Cannot edit background layer AP 1

[Secondwind]

I've been using AP for a few years and I've never encountered this problem. I'm not a power user however I've done quite well. That said recently while editing a photo in which I created a couple layersI tried to edit the background layer but no editing tools worked, clone, all adjustments etc. Only too which worked was the selection tools. No layers were locked. I even shut down and reopened AP-1 but still cannot edit the background. Interestingly one the layer I created which was a partial selection (of background image) copied and pasted onto the background layer I'm able to edit it but not the background layer. I deleted all the layers except the background layer but even then cannot edit it. In addition to creating copy & paste layers I did do some cloning on the photo. I could delete the image and begin the editing process anew but I'm trying to understand what is going on with this issue.

If I open a new image to edit all is fine.  

I'm using a 17" iMac running latest version Monterey and latest AP-1 (1.10.6)

[GarryP]

Would you be able to give us a full-screen screenshot of the application at the point when you try to do what you want to do?
Make sure that we can see the layer in question selected in the Layers Panel, and the Context Toolbar for the tool you are using.

[Secondwind]

[GarryP]

Thanks for the screenshot.
You have the Move Tool active on a selection which doesn’t match with what I thought you mean by “edit the background layer”.
Can you give us more details about what you are trying to at the point in your screenshot?

(If I’m looking at this right, you have an active selection – the black and white ‘marching ants’ – and while you have that selection you can only alter the pixels within that selection but I don’t know why you have the Move Tool active.)

[Secondwind]

Hi, "Marching Ants!" That was it! I deselected that layer and all is fine. I never realized that even when I selected the unlocked background layer to edit that having the copy layer selected (marching ants) disabled editing in background layer. 

As I said I've been using AP since the beginning but never encountered this before.

Thanks!

[GarryP]

You’re welcome; glad it was a (relatively) quick fix.

[Old Bruce]

1 hour ago, Secondwind said:

I never realized that even when I selected the unlocked background layer to edit that having the copy layer selected (marching ants) disabled editing in background layer. 

The marching ant selection area is what will be edited on the selected background layer. But as you have a layer with visible content above it you won't see the editing occurring.

[Secondwind]

18 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

The marching ant selection area is what will be edited on the selected background layer. But as you have a layer with visible content above it you won't see the editing occurring.

Yes indeed. Perhaps I'm beginning to have "senior moments" but for all the years I've used photo editors from PS to AP I can't recall having this issue which leads me to believe that I've had hundreds of similar edits but this time I got stumped! 😖

Thanks!

[Secondwind]

I'd like to ask about another issue which I've not encountered. During the editing process of the bird I posted, I wanted to Flatten the image as I've done countless times to eliminate all other individual edit layers. This time (hopefully not another senior moment but after selecting "Flatten" and the layers were no longer visible in the layers window,   when I tried to clone areas, the previous layers became vaguely visible and interfered with the cloning process. In PS when I faltered an image all layers were gone and the image file acted like a single layer with no residual layer history. 

[Pšenda]

3 minutes ago, Secondwind said:

I wanted to Flatten the image

You mean Merge Selected, Merge Visibled or Document/Flatten?

https://affinity.help/photo2/English.lproj/pages/LayerOperations/merge.html

[Secondwind]

Thanks. The link described the differences and also allows me to understand which to use.