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Pixelmator Pro 2.3

The Pixelmator Team has issued Pixelmator Pro 2.3 (nicknamed Abracadabra… cue the Steve Miller Band track), a major update that adds an automatic background removal feature, automatic subject selection, and a Select and Mask tool. Accessed from the Pixelmator Pro toolbar, the new Remove Background feature uses a convolutional neural network to find the subject in pretty much any image and automatically remove its background. The companion AI-powered Decontaminate Colors feature automatically removes traces of the previous background around the edges for a more seamless blend into the background.

Pixelmator Pro 2.3’s new Select Subject feature lets you automatically select the subject of any image, and it works especially well when running macOS 12 Monterey and on M1-based Macs. The new Select and Mask tool improves the selection of difficult areas, such as hair, fur, and similar objects with very complex edges.

Pixelmator Pro 2.3 Select and Mask tool
The new Select and Mask tool

The release also updates the Pixelmator Pro actions in the Shortcuts app to remove backgrounds and create subject masks from any image (not just portrait images), adds an option to the Export dialog to export images at custom sizes and scale factors, and ensures the last-used export location is remembered app-wide rather than for each document. ($39.99 new from Pixelmator and the Mac App Store, free update, 433.4 MB, release notes, macOS 10.15+)

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Comments About Pixelmator Pro 2.3

Notable Replies

  1. I own every image editor from Acorn to Photoshop but Pixelmator Pro has become my goto for work i cant do inside Capture One. A really lovely app to use.

  2. Currently 50% off so I’m going to give it a try. Like Tommy I’m primarily a Capture One user but I also have Affinity Photo handy. I don’t love Affinity Photo so I’m happy to compare Pixelmator Pro.

  3. I would be interested in a comparison shot-out between Photoshop Elements and Pixelmator.
    I upgraded to the latest version of Photoshop Elements and apart from some AI stuff, I could not find much in the way of improvements over the previous versions. In fact I found Photoshop Elements 2022 to hang from time to time and there’s a couple of function adjustments that are irritating and obviously done by a programmer fresh out of school and learnt a couple of programmer tricks.
    I used the Creative Suite version of Photoshop when employed to do so, but cant see the value of going to an expensive subscription service to edit the family snaps.

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