Edit from Photos

You can open images from the Photos app to edit in Pixelmator Pro and then save the changes back to the original image in your library.

Open an image from Photos in Pixelmator Pro

Use this method to save images while preserving all layers, adjustments, effects, styles, and other formatting.

1. To open an image from Photos, do one of the following:

   • In the Pixelmator Pro Welcome screen, choose Open the Photos Browser.

   • Choose File > New From Photos, select the image you want to edit, and click Open.

2. Edit the image.

3. Choose File > Modify Original in Photos from the File menu at the top of your screen to save changes.

4. The sidecar file has been created. Now, you can close and delete the document.

📘 Note: If you're seeing a flattened copy of your edited photo when you open it using the Pixelmator Pro Photos extension, make sure saving changes "For Images Opened from Photos" is turned on in Pixelmator Pro Editing settings.

Alternatively, you can turn off "For Images Opened from Photos" not to preserve edits and overwrite your original images with edits made in Pixelmator Pro. The edited images can always be reverted to the original using Image > Revert to Original in Photos.

Send an image from Photos to edit in Pixelmator Pro

Use this method to overwrite original images with changes, merging all layers, adjustments, effects, styles, and other formatting.

1. Open the Photos app.

2. Find the image you want to edit and click to select it.

3. Do one of the following:

   • Choose Image > Edit With > Pixelmator Pro from the Image menu at the top of your screen.

   • Control ⌃ – click a photo and choose Edit With > Pixelmator Pro.

4. Edit the image.

5. Choose File > Save from the File menu at the top of your screen to save changes.

6. The changes have been saved to the Photos library. Now, you can close and delete the document.

📘 Note: When opening images using Edit With, additional data of RAW files is not kept. Images are converted to TIFF file format instead.

If you've created a project on your Mac and would like to move it to Photos together with all nondestructive edits and layers, see the article Use the Pixelmator Pro Photos extension to learn how to import your Pixelmator Pro documents to Photos.