"Select all" selects all of the image, not all of the active layer

[gyepi]

"Select all" used to select all of the active layer, and not all of the image. Now when I use "select all", GIMP 3.04 (on MacOS 15.5) selects all of the image, instead of all of the content of the layer. If I then press "shrink selection", the selection is getting shrinked from the entire image, and not only from the entire layer.

Is this the new normal behavior? How could I revert back to the old behavior (of "select all" selecting all of the active layer)?

Thanks!

[CmykStudent]

Hi! What version of GIMP did you update from? There's been a feature request since GIMP 2.8 that asks for that, so it's not a recent change: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/-/issues/421

There's a merge request to implement the option - I'll see if it can be updated and reviewed for the next release.

[rich2005]

I have only known Gimp Select All to select the canvas boundary, regardless of the size and position of the active layer.

I do have in my archive an old (2009) script to select the active layer. I have always used the Fuzzy Select tool as a work-around.

Fuzzy Select with threshold = 255 or use the draw mask option. Like this: https://i.imgur.com/Okuzb5A.mp4

[Ofnuts]

(Yesterday, 08:51 AM)gyepi Wrote: "Select all" used to select all of the active layer, and not all of the image. Now when I use "select all", GIMP 3.04 (on MacOS 15.5) selects all of the image, instead of all of the content of the layer. If I then press "shrink selection", the selection is getting shrinked from the entire image, and not only from the entire layer.

Is this the new normal behavior? How could I revert back to the old behavior (of "select all" selecting all of the active layer)?

Thanks!

I think you are mistaken, at least as far as I can check on 2.10 and as far as my memory of the previous versions goes. A selection in the image is not on a specific layer but on the whole image (which is why you can use a layer to create a selection and use that selection on another layer).

The "ants" show the boundary of the alterable pixels and therefore show the intersection of the selection with the active layer(s). So if you do "Select all" with an active layer smaller that the canvas the ants will circle that layer, but as soon as you change the active layer the ants will circle the new active layer(s).