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How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - Printable Version

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How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - BringOutTheGIMP - 03-14-2021

Hello!
I've very new to GIMP and need some basic instructions.

I'm trying to clip parts of a layer, which is a page of a book. 
However, when I select the area with rectangle selection tool and use "cut" it cuts the entire layer.

Is there a simple fix?

thank you!


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - dinasset - 03-14-2021

Hope you did "invert" after the selection of the part you are interested in, otherwise you crop just the part you want to maintain.


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - rich2005 - 03-14-2021

Quote:However, when I select the area with rectangle selection tool and use "cut" it cuts the entire layer.
Is there a simple fix?

hmmm.. new-user error Wink

Once you make a selection, better to fix it, various ways but hit the enter key is one. That will give the crawling-ants border.
Now you need to do something with that area, one is cut Edit -> Cut but you can also copy all depends on what is required.
Once the selection is cut (or copied). close the selection Select -> None
Then again, depends what is required but Edit -> Paste puts the copied pixels back as a Floating Selection (Pasted Layer) which often baffles new users.
Easy to work with that, click and drag to where you want it and then fix in position using Layer -> Anchor Layer

30 second animation of that sequence. https://i.imgur.com/1d9mTqr.mp4


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - BringOutTheGIMP - 03-16-2021

(03-14-2021, 10:28 AM)rich2005 Wrote: Once you make a selection, better to fix it, various ways but hit the enter key is one. That will give the crawling-ants border.

Lovely video instructions! Where are the options to "fix" and what are the other methods? When I press Enter it de-selects and I'm back to square one... I feel like I've over looked some simple setting.


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - rich2005 - 03-16-2021

Quote:Where are the options to "fix" and what are the other methods? When I press Enter it de-selects and I'm back to square one... I feel like I've over looked some simple setting.

I can not reproduce this problem. The only way I get a de-selection is using ctrl-A (select everything).

The ways to fix a selection are Press the enter key / click the selection tool cursor inside the selection / choose a different tool.

[attachment=5741]

Can you provide a screenshot showing the tool options and layers that you use.

It might help to reset the tools, use Edit -> Preferences -> Tool Options then click on 'Reset Saved Tool Options to Default Values'.

FWIW: The Gimp docs https://docs.gimp.org/2.10/en/gimp-tool-rect-select.html


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - BringOutTheGIMP - 03-17-2021

(03-16-2021, 07:29 PM)rich2005 Wrote:
Quote:Where are the options to "fix" and what are the other methods? When I press Enter it de-selects and I'm back to square one... I feel like I've over looked some simple setting.

I can not reproduce this problem. The only way I get a de-selection is using ctrl-A (select everything).

The ways to fix a selection are Press the enter key / click the selection tool cursor inside the selection / choose a different tool.



Can you provide a screenshot showing the tool options and layers that you use.

It might help to reset the tools, use Edit -> Preferences -> Tool Options then click on 'Reset Saved Tool Options to Default Values'.

FWIW: The Gimp docs https://docs.gimp.org/2.10/en/gimp-tool-rect-select.html

I have reset my tool options and theres no difference except my icons are small again.


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - rich2005 - 03-18-2021

Good screenshot - thanks. Looks like it is a 4k display which might cause viewing difficulties, Not able to see the 'crawling ants' for example.

It shows some possibilities:
The control points of the select tool are showing so the selection is not fixed. Use one of the methods discussed previously.
The highlight option is on, that will vanish when the selection is fixed, it does not mean that the selection is gone.
The active layer is the bottom layer of three. The top layers are hiding the select or cut operation.

Another 40 second animation of a similar setup: https://i.imgur.com/nCZez67.mp4 This time using "select another tool" to fix the selection.

Also: A useful plugin for adjusting Gimp menu text and dock icons: http://gimpchat.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=19154&start=10#p261235 Sizing your Tool box icons are still in edit -> Preferences


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - BringOutTheGIMP - 03-18-2021

(03-18-2021, 08:53 AM)rich2005 Wrote: Good screenshot - thanks.  Looks like it is a 4k display which might cause viewing difficulties, Not able to see the 'crawling ants' for example.

It shows some possibilities:
The control points of the select tool are showing so the selection is not fixed. Use one of the methods discussed previously.
The highlight option is on, that will vanish when the selection is fixed, it does not mean that the selection is gone.
The active layer is the bottom layer of three. The top layers are hiding the select or cut operation.

Another 40 second animation of a similar setup: https://i.imgur.com/nCZez67.mp4 This time using "select another tool" to fix the selection.

Also: A useful plugin for adjusting Gimp menu text and dock icons: http://gimpchat.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=19154&start=10#p261235 Sizing your Tool box icons are still in edit -> Preferences

Yes sorry the icons shrunk when I reset the options and I had to lower the resolution to upload the image.
How do I enlarge the icons again?
Also, my 3 layers are adjacent and not on top of one another.
The crawling ants border never shows up. Should I change the highlight settings?


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - rich2005 - 03-18-2021

The quick bit first: Icon size is shown here: https://i.imgur.com/PN7yFgF.jpg Use grid lines in the select tool or not, it is up to you. Check in the view menu that you have 'Show Selection' on.

It looks like you have spread out the pages then used View -> Show All You can see everything but the original canvas size remains the same. When your selected area is outside the canvas you are selecting 'nothing'

Do you want the final result a 3 layer image, say for a PDF or a single wide image of the 3 pages ?

You can edit in the Show All mode if you fit the canvas to the layers. Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers In my opinion better to keep the layers one-above-the-other making sure you select on an active layer and paste into an active layer.

A bit longer video this time three and a half minutes https://youtu.be/wUyy7ZR8Sjw


RE: How to Copy and Paste a Selection of a Layer - BringOutTheGIMP - 03-21-2021

(03-18-2021, 08:52 PM)rich2005 Wrote: The quick bit first: Icon size is shown here: https://i.imgur.com/PN7yFgF.jpg  Use grid lines in the select tool or not, it is up to you. Check in the view menu that you have 'Show Selection' on.

It looks like you have spread out the pages then used View -> Show All You can see everything but the original canvas size remains the same. When your selected area is outside the canvas you are selecting 'nothing'

Do you want the final result a 3 layer image, say for a PDF or a single wide image of the 3 pages ?

You can edit in the Show All mode if you fit the canvas to the layers. Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers  In my opinion better to keep the layers one-above-the-other making sure you select on an active layer and paste into an active layer.

A bit longer video this time three and a half minutes https://youtu.be/wUyy7ZR8Sjw

OK so I fit canvas to layers. I finally feel like I'm on the right track.

Ultimately I'm trying to cut bits off of these pages and making one page of the standard page size (7" x 11" I believe?)

So I can fix a selection now but the boarder is only dotted and not crawling. It won't cut the selection after I switch tools.
 
Thanks for helping me with these noob issues =P

What next?