How to make Selections in Photo

[SamSteele]

I would like to :

• draw an ellipse outline over a photo (no fill in the ellipse)
• select the pixels under (within) the ellipse
• invert the selected pixels
• darken the inverted pixels
• Or, copy the pixels under the ellipse (or any other selection) and paste them on a new layer.

I've been doing this for 30 years in Photoshop and GIMP but cannot do it in AFF Photo. The photograph is a pixel layer. In fact, I cannot even copy what's under the ellipse and paste in on a new layer. What's the secret? 

[walt.farrell]

41 minutes ago, SamSteele said:

draw an ellipse outline over a photo (no fill in the ellipse)

Is there a particular reason you're drawing an ellipse rather than making an elliptical selection with the Elliptical Marquee Selection Tool?

[walt.farrell]

In any case, you could

1. Draw an ellipse with the Ellipse Tool, making sure it has a Fill.
2. Then Select > Selection from Layer. Then delete or hide the ellipse, and you have the pixel selection you want. You can also use Select > Selection from Layer and Delete.
3. Then Select > Invert Pixel Selection.
4. For darkening them I'll let someone else comment.
5. For copying the pixels within the pixel selection, omit steps 3 and 4 (of course). make sure the layer you want to copy from is selected (and that it shows as a (Pixel) layer, not an (Image) layer in the Layers panel) and Layer > Duplicate Selection.

There may be a simpler way I haven't thought of.

 

[SamSteele]

 

45 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Is there a particular reason you're drawing an ellipse rather than making an elliptical selection with the Elliptical Marquee Selection Tool?

What is the Elliptical Marquee Selection Tool ? I've always drawn an ellipse.

[walt.farrell]

4 minutes ago, SamSteele said:

 

What is the Elliptical Marquee Selection Tool ? I've always drawn an ellipse.

Help: https://affinity.help/photo/English.lproj/pages/Tools/tools_marquee.html

This one's the Elliptical Marquee Selection Tool; by default it shares space in the Tools panel with the other pixel selection tools:

[SamSteele]

I have no Marquee Selection Tools that I can see. What I can see is below.

 

[SamSteele]

OK, I found it. The second lasso from the top, group arrow. Yes, It's quicker. Your other scenario worked, too. Thanks.

[walt.farrell]

You're welcome. And thanks for confirming my approach worked.

[Fixx]

Command-click (or Control-click) ellipse layer icon in Layers palette: layer contents get selected. Invert selection if needed.

Select the layer you want to modify, and darken/lighten as you will with Curves adjustment.

[walt.farrell]

4 hours ago, Fixx said:

Command-click (or Control-click) ellipse layer icon in Layers palette: layer contents get selected.

Yes, and thanks, I thought that Ctrl+Clicking the ellipse layer thumbnail should do something, but had not figured it out the details.

However:

1. The ellipse must have a Fill, or the Ctrl+Click does nothing (at least on Windows).
2. Once you've done that, you have a pixel selection marquee, but the contents of the Ellipse are selected, not the pixel contents of the underlying layer. You still need to delete the ellipse layer (or hide it) and then select the pixel layer if you want the pixel selection marquee to apply to the underlying pixel layer.

Thanks for helping me figure out this this method works.

 

[SamSteele]

10 hours ago, Fixx said:

Command-click (or Control-click) ellipse layer icon in Layers palette: layer contents get selected. Invert selection if needed.

Select the layer you want to modify, and darken/lighten as you will with Curves adjustment.

I'll give that a try, too. Thank you.

[SamSteele]

I use this approach to vignette the corners of photos, subtly, of course. Sometimes the vignette centre is not dead centre.

Now I have to play around with "Refine" to get the feathering I want. I'l need to watch a tutorial on that. Life is one long learning process, isn't it? Anyway, this passes the time in these strange times.

I ordered the Photo Book, BTW. Hope it's up to date.  A tutorial on Clipping and Masking I watched last night seemed not to be. Maybe it was a MAC/PC thing. Anyway, I thank anyone in the Forum who has helped me. Especially you, Walt. You are always there. Cheers, Mate.