Copying a selection to a new file.

[delpi767]

Suppose I have a cartoon character in a .png file.

I open that file and do a selection of the character. Now I can paint inside the selection and my strokes are constrained within the selection.

I then open a file with a beach scene and try to paste the selected cartoon character into this file.

However, when I paste, I don't get the selection but rather the entire .png.

So, my question is how do I copy and paste a selection across files?

Thanks,

-dmd-

[Alfred]

Please see Affinity Photo 2 Help: Saving and loading selections

[Old Bruce]

If you Place a PNG file into/onto a Photo document that PNG file is an Image layer, you would need to make it a Raster layer by Rasterizing it. Then the selection will work.

[delpi767]

6 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Please see Affinity Photo 2 Help: Saving and loading selections

Thanks,

I was doing that but expected that loading the selection from a file would also bring in the image.  When I loaded the image separately, this seemed to work.

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, delpi767 said:

I was doing that but expected that loading the selection from a file would also bring in the image.

No, saving and loading selections is all about applying the same selection to multiple images, not copying selected content.

[delpi767]

7 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

If you Place a PNG file into/onto a Photo document that PNG file is an Image layer, you would need to make it a Raster layer by Rasterizing it. Then the selection will work.

I've never gotten this to work for me.  When I copy the rasterized image I still get the entire .png.  Obviously, I'm doing something wrong.

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, delpi767 said:

I've never gotten this to work for me.  When I copy the rasterized image I still get the entire .png.  Obviously, I'm doing something wrong.

If you’ve made a pixel selection, you should only ever get the entire PNG if you haven’t actually rasterized the image. The Layers panel should tell you what you currently have, denoting the layer/object type as either ‘(Image)’ or ‘(Pixel)’ after the layer name.

[delpi767]

7 minutes ago, Alfred said:

No, saving and loading selections is all about applying the same selection to multiple images, not copying selected content.

Thanks again.  One further question, when I load a selection from a file how can I move that selection within the new file?

Thanks again

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, delpi767 said:

Thanks again.

You’re welcome.

2 minutes ago, delpi767 said:

One further question, when I load a selection from a file how can I move that selection within the new file?

Regardless of whether the selection is previously saved or newly drawn, you can move it by choosing any of the selection tools and dragging inside the selection outline with the mouse pointer.

3 minutes ago, delpi767 said:

Thanks again

You’re welcome again!

 

[delpi767]

2 minutes ago, Alfred said:

If you’ve made a pixel selection, you should only ever get the entire PNG if you haven’t actually rasterized the image. The Layers panel should tell you what you currently have, denoting the layer/object type as either ‘(Image)’ or ‘(Pixel)’ after the layer name.

Maybe I don't understand how to rasterize an image.  I select it in the layers panel, right click and select rasterize.  There is no "Image" or "Pixel" after the name.  It simply says background.

[Alfred]

30 minutes ago, delpi767 said:

There is no "Image" or "Pixel" after the name.  It simply says background.

Sorry, I thought you’d said you were using version 1, but I was getting confused between you and another user. I don’t know why they’ve omitted that helpful information for version 2.

If ‘Rasterize’ doesn’t work for you, try ‘Rasterize & Trim’.

Edited February 22 by Alfred
See later posts

[walt.farrell]

11 minutes ago, delpi767 said:

There is no "Image" or "Pixel" after the name.  It simply says background.

If you're using V2 the indication is the icon displayed with the layer. Perhaps this share a screenshot of the problem file, including the Layers panel?

[Alfred]

14 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

If you're using V2 the indication is the icon displayed with the layer.

Ah. so 'tis! I don't use APh often, and since upgrading to version 2 I've hardly used the desktop version at all. Looking at it now, I see there's a handy tooltip when you hover over that icon.

[delpi767]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

If you're using V2 the indication is the icon displayed with the layer. Perhaps this share a screenshot of the problem file, including the Layers panel?

Thanks Walt,

I've attached both the beach scene which shows  Fred where you can see the bounding box and a second which shows where I have cut out Fred to paste him in the first.

Lest you are concerned with copyright, this stuff will never leave my home.  Kinda just a learning exercise.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[walt.farrell]

In your first screenshot, you have. Pixel layer on top of an Image layer. But you apparently have no pixel selection active. 

In your second screenshot, you have a Fill layer on the bottom, and a Pixel layer with something inside it above that (I'm not sure what, exactly, as you haven't expanded the top layer. And apparently you do have a pixel selection active there.

Help: https://affinity.help/photo2/en-US.lproj/pages/Layers/aboutLayers.html

[Alfred]

3 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

a Pixel layer with something inside it above that (I'm not sure what, exactly, as you haven't expanded the top layer

The thumbnails indicate a transparent layer with a (Fred Flintstone shape) raster mask.