Quick Mask Mode

To edit portions of your pictures, remove unwanted objects or cut out parts of an image to place in another, first select the desired object or image portion by using any of the selection tools in Pixelmator, or a combination of selection tools.

Quick Mask is the most powerful selection tool in Pixelmator. While in Quick Mask Mode, a red overlay shows areas that have not been selected. Once out of Quick Mask Mode, the area not covered by the red overlay will appear as a selection. In Quick Mask Mode, painting with white will add to the selection and painting with black will subtract from it. This makes it easy to trace around any object.

Step 1

Open an image with an element that you find tricky to select using the other selection tools.

Step 2

Choose Edit > Edit in Quick Mask Mode to enter Quick Mask Mode. The entire image is covered in a red overlay.

Click to select the Brush Tool in the Tools palette and start painting with a hard-edged brush preset. You don’t need to paint over the entire object in one go. Let the mouse button up every now and then to take a break.

If you make a simple mistake by painting outside the boundaries of the desired portion of the image, don’t worry. Change the brush color from white to black and paint over the mistake to restore the red overlay.

Tip: Press the D keyboard shortcut to set the default white and black colors as primary and secondary. Then, use the X keyboard shortcut to switch between those colors.

Zoom in to refine smaller details. Reduce the brush tip size until it’s small enough to paint in the outline detail comfortably.

Zoom back to 100% to view the entire image.

Step 3

To view the selection, leave Quick Mask Mode by choosing Edit > Edit in Quick Mask Mode.

Step 4

Now that the desired object is selected, you can apply any special effect to it, move it, change its angle, fill it with color, or even apply color adjustments only to this portion of the image. To apply effects to the selected element non-destructively, duplicate it by choosing Edit > Duplicate.