Adding to selection

[matthias.linsbauer]

Is there a way to add something to my selection?

 

It seems I'm only able to subtract form the current selection (marquee tools/freehand selection tool) with the ALT key, but I can't add to it, which I thought would work with another modifier key like SHIFT or CTRL (or any combination of these).

[MEB]

Hi matthias.linsbauer,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Drag (left mouse button) + hold right-mouse button to add to the selection (then release the left mouse button first).

[matthias.linsbauer]

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

Unfortunately dragging with the right mouse button doesn't seem to do anything. Also tried it with the modifier keys (alt, shift, ctrl)

[MEB]

Drag using the left mouse button while holding the right-mouse button to add to the selection (then release the left mouse button first).

[matthias.linsbauer]

Yeah, that works. Thank you very much!

 

Although I've got the same question as in my other topic (https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/27778-brush-sizehardness-and-brush-preview-drag/)

 

Is there a way to change this behavior? It feels very inconsistent and in-intuitive having to press a modifier key for removing from the selection and having to press two mouse buttons for adding to it (again, even more so when using a tablet).

[MEB]

Currently no. The Mac version uses two modifier keys + drag for this which is more intuitive but since the Windows keyboard has less modifier keys available the dev team opted for holding the right-mouse button for one of them since the other modifier keys are already being used for something else (ctrl is used to move the layer content with the selection and shift to constrain the selection marquee).

[matthias.linsbauer]

Thanks again for your reply and the clarification.

 

But why not also use two modifier keys (like CTRL+ALT) to add to the selection?

I noticed that SHIFT+ALT constraints and subtracts from the selection, but CTRL+ALT seems to do the same thing as just ALT.

 

edit: Another option would be to use the mouse for both adding and subtracting without any modifiers (like just the right mouse button to subtract), which IMO would be more consistent.

[pixelstuff]

You are already doing Alt + Left Click to subtract, why not Shift + Left click to add? 

 

Also it would be nice if the cursor changed to show if it was adding or subtracting.

[matthias.linsbauer]

That would also be my preferred method, but SHIFT is already used to constraint the selection.

[Andy Somerfield]

I agree that some uses of the right mouse button as a 4th modifier are unfortunate - we will review them during the beta :)

 

Thanks,

 

Andy.

[matthias.linsbauer]

Thank you. I would highly appreciate that.

[Howard Worf]

I agree that some uses of the right mouse button as a 4th modifier are unfortunate - we will review them during the beta :)

 

Thanks,

 

Andy.

Thanks - this configuration makes using a Wacom nigh on impossible.

[Lu_art]

...seriously we cannot ad selection with a pen-tablet? ...the big node and the thick line( and closing and following) is annoying for professionals... but now, cannot add selection without a mouse.. mean all concept-artists and photo-montage artist have to wait for a solution... :( keyboard shortcuts for selections is a no-deal area I think.

[Joseph Fletcher-Ward]

I wanna bump this, I just want to remap the modifiers for the selection tools, I'll never use what's mapped to control as much as adding selection, I can just use the move tool for that by pressing v. Moving a part of a layer is the end goal of the selection tool for me where as adding to the selection is something I do multiple times for a single selection. Please at least add support to customise the modifier shortkeys.

[km.au]

same here. Most 3d programs also adhere to the shift or ctrl to add and remove selections. 

[nathanapffel]

+1

[GeraldW]

+1

[danmerey]

Yeah, please think about Windows users. At least give us possibilty to swap Right Mouse Button and Shift behaviour or rebind it for Selection. Because I don't really use shift that much in Affinity, though Right Mouse Button for adding selection is super weird and unnatural. Also yeah, it's frustrating that I can't add selection with my Wacom.

[travisrogers]

I'm surprised that this is still an issue. I've been a graphic designer for over 20 years and I had to research how to add to a selection in AP. Then I had to get my head around how that would actually work (clicking left, clicking right, dragging).. and then it took me several tries to actually get it to work as the first 4 tries it would cancel my existing selection in favor of the new selection instead of adding. Seems that the order you release the left and right mouse buttons has to be specific. I'm all for innovating and I've switched to AP as I believe that Serif is a much better company than Adobe, but some of the choices for interface interaction still baffle me.

@MEB is a fix, or a user select-able modifier for this functionality at all in the works?

Best / Travis

[keiichi77]

On 11/10/2016 at 7:51 PM, Andy Somerfield said:

I agree that some uses of the right mouse button as a 4th modifier are unfortunate - we will review them during the beta

 

Thanks,

 

Andy.

Please, try it with a wacom pen!!!

Try dragging the pen and clicking side button too, and drawing with the pen, and release the side button while keeping the pen intact. it is totally nonsense, and anatomically wrong.

and to top it, in the new version with windows ink, right clicking on the wacom pen  doesn't work at all !!!!

It is not working at all!!

Also it doesn't work to resize the brush with click+ right click !!!

 

[Konspaul]

So this haven't changed after beta? Is there a way to put this add selection modifier to CTRL?

EDIT: Damn it feels awkward to press and hold button (right click) in wacom pen and try to draw and sharp selection line. Please let me know a way to change this behavior!

[Greg Blass]

Why not add to selections with 'shift', like photoshop?

Sorry if 'why not do it like photoshop' is a fopaux here. But I'm trying to move away from it after using it for years

I have no idea what you're even talking about with dragging a left vs right mouse button. Most people on Mac OS probably have magic mouses. There's only one button. You can emulate left and right, but you can't click both at one time?

EDIT: I see now - control works as shift would in photoshop.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Greg Blass

[bob0]

SHIFT + click to add to selection would have been more intuitive for ex Photoshop users (like me).

In any case, CTRL+click works.

My suggestion is that you should advertise this difference:  I have been looking for it for months and only now I found this post

 

Thank you!

 

[Jixal]

Ctrl + Alt works to add to selection now.

[Stub Mandrel]

Good grief!

I think you should add these to the help section.

I have nearly developed RSI trying all the strange mouse click combinations, none of which worked.

Shift-left  or ctrl-left would be 10-0% better than ctrl+alt - you should always use the simplest combinations for the more frequent actions. It would also be consistent with  windows behaviour (shift click to extend a selection, ctrl-click to add to a selection).

 

BUT!

PLEASE EDIT THE FIRST POST IN THIS THREAD TO SAY HOW IT NOW WORKS SO OTHER POOR SOULS LIKE ME DON'T SCROLL DOWN TRYING AND FAILING WITH EACH PERMUTATION IN TURN.