AlanPC

I'm not actively trying to be awkward, just trying to get my head around the various different ways this thing works. So if I select a LAYER, on the right hand side, and then select Effects, then the Gaussian Blur, that doesn't work on the area selected, but if I select Filters at the top of the screen and then 'Gaussian Blur'.. that does work on a selected area. So 'filters' are not 'effects'? But Gaussian blur is both an effect, and a filter? The effect of a filter? Er... So something "live" is NOT destructive? Oh I geddit, live as in live view? Not live as in activated or active? I see nothing under view... hang on... So which one IS destructive? OK, I've found "live filters", it's a tiny hour-glass symbol at the bottom of the layers and effects panel. If I hover my mouse over it, it says "Live Filters". OK, let's try that one.. Open image... live filter.. I didn't select anything, try again, open image... object selected... live filters... Gaussian Blur Filter.. OK, that's blurring the selection. Cool. So if I invert the selection... so now the background has the marching ants thing. Slide the slider... No, that's just blurring the selection again? *sigh OK, so the "Invert Selection" button doesn't work when using a Live Filter on a Selection? Because it's live, or something? Right... Alright, we're making progress, I think... So if I make a Selection, then click Effects (right side), then choose a Filter, that does NOT affect the Selection, but if I click Live Filter (right side, little hour glass) then choose a Filter that DOES affect the Selection, but "Invert Selection" does not work? But if I click Filters (top of the screen) and then the Invert Selection button the Gaussian Blur Filter DOES affect the background? Well I'm glad we cleared that up! Thanks! *twitch Update: Wifey just asked why I was looking so confused, so I showed her, how if I make a selection, then click the Effects thing, it doesn't affect the selection... except this time it DID? So I tried again, opened the image, made a selection.. and this time it blurred the whole pic again. It's like random or something? Welp, that's enough for tonight.

How?

That doesn't appear to be the case? OK, my steps: I open a jpg... Create duplicate layer of the background original Turn off visibility of the original, Select the duplicate layer. Outline something, using one of the vast multitudes of selection thingies. Have a marching ant outline of the thing selected. Select "Effects" Pick the G' blur thing Slide it... EVERYTHING IS BLURRY. How do I make the selected thing blurry, or the non-selected things blurry (or other effects)? Thanks

OK... but that doesn't answer my confusion over how to apply effects to the selection-only? Sorry to be such a helpless puppy

Mm. I'd used the pen tool to outline something, and was trying to create some blur in the background. I'd followed the basic concept of inverting the selection, so it was the background selected. However if the main background layer was selected everything was blurry, but if the new pixel layer was selected nothing was blurry. How to make adjustments only on the selection? I'm obviously missing something on this whole "create a new layer so you don't damage the original" thing, as any adjustments to the new layer don't really DO anything, because it's a new layer... or something. But for some tools, sometimes, it does? Argh.

Actually as a new wannabe-professional, the biggest complaint I have is that the software and all its naming conventions seems to be trying too hard to be Photoshop, instead of some simple and easy to use software for normal people, that's CAPABLE of going much deeper for professionals. I work in marketing, including User Experience or "UX", and my experience so far has been one of "Wow, this is great, if only I knew all about alpha frequencies or whatever the &%$# he's talking about..?" The "wow it's great" bit is very real. That's why I'm trying so hard to figure it out. The WTF? bit is all too real too.

I have to agree that selecting a layer and actually clicking Enter or selecting a 'rename' option would be preferable to the current system, as all too often I find myself clicking away because it's trying to rename itself. I've noticed others in tutorials doing the same thing, so it's not just me being a noob.

I keep finding tutorials will explain something, but the button layout they have is different from what I have. Yesterday it turned out to be a named tab, not a button.. heheh... but today the same kind of thing. In this tutorial the lady mentions my problem, that a new pixel layer doesn't actually DO anything when editing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyHvT_dfJ54 I've found an "edit all layers" button - but it doesn't seem to help? I found a "All layers" checkbox. That didn't help either. The lay shows there's a button for this, called "Current layer and below". She then clicks the button. Great - except on my screen I see no such button? All I see in that area is the option to choose the measurement type, which is currently set to pixels. There are no other buttons in that area of the screen. Elp?

Yes, hence my facepalm.

https://vimeo.com/135046552 Actually you know what... looking closer, I now realize he's not clicking a button; he's clicking a TAB marked "in-paint"!! #facepalm

Aha... that's better. Cheers! So has the button been removed?

In the tutorial the chap just clicks on the helpfully-labeled button for the in-painting brush, but I see no such button? I've tried every icon down the left hand side, none of them show a context-sensitive inpainting brush button. In the help section it says to select a layer... ok... and then press the button. Sure thing, if I knew where the button was? It's not in the same place as shown in the video. (Edit: Have found it can be activated via the Edit menu, but I'm still missing a button. Both the tutorial video and Help system say there's a button?)

Cheers Leto, I'll check it out!

My time isn't.

v_kyr, yes there's a help thingy, but it's less than helpful for someone entirely new. For example I see I can "Liquefy persona"? I work in marketing; a persona is a fictional but representative character that you direct your marketing messages to. What does that have to do with photography and why on Earth would I ever want to liquefy one? I would never, ever, in a million years, search for 'persona' in a photo editing help thingy. The terminology is like some foreign language to me. Sure, I can grind my way through a bunch of tutorials, with no idea what I'm looking at until maybe 3/4 of the way through each 20 minute vid, at which point I feel like asking "Why don't you just call it that? Why the jargon?" Or, a feeling of "I'd never do that to my photos. Why am I even watching this?" I guess maybe what noobs need is a glossary or something? Mark, you say there's a Workbook? Erm... where? (And again, I would never, ever, search for a 'workbook', just "instructions" or "manual" or something) I'm introducing a friend of mine into photography, and she is, quite rightly, frustrated at the terms used. A lot of it is either deliberate jargon to make things more complex than they are, and/or using old film terms that are confusing in the modern era. She understood a lot easier when I explained the "aperture" as a hole, the "ISO speed" as the sensitivity etc. Sure, I explain the 'correct' terms too, but for clarity and understanding we keep it plain English. I've pushed hard for her to also understand that photography is generally pretty simple and easy in terms of the basics, that the bit we both need to work on is the editing of photos later. I've told her to get Affinity, as it's a much fairer pricing model. So here I am, trying to learn it myself, and I know EXACTLY how she feels in terms of obscure jargon. I guess Serif are using the same terms as Photoshop, entirely understandable, but neither of us have ever used Photoshop either, so that's really not helping lol. It's like I say to my friend, "Try widening the depth of field with a lower aperture..?" and she's like: 'Wut?' 'Try getting more of the pic in focus by using a smaller hole." 'Oh right' and she twiddles the aperture ring. Is there a manual, in plain English, that explains what we can DO, then we can learn the funky jargon about liquidizing our persona frequencies later? I mentioned I work in marketing, in fact helping people sell software is what I actually do, that's me. Trust me, I would never, ever, suggest to a client "Just tell them to grind through 200 videos; that'll work". No. Just no. 0_o