Copy selection

[greiggy]

I'm having difficulty copying a selection to a new layer. It's a kind of routine thing for making comps... I'm more used to PS and Affinity may work differently so can someone walk me through this please?

 

Sorry if this is a simple question, but a forum search for "copy selection to new layer" did not offer any results and I couldn't see it under 'Help'.

[stokerg]

Hi Greiggy and Welcome to the forums 

 

To copy a selection to a new layer, it should just be the case of making the selection and then CMD+C to copy the selection and then CMD+V to paste.  The selection should get pasted onto its own new layer.

 

I've attached a small screen recording to this reply which shows copying a selection from one picture and pasting it into another.

 

If you are still having trouble, let me know the steps you are taking and i'll be happy to offer further advice.

copy selection.mov

[stokerg]

Just a quick update on this.  If this still isn't working, i suspect you will have opened an image and then used File>Place to put another image on top of the 1st one.  If you have done this, you will need to rasterise the image you placed on top.  Just right click on the Layer with this image and select Rasterise.  You will now be able to make a selection and copy the selection you've made.

[greiggy]

Hi Greiggy and Welcome to the forums 

 

To copy a selection to a new layer, it should just be the case of making the selection and then CMD+C to copy the selection and then CMD+V to paste.  The selection should get pasted onto its own new layer.

 

I've attached a small screen recording to this reply which shows copying a selection from one picture and pasting it into another.

 

If you are still having trouble, let me know the steps you are taking and i'll be happy to offer further advice.

"It should just be the case of making the selection and then CMD+C to copy the selection and then CMD+V to paste." 

 

Yes, it should. It seems (from quite a lot of experimenting) that in practice it is hit and miss. Opened Affinity afresh, opened the doc afresh and tried to copy and paste. Error sound. Didn't work.

 

Opened second image and placed first one with it on a wide canvas. Rasterised placed image as you advised. At this point I was able to to copy and paste to a new layer. Selecting/moving presented its own challenges but I got there.

 

Not intuitive!

 

May I respectfully suggest:

• Developer sandpaper -- there are rough edges here.

• Include the missing Layers menu command: Copy to new layer

• Clear searchable instructions in Help doc

[wlayten]

I have a quick question..  after you have pasted your selection to the new image how do you blend the two so it doesn't look so choppy?  

[stokerg]

Yes, it should. It seems (from quite a lot of experimenting) that in practice it is hit and miss. Opened Affinity afresh, opened the doc afresh and tried to copy and paste. Error sound. Didn't work.

 

Opened second image and placed first one with it on a wide canvas. Rasterised placed image as you advised. At this point I was able to to copy and paste to a new layer. Selecting/moving presented its own challenges but I got there.

 

Not intuitive!

 

May I respectfully suggest:

• Developer sandpaper -- there are rough edges here.

• Include the missing Layers menu command: Copy to new layer

• Clear searchable instructions in Help doc

 

Sorry to say i'm having trouble getting this not to work.  The steps i'm taking are as follows:

Open Affinity Photo

Open an image

Visit a web page to copy another image

Switch back to Affinity and then CMD+V and i get the image on a new layer

 

Also if i open an image in Affinity and then open a 2nd one and just CMD+C on the 2nd image and then CMD+V on the 1st it pastes straight away onto a new layer.

 

Which version of Affinity are using, the latest beta or the one from the Mac Store?  Also which version of OS X are you running?

 

As for the Developer sandpaper, once you've made the selection, you have a Refine option on the toolbar along the top which allows you to refine the edges of the selection.

[stokerg]

I have a quick question..  after you have pasted your selection to the new image how do you blend the two so it doesn't look so choppy?  

Hi wlayten,

 

Once you've made the selection on the image you want to copy from, along the top toolbar you have a button that says Refine, this will allow you to apply a feather to the edge of the selection which will soften it.  You could also use the Blur Brush tool to blur the edges once it's pasted.

 

I'd suggest giving some of the tutorials a go, over on:https://vimeo.com/macaffinity

 

The one on making selections has some great tips and by watching the others, you'll soon pick up other tricks :)

 

[wlayten]

Thank you very much! You guys are awesome with support and this software is amazing! I'm so glad i didn't cave and download adobe ps onto my mac! 

[Metal Shaper]

I have followed the instructions and watched the video and I can't get it right. When I past the copied selection into a second picture the copied image does not arrive in a nice neat box with resizing and moving handles as it does in to video but as a full layer expanded to cover a third of the area of the second picture. Rasterising the layer has no effect.

[Alfred]

I have followed the instructions and watched the video and I can't get it right. When I past the copied selection into a second picture the copied image does not arrive in a nice neat box with resizing and moving handles as it does in to video but as a full layer expanded to cover a third of the area of the second picture. Rasterising the layer has no effect.

 

If it only covers a third of the area of the second picture, in what sense is it "a full layer"? A pasted item is always on its own layer, if that's what you mean. It sounds as though your source and destination pictures are different resolutions (e.g. one 96dpi and the other 300dpi).

 

Which instructions have you followed? What video have you watched?

[uncle808us]

I think you must rasterize any layer first to copy a selection. Affinity Photo other wise it just copyc the layer.

[Metal Shaper]

h

If it only covers a third of the area of the second picture, in what sense is it "a full layer"? A pasted item is always on its own layer, if that's what you mean. It sounds as though your source and destination pictures are different resolutions (e.g. one 96dpi and the other 300dpi).

 

Which instructions have you followed? What video have you watched?

I have followed the instructions and video as detailed above in Stokerg's post.

By full layer I mean it is not a in a distinct box with resizing handles as in the video above.

I take your point about the different resolutions and will have a go tomorrow making sure all things are equal.

[JimmyJack]

h

I have followed the instructions and video as detailed above in Stokerg's post.

By full layer I mean it is not a in a distinct box with resizing handles as in the video above.

I take your point about the different resolutions and will have a go tomorrow making sure all things are equal.

 

Before (or after) the paste is the Move Tool selected?

[Metal Shaper]

Before (or after) the paste is the Move Tool selected?

Thank you, I new it would be something simple I was or wasn't doing. So simple you are the only one to mention the move tool.

If it only covers a third of the area of the second picture, in what sense is it "a full layer"? A pasted item is always on its own layer, if that's what you mean. It sounds as though your source and destination pictures are different resolutions (e.g. one 96dpi and the other 300dpi).

 

Which instructions have you followed? What video have you watched?

And thank you. I have used two pictures oh the same size and resolution and got it to work.

 

And thanks to all who chipped in with advice.

 

Regards Dave

[charty]

On 5/6/2017 at 7:38 PM, JimmyJack said:

 

Before (or after) the paste is the Move Tool selected?

Hi Jimmy, may I ask where is the Move Tool? I have the same problem that even with the same resolution for both source and destination pictures, after pasted as a pixel layer, it's like a still picture that can't be move or resized. Thanks.

[walt.farrell]

5 hours ago, charty said:

may I ask where is the Move Tool?

It's this one in the Tools panel: (keyboard shortcut, by default, is V)

[charty]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

It's this one in the Tools panel: (keyboard shortcut, by default, is V)

Thank you Walt. I didn't select it before copy/pasting, so it ended up sticked to the up-left corner and couldn't be move/resized.  It's all fine now.

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, charty said:

Thank you Walt. I didn't select it before copy/pasting, so it ended up sticked to the up-left corner and couldn't be move/resized.  It's all fine now.

You're welcome. You should be able to select it even after pasting, and I don't think the results should matter if it's selected before pasting or after.

[ern0ld]

Hey,

 

I've tried rasterizing, copying flattered.. I tried all the tips being said here and still my affinity is coyping the whole picture.. previously this worked quite normally and just sometimes doing this weird behaviour.

[walt.farrell]

3 hours ago, ern0ld said:

I've tried rasterizing, copying flattered.. I tried all the tips being said here and still my affinity is coyping the whole picture.. previously this worked quite normally and just sometimes doing this weird behaviour.

Welcome to the Affinity forums.

Which application and OS are you using? Can you provide a screenshot of the complete application window, including the Layers panel with the relevant layer showing, just before you perform the Copy, and another just after the Paste? (Or, possibly, a screen recording of the operation showing all this information.)