Popular photo editing app Pixelmator Pro was updated today with a revamped set of AI-powered masking tools that make it easier than ever to make selective edits. Masking has been “reengineered from the ground up” in the new Pixelmator Pro version 3.6, so it’s faster to create and enhance masks.

pixelmator pro hide wallpaper
There’s a new Hide Background option that uses AI to non-destructively remove the entire background from an image with one click. The tool detects the subject of the image and adds a background mask to hide the rest of what’s in the photo.

Masking a layer or creating a mask from a layer can now be done by double-clicking on the canvas with the Arrange tool, and then there are controls available for resizing and repositioning the mask. Pixelmator says this makes it easier to do things like round image corners or crop individual layers in multi-layer compositions.

Mask refinement tools are now located at the bottom of the screen whenever a mask is selected or created, so it’s faster to adjust transparency, change the smoothness of edges, invert the sign, add a new mask, and more a lot.

Pixelmator has also gained support for vector masks, so layers can be masked to specific shapes. Adding a vector mask causes the area inside the vector shape to remain visible, while other areas are hidden. Masking a layer can be done by selecting a shape from the Mask menu at the top of the layer sidebar or by creating a mask with the Pen tool. Vector masks are editable, so any point can be adjusted just like a regular shape.

The new features are available for free to existing Pixelmator Pro users. Pixelmator Pro costs $50 and can be downloaded from the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]

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