Pixelmator Pro’s latest update adds support for the iPhone’s portrait masks, which lets you do more with photos taken in Portrait Mode. Photos taken in Portrait Mode on iOS 12 or later will be imported with the depth data in a separate layer mask, so you can easily edit backgrounds or swap them out entirely.
The feature isn’t available in the iPhone version of Pixelmator or the basic Mac versionof Pixelmator. Pixelmator Pro, which costs $39.99, has a few more premium features over the $4.99 iPhone app and the standard $29.99 Mac app.
Both Mac versions of Pixelmator are powerful image-editing tools that support RAW image processing and offer an affordable alternative to Photoshop CC, which starts at a $10-a-month subscription plan. The software is specifically optimized for Mac usersand reliably gets consistent updates. The latest update also adds a couple of new features like opening documents in tabs by default instead of windows, a comics filter effect, and keyboard shortcuts.
It’s worth noting that there’s plenty of other photo apps like Halide that can give users more control over Portrait Mode photos, but it’s less common to see this feature available on Mac apps. Today’s update is available for free to existing customers, and if you want to try out the Portrait depth feature, you can download Pixelmator Pro from the Mac App Store.