Copy pixel selection

[chris.bannu]

Hi guys,

How do I copy a pixel selection? In Fireworks you simply draw a shape with the marquee tool, hit Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, and the pixel selection is copied. How can I do this in Affinity? The help file doesn't seem to explain this.

Thanks

[Alfred]

There are two types of layers for bitmap elements in the Affinity apps. An Image layer is treated as a single object, and it doesn't lose quality if you resize or rotate it, but you can't work on it at the pixel level; to do the latter, you need to right-click it in the Layers panel and choose 'Rasterize...' so that it becomes a Pixel layer, and you will then be able to do things like copying pixel selections. The designation 'Image' or 'Pixel' is shown in parentheses in the Layers panel.

[Wikinger]

 

Bonsoir.

Dans une image, dessinez la sélection avec (lasso, rectangle etc ...)

Cliquez sur l'outil Déplacer (Ctrl + C ... Ctr + V ... 

Cordialement.

[chris.bannu]

Hi Alfred,

Thanks a lot, worked like a charm

[chris.bannu]

Hi Wikinger,

Yeah, the problem was that it wasn't being rasterized

Thank you,

Chris

[toltec]

Press Ctrl + J. That makes a duplicate layer with the selection area on it

 

[chris.bannu]

Thanks for the tip toltec

[Fixx]

I consider this not quite a bug but deficiency in AP. You should be able to copy marquee area from *image* layer without rasterizing (or rather, rasterizing a copy in the background as needed). I wish this will be added in the future.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, Fixx said:

I consider this not quite a bug but deficiency in AP. You should be able to copy marquee area from *image* layer without rasterizing (or rather, rasterizing a copy in the background as needed). I wish this will be added in the future.

How could this work if the very useful "Replace Image" feature for Image layers is to be retained? There is no guarantee that a replaced image would have the same pixel dimensions, so how could that be resolved?

[MEB]

Not sure what one thing have do do with the other (selecting from an image layer and replacing an image layer) or the image dimensions of the replaced image? If the layer wasn't rasterised (or rasterised in background for copying to clipboard as Fixx suggested) you still retain the Image layer/the original image data.

[R C-R]

What I mean is unless the image layer is rasterized, it retains its original pixel resolution regardless of its dimensions displayed on the canvas. So what exactly is the marquee selecting & copying, the actual pixels at their original resolution or at their displayed resolution? Plus, if the image is replaced with another one while the marquee selection is still there or reselected, what happens if say one then does a paste?

 

Basically, it just seems to me that it would cause even more confusion about what an image layer contains than it already does now.

[MEB]

It would copy the exact same thing as if the layer was rasterised, that is, what the user is actually seeing inside the selection.

Why would someone be interested in keeping a selection for an image that is supposed to be replaced by another? In any case it should paste whatever was copied to the clipboard and is still in memory (in this case the old image). Only if you performed a new copy/paste the new data from the replaced image should be pasted. That's how the clipboard works.

 

[Fixx]

Basically it would work like macro: duplicate layer, rasterize duplicated layer, copy selection, delete duplicated layer. Thus you have rasterized selection copy in clipboard, original *image* layer untouched. I just think it is unnecessary to do duplicate/rasterize procedure when copy selection is obvious intent and AP should allow that.

[carl123]

8 hours ago, Fixx said:

I consider this not quite a bug but deficiency in AP. You should be able to copy marquee area from *image* layer without rasterizing (or rather, rasterizing a copy in the background as needed). I wish this will be added in the future.

On the image layer, make your selection then..

Edit > Copy Flattened
Edit > Paste

 

[MEB]

For reference, on Mac you can do the same with Edit ▸ Copy Merged.

[chris.bannu]

1 hour ago, carl123 said:

On the image layer, make your selection then..

Edit > Copy Flattened
Edit > Paste

 

I can't seem to find Copy Flattened anywhere. Is this available in AD? I only see copy.

[toltec]

No. Photo only.

[chris.bannu]

Oh, ok:)

So if I purchase Affinity Photo, will I have a separate app? Or will Designer and Photo merge into a single app?

[Alfred]

The two apps are (and will remain) separate, but in either app you can open the current file in the other app. Because all Affinity apps share the same file format, you will also be able to open your existing *.afdesign files directly in APh.

 

[chris.bannu]

got it, thanks Alfred

 

Out of curiosity, all the awesome people that answer all my questions, are they support people, or awesome community members?  

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, carl123 said:

11 hours ago, Fixx said:

I consider this not quite a bug but deficiency in AP. You should be able to copy marquee area from *image* layer without rasterizing (or rather, rasterizing a copy in the background as needed). I wish this will be added in the future.

On the image layer, make your selection then..

Edit > Copy Flattened
Edit > Paste

At least on my Mac, the (I assume) equivalent Edit > Copy Merged copies from all visible layers, not just a selected layer, so I think it is not necessarily the same thing as what @Fixx wants.

[R C-R]

23 minutes ago, chris.bannu said:

Out of curiosity, all the awesome people that answer all my questions, are they support people, or awesome community members?  

For Community members "Members" is displayed below their avatar on the left of each post; for the Affinity staff this will display their job title (like "Moderator") & below that a small black banner with the word "Staff" in it.

[toltec]

6 minutes ago, R C-R said:

For Community members "Members"

 

AKA "Awesome Community Members" 

[chris.bannu]

51 minutes ago, R C-R said:

For Community members "Members" is displayed below their avatar on the left of each post; for the Affinity staff this will display their job title (like "Moderator") & below that a small black banner with the word "Staff" in it.

 

Wow, then this is a really great community. I'll have to do my part when I become a pro  Or, if I can find questions that I can easily answer of course.

[carl123]

7 hours ago, R C-R said:

At least on my Mac, the (I assume) equivalent Edit > Copy Merged copies from all visible layers, not just a selected layer, so I think it is not necessarily the same thing as what @Fixx wants.

I do not have a Mac so do not have the Edit > Copy Merged command but have you tried it with an active selection on an image layer?

It appears to work as @Fixx wants, on my Windows PC using the equavalent Edit > Copy Flattened option