Borrow a photograph’s colour palette with Pixelmator Pro

A favourite photograph can make a more useful starting point than a long description of the colours you want. Pixelmator Pro’s Match Colors uses machine learning to apply a reference image’s lighting and colour treatment to another picture, then exposes the adjustments for editing.[1]

This walkthrough follows Apple’s current documentation for Pixelmator Pro on Mac. Begin with the application installed and two image files: the photograph to change and the reference whose look you want to explore.[2]

Choose a reference with a useful resemblance

Apple recommends a reference similar to the target, such as one sunset guiding another. That gives the tool comparable material to work with. A dramatic night scene may express the mood you like, but it asks for a much larger translation when your target is a bright daytime portrait.[1]

For an original exercise, choose two of your own photographs of the same kind of scene. Decide what attracts you to the reference: perhaps warmer light, gentler contrast or less intense greens. Write down that one aim before editing. It will help you judge a result that changes several controls together.

Apply the match, then inspect its controls

Open the photograph you want to change. In the Layers sidebar, select its image layer. Choose Format > Color Adjustments > Match Colors. In the file browser, select the reference image on your Mac, then click Match Colors.[2]

The application adjusts settings in White Balance, Basic, Hue & Saturation, Selective Color and Color Balance. Apple’s guide says you can fine-tune these controls in the Color Adjustments pane. Look at the proposed treatment as a starting set of editing decisions that you can revise.[2]

Return to the aim you wrote down. If you wanted warmth, inspect a pale surface and the main subject as well as the overall glow. If you wanted softer contrast, look for detail in the brightest and darkest important areas. The comparison is about whether this photograph benefits from the treatment.

A reference carries its own lighting and subjects. Matching its palette does not guarantee that every colour in a different scene will look natural. Adjust the parts that serve your photograph rather than treating resemblance to the reference as the only goal.[1]

Keep an editable version and export the photograph

Choose File > Save and give the document a useful name. Apple’s default format is Pixelmator Pro Document, using the PXD extension. Keep that working document for later changes. File > Duplicate opens a copy in a new tab if you want to explore a second treatment.[3][5]

For a shareable photograph, choose File > Export, set a name and location, then select JPEG from the Format menu. Adjust the quality and dimensions for your intended use and click Export. Apple describes JPEG as a compressed format suitable for websites and other photo applications.[4]

Open the exported file at the size you expect people to see it. Compare it with the unedited photograph and the aim you chose. Keep the version whose colours help the subject read well; retain the working document if you want to revisit the decision.[4][3][5]

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