Move and align layers in Pixelmator Pro on Mac
You can move and align one or more layers in the canvas using the Arrange tool. You can move layers around manually or enter coordinates to place your layer in a precise position in the canvas.
Move an entire layer
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select
in the Tools sidebar.
Do any of the following:
Move a layer: Drag the layer in the canvas to move it. As you drag, the layer snaps into alignment with other layers (at edges and vertical and horizontal axes). To temporarily disable snapping, press and hold the Command key while you drag.
Move a layer by 1 pixel: Click a layer in the canvas to select it, then press an arrow key.
Move a layer by ten pixels: Click a layer in the canvas to select it, then press and hold shift and press an arrow key.
Move part of a layer
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select a layer in the Layers sidebar, then make a selection.
Select
in the Tools sidebar.
Do any of the following:
Move the selected area: Drag inside of the selection in the canvas to move it.
Move the selected area by 1 pixel: Click a layer in the canvas to select it, then press an arrow key.
Move the selected area by ten pixels: Click a layer in the canvas to select it, then press and hold Shift and press an arrow key.
Position a layer using x and y coordinates
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select
in the Tools sidebar.
Select one or more layers in the canvas or Layers sidebar.
In the Arrange pane, enter x and y values in the Position fields.
The x value is measured from the left edge of the canvas to the object’s upper-left corner. The y value is measured from the top edge of the canvas to the object’s upper-left corner.
To change the units used for the x and y coordinates, Control-click the number field and choose a different unit.
Align layers vertically or horizontally
You can align objects so they line up along a vertical or horizontal axis. When you select multiple layers, they align to each other. When you select one layer it aligns to the canvas.
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select
in the Tools sidebar.
Select one or more layers in the canvas or Layers sidebar.
Select the layer (or layers) you want to align.
In the Arrange pane, click an alignment button:
Top Edges: Aligns all selected layers to the top edge of the topmost layer.
Vertical Centers: Vertically moves all selected layers to align them along one central horizontal axis.
Bottom Edges: Aligns all selected layers to the bottom edge of the bottom layer.
Left Edges: Aligns all selected layers to the left edge of the leftmost layer.
Horizontal Centers: Horizontally moves all selected layers to align them along one central vertical axis.
Right Edges: Aligns all selected layers to the right edge of the rightmost layer.
Equally distribute layers
Distributing layers lets you arrange them according to their edges or centers. For example, you can automatically space layers to set equal distances between every left edge.
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select
in the Tools sidebar.
Select one or more layers in the canvas or Layers sidebar.
In the Arrange pane, click a distribution button:
Top Edges: Distributes the selected layers so that the top edge of each is equidistant from the top edge of its nearest neighbor.
Vertical Centers: Distributes the selected layers so that the vertical center of each is equidistant from the vertical center of its nearest neighbor.
Bottom Edges: Distributes the selected layers so that the bottom edge of each is equidistant from the bottom edge of its nearest neighbor.
Left Edges: Distributes the selected layers so that the left edge of each is equidistant from the left edge of its nearest neighbor.
Horizontal Centers: Distributes the selected layers so that the horizontal center of each is equidistant from the horizontal center of its nearest neighbor.
Right Edges: Distributes the selected layers so that the right edge of each is equidistant from the right edge of its nearest neighbor.
Evenly space layers of different sizes
Distributing layers vertically or horizontally lets you automatically create equal spaces between them.
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select
in the Tools sidebar.
Select one or more layers in the canvas or Layers sidebar.
Do one of the following:
Equally space objects across a vertical axis: Choose Arrange > Distribute Layers > Vertical Spacing.
Equally space objects across a horizontal axis: Choose Arrange > Distribute Layers > Horizontal Spacing.