How do I invoke relative alignment guides?

Talk about Pixelmator Pro, share tips & tricks, tutorials, and other resources.
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2018-07-05 12:55:12

I have been a long time Pixelmator user, but wanted to try out the extra layout features of Pro. I have yet to understand how relative alignment guides are invoked. Can someone explain it to me please? I made sure the options were checked in preferences, but moving around objects only seem to show the blue vertical/horizontal guides.

For an example I have pictures I am laying out on the page. I've grouped three together and a fourth is on its own. I'd like to distribute the whitespace evenly across both left/right edges and between the group and standalone photos and haven't a clue how to get a visible measurement of the space between the objects. Assistance would be most appreciated!
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2018-07-05 13:19:34

Relative alignment guides are actually available in the original Pixelmator too and work more or less the same way in Pixelmator Pro, they just need to be turned on in Pixelmator Pro preferences. As far as I've been able to test, everything works for me, so could you double check that you've enabled them?

As an aside, for this, I think you'd be better off using the Align & Distribute tools in Pixelmator Pro, which are new and aren't available in the original Pixelmator. You need to select all 4 layers using the Arrange tool and click this button:

Image

Or, you can also find that command in the Arrange menu (Arrange > Distribute Objects > Horizontal Centers).
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2018-07-05 14:17:35

Andrius,

Thanks for the help. Yes I was using them in Pixelmator but also wanted to use the Align/Distribute tools Pro offered. Yes the guides have been checked in preferences, even quit and restarted Pro just in case with no change. As to the actual use of the Align/Distribute tools, the bottom row is greyed out. I've selected two objects concurrently and that doesn't work. What actions cause the on-screen relative guides to pop up? And likewise, what steps do I perform to use the Align/Distribute tools as I apparently am missing something. Thanks!