Exporting Pixelmator Pro document

You should ask the Pixelmator folks about that. https://support.pixelmator.com/

Check your Pixelmator export settings to make sure it isn't 'accidentally' flattening the image when you export to PSD.

That said, while Pixelmator does support layers, not all layers survive exporting from PPro or importing into PS. It often depends on the versions of each app you are using.

Based on your description of the problem, it's an issue with or between Pixelmator Pro & Photoshop. It's highly unlikely to be an Apple/macOS issue.

What are the exact versions of PPro & PS you are using? Ditto the versions of macOS with each. And are you *certain* you are exporting a PSD file, not a PSB or a TIFF?

While Pixelmator supports layers there are reports that it does not export all types of adjustment layers. It may be helpful if you post screenshots of PPro image workspace showing the list of layers in the image; and the comparable workspace in PS after importing the image into PS.

I'm not surprised they send you here. Apple purchased Pixelmator Pro a couple years ago.

The latest version of Pixelmator Pro is currently, 3.7. The latest version of Sequoia is 15.6.1.

I'd start by updating both to see if that helps resolve the problem

I just created a very basic document with an image, a mask layer, and a fill. I exported it to Photoshop format then opened it with Affinity Photo 2 (I don't have photoshop). All the layers were there, so I would expect a problem with Photoshop or as MartinR suggested, layers that don't export.

If you import back into Pixelmator Pro, do the layers get flattened or are they there.

Randall_2023 wrote:

Apple purchased Pixelmator Pro a couple years ago.

The acquisition was announced Nov. 2024 and completed Feb. 2025.