Marquee tool - I don't understand it - what does it do?

[George3]

OK. I'm trying to something super simple that I've done a million times in Photoshop, but in AP - nothing is working.

I have a pixel image in AP. I select the marquee tool. I select an area. But I can't do anything with the selection. I can't move the selected item. I can't delete it. I can't fill the selection with color.

What is the point of the Marquee tool. It must be for something other that what I think it's for in AP.

I'll have to, AGAIN, go back to Photoshop to get work done. Adding additional time to the work. What's the secret here?

What should be so intuitive just isn't in AP or Publisher/AP

[Pšenda]

Pixel layer, not Image layer?

https://affinity.help/photo/English.lproj/pages/Selections/selections_create.html

[Old Bruce]

14 minutes ago, George3 said:

I have a pixel image in AP. I select the marquee tool. I select an area. But I can't do anything with the selection. I can't move the selected item. I can't delete it. I can't fill the selection with color.

Is this an Image Layer? Check the Layers panel and see it it says (Image) or (Pixel). It sounds as though it is an Image Layer, or this could have a little Lock icon on it. Check the right side of the layer name.

Only the uppermost layer will allow me to cut or move bits chosen with the marquee tool.

[George3]

Sorry. - Additional info --- I opened the document from a PDF into Publisher. For starters.

(Some graphics in the doc are images and some are pixel)

The graphic I'm working on is not locked. It is actually an image and not a pixel graphic. Not sure what an image is. It doesn't seem to open to something else. Very confusing. I would think an "image" would open as an imported graphic (or like an Adobe Smart Object) but I can't see how to do that. Anyway....

I can convert it to a pixel image and edit it now. Sheesh.

Thanks for your help.

[walt.farrell]

8 minutes ago, George3 said:

It is actually an image and not a pixel graphic. Not sure what an image is.

It is a form of container for a pixel layer, but is not itself a pixel layer. If you want to work with its pixels you must first Rasterize it, using either the Layer menu or by right-clicking it in the Layer panel and choosing Rasterize.

[George3]

4 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

It is a form of container for a pixel layer, but is not itself a pixel layer.

How do you open the container? I haven't found an option yet. Can you open the container?

[walt.farrell]

7 minutes ago, George3 said:

How do you open the container? I haven't found an option yet. Can you open the container?

You don't open an Image layer. It's not that kind of container. You leave it as is, or apply adjustments to it, or you Rasterize it.

If you'd like to show us a screenshot containing the Layers panel, with the layers expanded if needed, or an actual document, we might be able to say more.

[George3]

7 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

If you'd like to show us a screenshot containing the Layers panel, with the layers expanded if needed, or an actual document, we might be able to say more.

Thanks. I think I got it. These apps are just frustrating and in my view not ready for prime time. I want to use them. I try to use them but they just are not 100% there yet. I think I get what an image layer is. My understanding is It's sort of a "smart object" that retains the DPI of the original image on resizing in the doc, but once you Rasterize it - that is lost. You should be able to edit the Layer image without losing the original image info by having to rasterize it to edit it. Like I said - frustrating.

[v_kyr]

3 hours ago, George3 said:

I think I get what an image layer is. ...

See related in the Online Help for the app you use...

• APh About Layers
• APh Image Layers
• ... etc.
• APub About Layers
• APub Image Layers
• ... etc.