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Pixelmator Pro User Guide
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  • Welcome
  • Pixelmator Pro basics
    • Interface overview
    • Pixelmator Pro tools
    • Zoom in and out of an image
    • Scroll, pan, or rotate an image
    • Undo or redo changes
    • Choose and manage colors in Pixelmator Pro
    • Use the Pixelmator Pro Photos extension
    • Print a Pixelmator Pro document
    • Use text field math
    • Pixelmator Pro settings
      • General settings
      • Editing settings
      • Ruler, grid, and guide settings
      • Workspace settings
      • Apple Pencil settings
    • Customize the Tools sidebar
    • Customize the Pixelmator Pro toolbar
    • Use the Touch Bar with Pixelmator Pro
    • Automate tasks in Pixelmator Pro
  • Create, open, and save images
    • Open an image
    • Create a new image
    • Working with templates
    • Working with mockups
    • Edit from Photos
    • Import an image
    • Save and name an image
    • Close an image
    • About the Pixelmator Pro file format
    • About Pixelmator Pro sidecar files
  • Automatically edit images
    • Automatically enhance colors
    • Automatically increase image resolution
    • Remove color banding
    • Automatically reduce noise
    • Remove image background
    • Hide image background
    • Automatically crop and straighten images
    • Automatically match image colors
    • Decontaminate colors
  • Work with layers
    • Create layers
    • Color adjustments and effects layers
    • Use the Arrange tool
    • Select layers
    • Move and align layers
    • Resize, rotate, and flip layers
    • Transform layers
    • Convert layers into pixels
    • Use rulers
    • Use alignment guides
    • Organize and manage layers
    • Replace image
    • Video layers
  • Add masks
    • Working with bitmap masks
    • Working with vector masks
    • Open and edit images with Portrait Masks
    • Use clipping masks
  • Customize layers using styles
    • Adjust the opacity of a layer
    • Change the blend mode of a layer
    • Add an outline around a layer
    • Fill a layer with a color or gradient
    • Add an inner shadow to a layer
    • Add a drop shadow to a layer
    • Layer style presets
  • Adjust colors
    • White balance an image
    • Adjust hue, saturation, and vibrance
    • Adjust lightness, clarity, and texture
    • Selectively adjust clarity and texture of an image
    • Selectively balance the colors in an image
    • Adjust individual colors in an image
    • Adjust the levels of an image
    • Adjust the tonal curve of an image
    • Replace one color in an image with another
    • Remove color from an image or video
    • Manually convert a color image to black and white
    • Convert an image to black and white with a color tint
    • Apply a sepia tint
    • Fade the shadows or highlights of an image
    • Mix the color channels of an image
    • Invert the colors of an image
    • Apply a vignette
    • Sharpen an image
    • Add film grain to an image
    • Apply LUTs
    • Color adjustment presets
    • Working with RAW images
    • Reading histograms
    • About color management
    • Change the color profile of an image
    • Change the color depth of an image
    • See what an image looks like on another device
  • Retouch and reshape layers
    • Remove an object from an image
    • Copy part of an image from one area to another
    • Lighten a specific area of an image
    • Darken a specific area of an image
    • Make a specific area of an image more vibrant
    • Desaturate a specific area of an image
    • Sharpen a specific area of an image
    • Soften a specific area of an image
    • Smudge a specific area of an image
    • Warp a specific area of an image
    • Bump a specific area of an image
    • Pinch a specific area of an image
    • Twirl a specific area of an image
  • Add effects
    • Apply blur effects
    • Apply distortion effects
    • Apply sharpen effects
    • Apply color adjustment effects
    • Apply tile effects
    • Apply stylize effects
    • Apply halftone effects
    • Apply generator effects
    • Apply fill effects
    • Apply other effects
    • Effect presets
  • Paint and erase
    • Use the brushes browser
    • Stroke with a brush
    • Quickly fill an image with color
    • Fill specific areas of an image with color
    • Fill with the Gradient Fill tool
    • Paint with the Pixel Paint tool
    • Erase using the Smart Erase tool
    • Edit brush settings
    • Create a brush
    • Share and import brushes
  • Make selections
    • Select areas by shape or color
    • Select areas by drawing
    • Make rectangular, elliptical, or row selections
    • Select all opaque areas of a layer
    • Select the entire image
    • Automatically select a subject in an image
    • Adjust selections
    • Refine selections
    • Move, copy, and delete selected areas
    • Convert selections into shapes
  • Draw shapes and vector graphics
    • Arrange and combine shapes
    • Draw shapes with the Pen tool
    • Draw shapes with the Freeform Pen tool
    • Edit vector paths
    • Save and share custom shapes
  • Use the Type tool
    • Add text on a path
    • Copy and paste text
    • Use dictation to enter text
    • Change the font or font size
    • Add bold, italic, underline, or strikethrough to text
    • Convert text into an outline
    • Change the color of text
    • Change text capitalization
    • Align and space text
    • Format characters
    • Convert text into a shape or pixel layer
    • Text style presets
  • Resize, crop and straighten images
    • Rotate and flip an image
    • Trim away colored or transparent borders around an image
    • Reveal parts of an image beyond the canvas
    • Crop presets
    • Change the image size
    • Change the canvas size
  • Export and share images
    • Export an image or video for the web
    • Slice designs into individual images
    • Quickly export or share an optimized image
    • Export presets
  • Pixelmator Pro keyboard shortcuts
    • Customize keyboard shortcuts
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On this page
  • Adjust the space between characters
  • Enter special characters and symbols
  • Use the Fonts window for advanced typography

Format characters

PreviousAlign and space textNextConvert text into a shape or pixel layer

Last updated 16 days ago

You can increase or decrease the spacing between characters in any text. You might want to do this, for example, to experiment with line length in text, or to make a title fit on a single line.

Another way to affect character spacing is to use ligatures, a decorative joining of two characters to form a single typographic character. You can use ligatures in your image if the font you’re using supports them.

You can turn ligatures on or off from the Action pop-up menu in the Tool Options pane.

Adjust the space between characters

  1. Choose the Type tool by doing one of the following:

    • Choose Tools > Type from the Tools menu at the top of your screen.

    • Press the T key on your keyboard.

  2. Select the text you want to change
.

    To change all of the text in a text box, click in front of the first character, then press Command ⌘ + A to highlight the entire text.

  3. Click the Action pop-up below the Text Size slider.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • Adjust the space between characters: In the Character Spacing value field, enter the desired character spacing percentage or use the arrow buttons to adjust it. You can enter a value from -0% to 1000%. You can also press Option ⌥ – Right Arrow to increase character spacing or Option ⌥ – Left Arrow to decrease it.

    • Make text subscript or superscript: Click the Baseline pop-up menu and choose an option. If you want to continue typing regular text right after the superscript or subscript, click directly after the superscript or subscript character and choose the Default baseline option.

    • Raise and lower text without changing its size: Click the Baseline Shift value field and enter a desired value. You can enter a value from -127 to 127 pixels.

Enter special characters and symbols

You can use the Character Viewer (shown below) to add special characters and symbols to text, such as math symbols, Latin characters, and pictographs.

  1. Place the insertion point where you want the character to appear, then do one of the following:

    • Choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols from the Edit menu at the top of the screen.

    • Press Control ⌃ + Command ⌘ + Space on your keyboard.


  2. To locate a character, do any of the following:

    • Scroll to see more characters, or click the buttons at the bottom to jump to a category.

    • Scroll up, then type in the search field at the top (for example, type "fractions" to see available fractions, or type the Unicode name or code).

    • Scroll up, then click the button in the top-right corner to open the full Character Viewer.

  3. When you find the character, click it to insert it into the text.


    If the full Character Viewer is open on the desktop, you may need to double-click the character. The Character Viewer always opens in the state it was in when it was last closed. If it’s expanded and you want it to be in pop-up view the next time you open it, click the button in the top-right corner to close the expanded view.

For more information about using the Character Viewer, click the desktop to switch to the Finder, choose Help > Mac Help from the Help menu at the top of your screen, then search for "character viewer."

Use the Fonts window for advanced typography

Certain fonts support advanced typographical features such as ligatures, alternate glyphs, old-style figures, and more. You can adjust these options using the Fonts window.

  1. Choose Format > Font > Show Fonts from the Format menu at the top of your screen.

  2. Select the text you want to change
. To change all of the text in a text box, select the text box.

    📘 Note: To change individual glyphs, you must select the specific characters to be changed.

  3. Choose from the available options in the Typography window.

Choose the Type tool in the Tools sidebar.

Click More in the Fonts window and choose Typography.