Transform your selection!

[AppleCider]

I realize this tip is nothing new to the real pros here, but my god, I had an epiphany today, stumbling on this thing! And I've been using Photoshop for years.

You want to select on a new layer to delete the selection. But your selection goes up and down instead of at the angle you want. And it's either too large or too small. My (stupid) way was the hard way: fill the selection on a new layer, transform it, Cmd (PC Cntrl) on the layer to select it, move to the layer you want to delete from and delete. Trash the layer you created just for this thing.

Forget this nonsense. You have a selection? Select Menu: Transform. YOu get the exact same stuff you get on a normal, pixelated layer. Scale it, rotate it, etc. I can't tell you how excited I am about what many people take for granted, but I've just discovered!

 

[theKeeper]

REALLY Julie?!
hahaa... well if i'da known THAT, i'da told you about it for sure!

I must however caution folks from using this special function to alter their selections by too much. It can, & will, mess with the nice clean edges of you selection -- sometimes jaggies em up, some times makes em too soft.

Use this power wisely young apprentice, and serve you well it will. 8[ [honesty]

And keep scouting around in the menus... you'll be surprised at what lurks undetected on them. [excited]

 

[Guest]

Also, if you right click when you have a selection active, a menu pops up with the option "transform selection", at least on the PC version.

 

[sfm]

cool I will look at that later [excited]
sfm

 

[Erik]

Hey, my posting's disappeared???
However, it went like this:

It is when you discover things yourself that you realise how little reality-value knowledge has...
Your description of the process, the excitement, the enthusiasm,...it's all there. To me, that is even more important than the discovery itself.

Nice one. And don't exchange this world of discovery for a room full of knowledge.

 

[Guest]

I have to remember that; I'm trying to make it easier for you Mac users too lately.

 

[AppleCider]

Gaussian, anytime you need help with that, just ask. I have to work in both worlds; mostly on a Mac (certainly at home!) but I do have a nodding acquaintence with various flavors of Windows.

Generally, these keys translate across all apps:

PC Cntrl = Mac Cmd (aka the Apple Key, or the Propellor Key)
PC Alt = Mac Opt

(Note: the Control key on the Mac has nothing to do with the PC's Control key. That confuses a lot of people, particularly PC people sitting down at a Mac keyboard It's generally used along with a mouse click as the PC's right-click)

 

[Yutosi]

Guys last night i ran through a great shortcut:
while on the move tool Ctrl (Command) + Click on a certain layer to make it active.
now Ctrl(Command) + Shift to link it to another layer.



Ammar

 

[Guest]

Ammaro, when I do that thing with Ctrl+shift (I noticed that the cursor changes to a hand with a white square and a + sign), I don't see anything being linked, only the current layer is moved to another location in the stack. I use Photoshop 7.01

 

[Yutosi]

Gaussian my man, that probably because the move tool is not activated..

Ammar

 

[Guest]

No Ammaro, the move tool is selected. I read your instructions over and over but each time the layer is moved.

 

[wbiss]

Perhaps something got lost in the translation Gauss [confused] This is the way I got it to work and maybe my explanation will make it a little clearer ? [confused]

Let's say that you're working on "Layer A" and you want to bring in the contents of Layer B. While on 'A', Ctrl Click B and then Ctrl Shift back to A.

Anyhooo... thanks for the shortcut Ammaro! It's cool!

The tough part for me is getting all this new info (including basic shortcuts) to sink in and become second nature!

 

[Yutosi]

wbiss thank you for the translation. is it working now Gaus. weird!


Ammar

 

[Guest]

This was getting rather confusing
A CTRL + click on a layer will select everything that is non-transparent on that layer.
CTRL + SHIFT will not do anything. I guess you both meant to say CTRL + SHIFT + click; this will add the selection of all non-transparent areas of any other layer and add it to the current selection. I got rather confused for a couple of reasons: Ammaro you said that it would link it to another layer, which is not the right terminology. Then I got confused because Wendy said that it would bring in the content of layer B, which is not exactly what it is; it adds the selection. Also, in my example I used two layers with both no transparent areas, so after selecting one layer and adding the selection of the other I didn't see any difference which made me even more confused [confused]

I'm happy that this is solved; thanks for the tip Ammaro

 

[Guest]

Some other key combinations that you can use:

CTRL+ALT+click : subtract from selection
CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+click : intersect with selection

 

[wbiss]

Oops[stuned]... my terminolgy sucks (I know)!

You're right ,though, Gauss, in your 'summation'. Suffice to say... we worked this one out.

 

[wbiss]

Information OVERLOAD! Gotta write this down...

Thanks Gauss!

 

[Yutosi]

My friend Gaussian here is the run down:

- The move tool Selected.
- Ctrl (Command) + Click to select a certain layer from within the image.
- Ctrl (Command) + Shift + Click to link the current layer to the one you clicked on it.
- Now if you clicked again you?ll unlink the layer.

No layer less than 50% opacity will be selected/linked.

This is no selecting shortcut, just choosing (selecting) a layer.

Hope its clarified now.

Ammar

 

[Guest]

Thanks Ammaro, now it makes more sense. It's the word within that makes a big difference. Also in my case I had only one layer visible , so you can understand that users will get confused in such a case. Thanks again Ammaro, I appreciate it