Isolate, select and copy/paste elsewhere....

[Priskaa]

Hello forum !

I'm completely new to GIMP so I fear my questions will be very basic...
Thanks in advance for those who will have patience with me 

My first challenge : I have a round object (say, a large smiley) on a square jpg, white background.
I can select the object easily, but how can I remove the background ?
I tried adding a layer without background but get the full square each time I copy onto this new layer...

[Tas_mania]

Try Select > Invert 
then Edit > Clear.
It can help to apply an alpha channel to your layer (jpg)

[sallyanne]

Also if you do not want a coloured or white background export it as a .png as jpg's do not support transparency.

[Ofnuts]

For best results, see https://www.gimp-forum.net/Thread-Backgr...r-graphics

[Priskaa]

Thanks for your answers, I guess my question was not clear.
I don't want to export the smiley, I want to copy it in a project within Gimp. Add and combine different items in a layer. So, of course, the different items should not have any background.
How can this be done ?

[denzjos]

If you've isolated the smiley, the background will be transparent. If not, "Add Alpha Channel" to this layer. Place your background layer as first layer and the layer with the smiley as second layer (above layer one).

[Priskaa]

"Add Alpha Channel" ....?
Thank you, I fear the learning curve will be too steep and take too much of my time, I better go back to the software I have been using for years, though... it's expensive
Enjoy yourselves and happily create beautiful images !

[rich2005]

Other software is always a user option. This basically the previous advice.

Round shape - remove plain background:
Add transparency - Layer -> Transparency -> Add Alpha Channel
Select the background with the fuzzy select tool.
Grow the selection one or two pixels - Select -> Grow
Cut the selection.

Copy that: Edit -> Copy

Paste that into another canvas
Edit -> Paste As -> Paste As Single Layer
Move that layer into position with the Move tool.

...and as a one minute video (no audio) https://sendvid.com/9r66a6r8