Expand/Contract Selection (Feature Request)

[Hidetoshi6721]

Hi all,

Been a pretty long PDN user. I would like to see the "Contract/Expand by n pixels" feature in paint.net, just like in Photoshop. Are there, by chance, any plugins for the same?

 

Regards

Edited November 27, 2022 by Hidetoshi6721

[TrevorOutlaw]

Closest thing is the 1px Expansion part of @dpy plugin pack.

 

 

[BoltBait]

10 hours ago, Hidetoshi6721 said:

Been a pretty long PDN user. I would like to see the "Contract/Expand by n pixels" feature in paint.net, just like in Photoshop. Are there, by chance, any plugins for the same?

 

What is the purpose of expanding or contracting the selection?  Perhaps there is already a plugin which performs that task. 

 

I know that I have several in my plugin pack for Paint.NET v5.0a that you can try.

 

[Amita4ever]

On 11/27/2022 at 12:20 PM, BoltBait said:

What is the purpose of expanding or contracting the selection?

 

 Not sure if this is the same request, but I would dearly like the ability to expand/reduce selections...as well?  In my case, the purpose is so that I can adjust the edges of a selection more finely after the selection box is created.  Sometimes, in order to get the area/object I want, I can't actually start the selection box near the object on the screen so I have to make my best guess about where to start.  That guess might be off by a few pixels, might be off by a lot more.  If the selection box had handles and could be enlarged/reduced, then I could fine-tune the 'fit' and not be stuck trying again and again, or trying to make a series of boxes work/match when one would do it.

 

I know the lasso lets you cut it close but trying to control a mouse to cut it close is a real pain, and sometimes you want a straight edge.  For example, think about trying to select an odd-shaped object.  I want it in a square shape with a 1 pixel cushion at its outermost parts.  As things are now, I don't know any way other than trying over and over to find the exact right starting point to give me the perfect sized selection box, or selecting and then trimming the individual sides, or I can cut away everything around it with a series of selection boxes that have to be lined up perfectly.

 

OR, ideally, you could put one imperfect selection box around it, enlarge or reduce the various sides as needed, and be done.

 

Hoping that makes sense because if there is a way to do this that already exists, I would dearly love to know it.

Edited November 29, 2022 by Amita4ever

[Rick Brewster]

1 hour ago, Amita4ever said:

If the selection box had handles and could be enlarged/reduced

 

@Amita4ever, have you tried using the Move Selection tool? 2nd row, 2nd column in the Tools window. It lets you move, scale, and rotate a selection without also moving the pixels within the selection.

 

[Hidetoshi6721]

On 11/30/2022 at 4:01 AM, Rick Brewster said:

 

@Amita4ever, have you tried using the Move Selection tool? 2nd row, 2nd column in the Tools window. It lets you move, scale, and rotate a selection without also moving the pixels within the selection.

 

Well, I have used the tool. But it only works with box selections. I'm talking about Lasso Selections. AFAIK, GIMP has a similar feature called "Grow"...

I deal with huge amounts of pictures everyday, and export from PDN and then importing in GIMP is a huge pain. I also don't want to learn GIMP from the ground up because I appreciate PDN's versatility more, and with the amazing plugins hosted by the community, GIMP really lags behind.

[Hidetoshi6721]

On 11/30/2022 at 3:01 AM, Amita4ever said:

 

 Not sure if this is the same request, but I would dearly like the ability to expand/reduce selections...as well?  In my case, the purpose is so that I can adjust the edges of a selection more finely after the selection box is created.  Sometimes, in order to get the area/object I want, I can't actually start the selection box near the object on the screen so I have to make my best guess about where to start.  That guess might be off by a few pixels, might be off by a lot more.  If the selection box had handles and could be enlarged/reduced, then I could fine-tune the 'fit' and not be stuck trying again and again, or trying to make a series of boxes work/match when one would do it.

 

I know the lasso lets you cut it close but trying to control a mouse to cut it close is a real pain, and sometimes you want a straight edge.  For example, think about trying to select an odd-shaped object.  I want it in a square shape with a 1 pixel cushion at its outermost parts.  As things are now, I don't know any way other than trying over and over to find the exact right starting point to give me the perfect sized selection box, or selecting and then trimming the individual sides, or I can cut away everything around it with a series of selection boxes that have to be lined up perfectly.

 

OR, ideally, you could put one imperfect selection box around it, enlarge or reduce the various sides as needed, and be done.

 

Hoping that makes sense because if there is a way to do this that already exists, I would dearly love to know it.

You literally thought of everything to write. I have the same problems, in some sense...

[Ego Eram Reputo]

4 hours ago, Hidetoshi6721 said:

I'm talking about Lasso Selections.

 

After a selection is made with any of the Selection Tools, hit the M key to activate the Move tool ( ). The control nubs will appear around the region. Grab a control nub and use the keyboard arrow keys to push it around. The pixels under the selection outline will follow.

 

If you want to manipulate the selection outline (and not the pixels in the image), Hit the M key twice (aka Move Selection Tool ). Now moving the control nubs alters the selection outline without changing the image.