag around the edges of the selection to refine it.
Pixelmator Pro adds any new brush strokes to the selection and refines the edges to account for image detail.
Click the Output pop-up menu, then choose Selection.
Click Apply at the bottom of the pane.
Automatically refine selection edges
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection, then choose Edit > Select and Mask (or click Select and Mask in the selection tool pane).
In the Select and Mask pane, click Smart Refine.
Pixelmator Pro automatically refines the edges to account for image detail.
Invert a selection
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection, then choose Edit > Invert Selection.
Convert a selection to a shape
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection, then choose Format > Convert to Shape.
Deselect a selection
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, make a selection, then choose Edit > Deselect.