Copy and paste in pdf (embarrassment)

[brucemc777]

I am not a graphic designer and love GIMP because it is soooo way overpowered for what i want i've always known whatever i run into new it can handle, provided i can find out how...

In older (maybe a year ago?) versions of GIMP i would simply import a pdf as an image (i have absolutely no clue what advantages bringing it in as a layer would provide). Then i could use the paint brush to clean up specks and smudges and make selections then copy & paste to make corrections or modifications to areas that had handwriting in them. When i used to copy i could rectangle select the area, Ctrl-C it, then do a Ctrl-V and drag the square with the copied contents visible to where i wanted to paste it, thereby seeing exactly how it would fit into the rest of the pdf..

Now i am SOOOO confused. I've managed to accomplish the same ends, but not without a lot of fumbling and experimenting. Though i still import the original as an image it seems the copy/paste creates a layer and i have to do something like merge down layers then put my left arm in and take my left arm out and then press a few more keys and sometimes though the changes do not show up on screen, when i select to "Overwrite" the original and reload it, there are changes present. Not always where i want them, but there they are!

I know it is me, and my fault for using such an impressive tool to do something so much beneath it's capabilities.

Would someone out there be so kind as to advise the easiest way for me to copy a selection then place it in a position that i see and know it will remain?

Maybe use the short word large print and picture version of the explanation, for that is what i feel like-

Best Regards,
-Bruce

[brucemc777]

OK, y'all are probably way over my head - does anyone know of a user group for the "less talented" where i might find an answer to this question?

[rich2005]

I do not know of any Gimp forum equivalent to those old Some-Subject For Dummies books. There is Reddit but in my opinion for some reason you get lots of really poor advice, - don't use Gimp - use AI - etc.

Your post is a bit over long try and trim it down to the bare essentials, however I think your problem is when you CTRL-V for a paste you get a new layer and that might get exported as a separate page in the edited PDF. The solution there is merge the new layer down.

You can get Gimp 3 to use a floating layer much the same as Gimp 2.10 it is Edit -> Paste As -> Paste As Floating Data
There is no shortcut for that but you can make your own.

For what it is worth an example video (4 minutes) First minute is Gimp 2.10 to compare with Gimp 3
https://sendvid.com/n4mwdavx

[denzjos]

We all are "less talented" and still learning  .An easy way to put something on a PDF file in gimp is to merge things you want to change in a specific page before you export the result as a PDF file.
- load pdf file in gimp, you have now one or more layer(s)
- make changes to one or more pages, make shure that the things you want to change on the specific page(s) is on a layer above this page(s)
- merge down the changes to the specific pages (right click on the layer with changes and merg down)
- export as PDF file   

An easy way to put something into a PDF file in GIMP is to merge the changes you want to make on a specific page before exporting the result as a PDF.
- Load the PDF file into GIMP, you should now have one or more layers.
- Make changes to one or more pages. Make sure the changes you want to make on the specific page(s) are on a layer above those pages.
- Merge the changes on the specific pages (right-click the layer with the changes and select Merge).
- Export as a PDF.

In the example :
- merge down all 3 layers to layer 60 (is page 60 from a PDF file)
- merge down the layer above layer 59
- the result is two layers
- export them as PDF file