Cut out piece of image

[dstraigh]

Hi,

I have two images each in their own layer.   The image that is on top is a graphic. The image that is behind is a photo.  I wish to cut a (sort of) hole in the graphic so that the photo behind shows.    However when I use the Selection Brush Tool + Command X instead of cutting a hole - everything outside the selection gets deleted.   

I pressed a button that says Invert Selection - but this did not alter the original selection.    

I've attached an annotated screen capture showing what I want to accomplish.

Any help much appreciated.

David

EDIT:  I'm using a MacBook Pro with High Sierra.

[v_kyr]

Use the magic wand tool in order to select the white areas by a single click and then press the delete key, this should remove those white selected areas then and show either what is underneath or a transparant background!

[dstraigh]

I don't have a Magic Wand Tool (the icon that looks like a wand says it's a "Flood Select Tool" and it does nothing - it doesn't select anything).    Interestingly, I accidentally got the Selection Brush Tool + Command X to remove one of the white areas (and it is now transparent).  Unfortunately, I don't know what I did to make that work and cannot make the other white areas transparent.   Frustrating.  

[v_kyr]

Don't you meant when using Affinity Photo? - Which tool do you used/tried?

 

[v_kyr]

12 minutes ago, dstraigh said:

Interestingly, I accidentally got the Selection Brush Tool + Command X to remove one of the white areas (and it is now transparent).  Unfortunately, I don't know what I did to make that work and cannot make the other white areas transparent.   Frustrating.

That should work too with Cmd-x as it cuts out the selection. - The point is just to get those little white areas first selected with some selection tool and then to delete/remove those. Then repeat the process for the other white areas, step for step. - After a selection and deleting an area, dismiss the actual/active selection via Cmd-d, so you can start a new selection!

[dstraigh]

It's really not working.   The wand simply does not work at all.  It must be some setting or mode or maybe not even the correct icon (although it looks identical to your screen capture).   I've managed to haphazardly create a transparent mask - but I still don't know what I did (I can't repeat it reliably).   I documented my troubles in a video.  You must watch the video all the way to the end to see what I'm taking about (it's a very short video).    Here's the video

https://youtu.be/RJlohmblYSo

[v_kyr]

AFAI can see you don't have the image layer selected when you try to select/remove something from that. Instead you have the top "das_engineering_sink..." selected. - You have to select on the right side in the layer panel first the layer which contains those white areas you want to remove (make transparent), then perform what we said above on that active layer. - Also you made a bunch of masks on which you tried to worked then, which isn't needed for the way of white area removal we talked above.

If you don't mind you can post your APhoto file here, so we can take a look at that and maybe fix the things in a way you can reproduce.

[dstraigh]

Thanks!  Now I can repeat the transparent mask.  I just cut out all the white areas and made them transparent.    But, I'm still wondering, what's going on with the wand?   Why is mine seemingly different from yours?

[v_kyr]

See this quick example usage:

[dstraigh]

My wand just doesn't select anything.   You can see that in the video I published.

[JimmyJack]

Your Flood Select isn't working because the graphic is an Embedded file.

Double click on the graphic on the canvas to bring it up in a new window.
If it's a pixel layer there you can use the Flood select as v_kyr demonstrated.
Any changes will be updated in the Parent window.

Alternatively, instead of working with an embedded file, you can rasterize the embed or you can copy and paste the graphic into your photo file. Both will enable you to work with it right there.

Edit: if the Embedded file is made up of vector objects, or a  combination of vector and raster, perhaps there is a better fix for this.
Can you post the Das Engineering Sine Header file itself?

[dstraigh]

Okay, that seems to work.  How'd you know it was an embedded file?

[v_kyr]

It reads as "IMG_4942... (image)" in the layer panel instead of "IMG_4942... (pixel)". - Image indicates that it is an embedded image file.

[JimmyJack]

6 minutes ago, dstraigh said:

Okay, that seems to work.  How'd you know it was an embedded file?

In your vid the layer name is followed by "(En" which is the start of "(Embedded document)"..... with the "n" actually being half of an "m" showing.

[dstraigh]

Okay, got it!   Thanks again!

[v_kyr]

If you just open the "IMG_4942..." file via the "File -> Open..." menu and do what we initially said above (...without any clicking on invert, masks and all that unnecessary for you actually irritating things), you should be able to select and remove all those white areas easily with the magic wand tool or some other selection method!

[Polygonius]

2 minutes ago, dstraigh said:

How'd you know it was an embedded file?

Questions, Re-asks, re.quest... and i-do not-know-answers... like her...

I would suggest that special layers, like an "NOT rasterized IMAGE or any shape/test.... would get a WARN or something like that.... Sorry, its impossible, cause the layer is....

Instead there is 2-even 3--time-ask after EXPLICATE §yes i want" in such other situations... weird!

[dstraigh]

2 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

If you just open the "IMG_4942..." file via the "File -> Open..." menu and do what we initially said above (...without any clicking on invert, masks and all that unnecessary for you actually irritating things), you should be able to select and remove all those white areas easily with the magic wand tool or some other selection method!

Not sure if this is correct - but File --> Open won't place images together (that's how I remember it (going a back a couple of months)  - which is how I came to use the place command in the first place.   So, if this (the Place command) is causing the embedded image issue - then, I guess I'll always have that situation.  But, I know what to do now. 

 

[JimmyJack]

17 minutes ago, dstraigh said:

Not sure if this is correct - but File --> Open won't place images together (that's how I remember it (going a back a couple of months)  - which is how I came to use the place command in the first place.   So, if this (the Place command) is causing the embedded image issue - then, I guess I'll always have that situation.  But, I know what to do now. 

 

I edited my post. In case you missed it....read again for the embed alternatives! 
(but the simple brute force answer is to Rasterize)

[v_kyr]

17 minutes ago, dstraigh said:

Not sure if this is correct - but File --> Open won't place images together (that's how I remember it (going a back a couple of months)  - which is how I came to use the place command in the first place...

That's right, if your intension was to place multiple images together into one document then "File -> Place" or dragging an image onto the document is the right way to go.

However just don't forget that those are then embedded images, you can usually see that from the layer panel as these read as ... (image) then. And that you have to rasterize these (right click and choose "Rasterize" from the popup menu on their layer in the layer panel) , so they are shown as ... (pixel) in the layer panel first in order you want to perform certain other manipulations on them.