I can't copy my selection?

[justinm_]

So first of all can i say that Affinity is driving me mad! every simple little task is hidden away somewhere! i picked photoplus up in a few days whereas i've been trying to do basic stuff on Affinity for months and nothing seems to do what i want it to! I'm simply trying to copy and paste the selection of an area of an image (which for some reason was automatically made a group?) but when i try to do it, it just makes a copy of the selection lines with nothing inside? I'm getting to that point where i'm going to have to start trying to find something easier to use! (or go back to photoplus for a while). SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!! I'M GOING INSANE!

[toltec]

5 hours ago, sirromz said:

So first of all can i say that Affinity is driving me mad! every simple little task is hidden away somewhere! i picked photoplus up in a few days whereas i've been trying to do basic stuff on Affinity for months and nothing seems to do what i want it to! I'm simply trying to copy and paste the selection of an area of an image (which for some reason was automatically made a group?) but when i try to do it, it just makes a copy of the selection lines with nothing inside? I'm getting to that point where i'm going to have to start trying to find something easier to use! (or go back to photoplus for a while). SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!! I'M GOING INSANE!

 

It's hard to give an answer unless you give more details. Like are you using Affinity Photo or Affinity Designer ?  also, a screenshot would be a huge help (especially of the layers panel) or the file because something unusual seems to be happening. I have never come across an automatic group ???

 

As you mention Photoplus, I'll assume you are using Photo. For Affinity Photo, the main reason I can think of an empty selection is if you try to make a selection on an Image layer

 

An image layer is a "Placed" file. You can't make pixel selections unless you Rasterize the layer first. Right click on the layer and choose Rasterize and it will become a Pixel layer.

 

Here, a Pixel layer (formerly an Image layer, but I rasterized it) is selected (highlighted in blue).

 

I can make a selection of an area and copy it.

 

Another reason is trying to make a selection of an adjustment layer is selected.

 

Here the adjustment layer is selected, so you can't make a selection.

 

Make sure the Pixel layer is selected,

 

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, toltec said:

For Affinity Photo, the main reason I can think of an empty selection is if you try to make a selection on an Image layer

 

If I make a ‘marching ants’ selection on an Image layer, attempting to copy it gives me the entire layer. I don’t understand how the OP is ending up with an empty selection.

[MEB]

Hi sirromz,

Welcome to Affinity Forums

I believe you are trying to copy from your image pixel layer to another empty layer but have the empty layer selected in the Layers panel instead of the layer that contains your image data. Please make sure you have the image layer selected when you perform the copy action otherwise you are not copying anything to the clipboard at all.

[toltec]

43 minutes ago, Alfred said:

 

I don’t understand how the OP is ending up with an empty selection.

 

Me neither, and automatic groups ???

 

I'm confused 

 

[Alfred]

2 minutes ago, toltec said:

Me neither, and automatic groups ???

 

Hmm ... yes, I forgot about those!! The only thing I can think of that results in automatic groups is conversion of text to curves. 

[Move Along People]

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[Alfred]

15 minutes ago, haakoo said:

Why isn't an image layer directly converted into a pixel layer??

 

An image layer is a single object which can be transformed (scaled, rotated or skewed) without losing quality. If you convert it to a pixel layer you can work on it at the pixel level but you then have the usual problems inherent in resampling if you decide to transform it, so rasterization needs to be a deliberate choice by the user.

[MEB]

Hi haakoo,

I wasn't refering to an image layer type but to the layer that contains the image. I will change it to make it more clear. Thanks for the head's up.

 

Regarding your question, because you may not want to rasterise it (it may lead to data/quality loss). Image layers retain all the original image data, - you can think of them as embedded documents. When you place an high res image on your document and rasterise it, it will be rasterised using the dpi set on your document, discarding the rest/excess of data. Try this:

Drag an image with 300 dpi to you document (set to 72 dpi). Duplicate the image. Scale both images (the original and the copy) down considerably. Rasterise the copy (change to the Move Tool and note how the dpi of the image changes from 300 to 72 on the top left of the interface after you rasterise it). Scale both images up again considerably (to more or less their original size). The rasterised image is now all pixelated because the additional data included in the Image layer (type) was discarded when you rasterised it. The original image layer still look as it did before (no pixelation or loss of quality).

[Move Along People]

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[Alfred]

2 minutes ago, haakoo said:

it seems most people are converting to a pixel layer from the get go

 

That’s fine if you’re only making a selection so that you can copy pixels from the current layer, but you might want to do something quite different with the selection outline (e.g. filling it with a pattern).

[Move Along People]

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[Alfred]

In the scenario that I described, you don’t need to create a pixel-layer copy after you’ve made the selection. You just need to create a new (empty) pixel layer, and then flood-fill or paint inside the ‘marching ants’.

[lepr]

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[Alfred]

2 minutes ago, owenr said:

A Pixel object can be non-destructively transformed (move, scale, rotate, skew) just like an Image object.

 

How do you scale, rotate or skew a pixel layer without resampling?

 

[lepr]

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[Move Along People]

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[Fixx]

59 minutes ago, haakoo said:

Why not have the devs convert automaticly an image into a pixel layer when the selection is drawn?

 

That is how it should work (except it should happen behind the scenes and return image to image when a copy has been copied). Not yet though.

[R C-R]

6 minutes ago, haakoo said:

That I understand,but it seems most people are converting to a pixel layer from the get go.

While there are a number of posts from people who are confused about the nature of of image layers, I don't think it is safe to assume that most people are immediately converting them to pixel layers. Since it would be a destructive operation that as MEB explained would unnecessarily sacrifice the ability to resize the layer without that affecting its pixel resolution, if they are doing that then they are missing out on one of the nicer features of the app.

 

23 minutes ago, haakoo said:

But than you need to first convert it to a pixel layer,don't you?

Not necessarily. Marching ants selections do not 'belong' to any layer -- they just define an area of the canvas (at the current document pixel resolution?) -- so for example, like Alfred said a marching ants selection might be used with the Flood Fill Tool to fill an area of a pixel layer with color, or to copy part of a pixel layer to the clipboard.

 

4 minutes ago, owenr said:

In the same way as you move, rotate, scale or skew an Image object.

As long as you don't re-rasterise the transformed Pixel object, its transformation won't be baked-in.

If you rotate or skew a pixel layer, you can 'undo' those transformations in the Transform panel, but if for example you resize it & then paint something on it afterwards, try resizing it back to its original size.

[R C-R]

5 minutes ago, Fixx said:

That is how it should work (except it should happen behind the scenes and return image to image when a copy has been copied). Not yet though.

But should the clipboard contain the copied part of the image layer at its pixel resolution, at the document's pixel resolution, or maybe both? If it is then copied back into a different document, or into another app's document, what resolution should be used?

[lepr]

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[carl123]

49 minutes ago, Fixx said:

1 hour ago, haakoo said:

Why not have the devs convert automaticly an image into a pixel layer when the selection is drawn?

 

That is how it should work (except it should happen behind the scenes and return image to image when a copy has been copied). Not yet though.

If you do that on a placed image, at say 300dpi, then the copy will be at a lower DPI (e.g. 72DPI).

If you want a selection from an image layer, just make your selection on that layer as normal, add a fill layer, move the fill layer so it crops/masks your placed image and your image layer remains an image layer and is still at the higher resolution

[Move Along People]

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[R C-R]

10 minutes ago, owenr said:

Why post that? If you do what you suggest, you'll see that the transformations have been non-destructive.

How do you know what the original size was?

[lepr]

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