Use effects presets in Pixelmator Pro on Mac
Effects presets are reusable effect recipes that apply identical visual treatments across different layers and projects for consistency and convenience. Pixelmator Pro includes built-in effect presets to get you started, and you can create your own custom presets.
Apply an effects preset
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select a layer in the Layers sidebar.
Select
in the Tools sidebar.
At the top of the Effects pane, click the pop-up menu above the thumbnails, then choose a preset collection (Chroma or Photographic, for example).
Select an effects preset thumbnail.
The preset is applied to the selected layer, and the controls in the Effects pane are updated.
Note: Effects presets can’t be applied to empty layers, empty selections, or Color Adjustments layers.
Save effects as a preset
You can save an effect combination to reuse on other layers or in different projects.
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select a layer in the Layers sidebar.
Select
Apply multiple effects to the layer.
At the top of the Effects pane, do one of the following:
Click
in the list of thumbnails to save the preset to the currently displayed collection.
Click
next to the pop-up menu above the list of thumbnails, then choose Add Preset.
A new thumbnail for your custom preset is added to the list.
Create a new effects preset collection
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select
At the top of the Effect pane, click
A new ”Unnamed” collection is added to the collection list.
Click
Import, export, and manage effect presets and collections
After you create a preset or a collection you can rename it, modify its settings, delete it, add it to the Favorites category, and more.
In Pixelmator Pro on Mac, select
At the top of the Effects pane, do any of the following:
Modify a preset’s effect settings: Select a preset thumbnail, adjust its controls in the Effects pane, Control-click the thumbnail, then choose Redefine.
Add a preset to favorites: To save a frequently used preset to the Favorites collection for quick access, Control-click a preset thumbnail, then choose Add to Favorites.
Rename a preset: Control-click a preset thumbnail, then choose Rename.
Rename a collection: Click
Delete a preset: Control-click a preset thumbnail, then choose Remove.
Delete a collection: Click the pop-up menu at the top of the Effects pane, choose a collection, then click
Import a preset: Click
Export a preset collection: Click
A .effects file is created.
Export your entire preset collections library: Option-click
A .effects file is created containing the entire effects library.
Remove all custom presets: Option-click
Important: If you want to use custom presets created in an earlier version of Pixelmator Pro (Pixelmator Pro 3.7 or earlier), you must export them from the earlier version, then import them into Pixelmator Pro 4.
To learn about using presets from your Mac on your iPad see Use presets from your Mac on your iPad.