Noob question - how to select something?

[idonteven]

Most ridiculous question ever - I created a shape, a round shape. I was able to fill it, with a color. I created another round shape inside it, and... I'm stuck (I'm trying to create a pair of cartoony eyes)?

How do I select that shape?

I don't want to lasso it, select a rectangular area of other things, I JUST WANT TO CLICK ON THAT SHAPE TO SELECT IT AGAIN.

I can't believe I'm having to hunt through help files and ask on a forum how to do this? I literally quit using a more fancy program and returned to Paint in frustration - and now I'm lost on this! I'm sure there used to be a simple, straightforward arrow/cursor type thing, and when you choose that tool you could select stuff, but it's missing or I misremembered or something?

I just want to click on that shape so I can copy/paste it or change the color or whatever.

How??

 

 

[Pixey]

Hello @idonteven and welcome  

 

If you have drawn an ellipse over the first round shape, just use the bucket fill with the new color.

 

[otuncelli]

You won't be able to select it if you put it in the same layer. You should put your secondary shape into another layer.

 

When working on Paint.NET, make a habit of using layers. Learned the hard way.

[idonteven]

I did create a new layer for these eyes... So every single new shape or item needs a new layer? Sux.

 

I used to be able to use this software, did loads with it around 15 years ago - now I'm lost. I'm just poking and prodding at things, nothing quite makes sense or seems to work anymore, not as expected anyway. I've literally just created the dark blank screen and 2 toony eyes in MS Word instead, because it was easier. How can that make sense?

 

Seems my fond memories of how easy Paint.net was were false memories  😔

[Pixey]

Perhaps all you need is a bit of practice  

 

[BoltBait]

2 hours ago, idonteven said:

So every single new shape or item needs a new layer? Sux.

 

I think what you may be looking for is InkScape.

[MJW]

5 hours ago, idonteven said:

How do I select that shape?

 

Once a Shape is finished, it's rendered as pixels, and no longer has a separate existence as a shape. Doing otherwise would be completely impractical.  Suppose a shape is distorted using Dents, and partially erased. Is PDN supposed to keep track that that group of pixels is a modified version of some shape, and provide for some way to select it?

[Roly Poly Goblinoli]

10 hours ago, idonteven said:

I just want to click on that shape so I can copy/paste it or change the color or whatever.

magic wand tool. Press S four times in a row to switch to that tool. It's also on the sidebar. Click the shape. Done

[MJW]

11 minutes ago, NinthDesertDude said:

magic wand tool. Press S four times in a row to switch to that tool. It's also on the sidebar. Click the shape. Done

 

That may actually be the answer the original poster was looking for, without knowing it, but I think everyone assumed (at least I did), that the hope was to be able to re-select the original Shape as a Shape:

 

10 hours ago, idonteven said:

I JUST WANT TO CLICK ON THAT SHAPE TO SELECT IT AGAIN.

 

 

[Ego Eram Reputo]

12 hours ago, idonteven said:

I just want to click on that shape so I can copy/paste it or change the color or whatever.

How??

 

When creating a new element, put it on it's own layer. Truly.

 

You should be using Ctrl + Shift + N so often it becomes second nature

[MJW]

16 hours ago, idonteven said:

So every single new shape or item needs a new layer? Sux.

 

Others may work differently, but I often put a number of related elements in the same layer provided they don't touch, so I can independently move them around. For a face, unless there was a good reason not to, I'd almost always put both eyes on the same layer, and maybe the mouth and ears, too. I find having too many layers to be rather unwieldy.

[Roly Poly Goblinoli]

5 hours ago, MJW said:

That may actually be the answer the original poster was looking for

Yep, they already got the more involved answers, but they seem to be "upset first, understand later". So I figured they'd like the very direct answer, without a lot to read so they don't lose patience. It's not the best due to selecting anti-aliased pixels and such, but my hunch is they don't know all those concepts and have little interest just yet.