[Free transform from selection and displacement map]

Agree. Free transform is such a basic feature. (Free transform of LAYER, SELECTION, MASK or SELECTION OF MASK).

[Directly open Stock Images?]

Would be great to have this feature. My workaround now is to create a new document with 5000 x 5000 px. Then drag stock photos into it to get a sense of the resolution/quality, before doing like toutou123.