Is there a way to have a layer that contains "editable" text?

[dpdalton]

 So far, whenever I need to add a text explanation to an image, I've been adding a new layer, then  using the Text tool to enter text strings in that layer to explain aspects of the image.  Then, I use the Line tool with an arrowhead to "connect" the intended point in the image back to the beginning of the text in that new layer.

 

From time to time, I make mistakes in the text string that I don't see until later & that I'd like to correct, or I later decide I'd like to rephrase that text. 

 

But if I later return to edit the text in that layer, I can add more text, but -- as far as I can tell --  I cannot revise any of the earlier-entered text, even to just enter a comma or a space.  This can be very frustrating, particularly when it's a lot of text.  Of course, I can delete that layer & start over in a new layer, but I can't even "copy" that original text first so I "paste" then edit in the new layer or even save it somewhere else as a "reference" to help me remember what I'll have to retype.  

 

If Paint.net already includes ways to edit/revise previously entered text, please tell me how to do it.    

 

If not, are there perhaps any "Add-Ins" available to accomplish this? 

 

Again, if not, might it be possible to create a type of "text-only" layer than keeps its text as text so it can later be edited/revised? 

 

I'm not at all a frequent or knowledgeable user of Paint.net, but this seems to me to be something that more experienced users likely have either figured out how to accomplish -- or can explain ehy it CANNOT be accomplished -- using Paint.net.

 

Thanks 

Edited February 24 by dpdalton

[Ego Eram Reputo]

4 hours ago, dpdalton said:

I can delete that layer & start over in a new layer,

 

Honestly, I think that's how most of us do it. If you have lots of text I recommend using an external word processor.

 

5 hours ago, dpdalton said:

I can't even "copy" that original text first

 

You can copy your text into the layer name (best to have one layer for each paragraph). You can fit a surprising amount of text in this field. The layer name can act as the source if you need to recreate the text.  Press F4, then Ctrl + C to copy the text.

 

As far as I'm aware, the Editable Text plugin still works.

[Tactilis]

9 hours ago, dpdalton said:

might it be possible to create a type of "text-only" layer than keeps its text as text so it can later be edited/revised?

Apart from using the Editable Text plugin that EER mentioned, the answer is no.

However, see the Popular Feature Requests: https://forums.getpaint.net/topic/2940-popular-feature-requests and note the entry "Ability to re-edit text, or "text layers", or some variation thereof".

 

[dpdalton]

I love how quickly you guys respond! 

 

Thanks for the suggestion to try the Editable Text Plugin!  I installed and tried it and it does seem to generally accomplish what I've been wanting to do!  One (unsurprising) caveat for users is that, once the file's layers are flattened, as far as I can tell, the "editable text" is no longer editable.  However, I'm pretty sure that long as a file containing "Editable Text" layers is being saved as an unflattened ".pdn" file, all of that text remain editable within each of those new layers. 

 

(NOTE TO OTHERS:  When using this plugin, be sure that before selecting & beginning to use the" Editable Text" plugin, you have FIRST either (1) selected a specific existing layer to edit or (2) added a new layer before you select .  Otherwise, you may "lose" the background layer you wanted to keep. 

 

I read the whole thread at that "Editable Text" link and, while I agree with some of those posters that the plugin has limitations I'd prefer it didn't, I'm very impressed and grateful that Simon got this much done in a plugin. 

 

I also followed the link Tactilis suggested and was delighted to see that "editable text" already is "on the list" of features to be added into some future version of "Paint.Net".  I hope when that feature arrives, the developer will have devised a mechanism to keep the added text "Editable" even after flattening layers.    

 

I did, however, run into one Paint.Net instruction that seemed confusing.  

 

I was curious about what happens if the file is saved as a .jpg.  So I used "File|Save As", then selected ".jpg" format.  At that point, Paint.Net presented a familiar instruction display, which I must not previously have read as closely.  That instruction begins with a warning that the file will be flattened into a single layer.  That part didn't really surprise me and I expected that would also mean the added text no longer would be "editable".  However, now that I was thinking about whether the text might reman editable in a ".jpg" format, the next part of that instruction DID surprise me:  "You will be able to undo the flatten operation after saving is finished."   

 

That sounded wonderful, if true.  So I tried it.  

 

After saving the file with the Editable Text as a ".jpg" file, I reopened it in Paint.Net and I couldn't find anything that even seemed to suggest I now could "undo the flatten operation", as the instruction had inferred.  Knowing that file had been both flattened AND saved in a different format, I don' think there really is any way to "undo the flatten", at least not under all circumstances.    

 

So if my guess about that is correct, shouldn't that instruction be revised?  Or at least edited to clarify the limited circumstances under which a user actually can "undo the flatten operation" after a flatten & save?  

 

Thanks again for the quick & wonderful help!

 

Paul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BoltBait]

2 hours ago, dpdalton said:

You will be able to undo the flatten operation after saving is finished

 

This means RIGHT AFTER SAVING (before closing the file or exiting Paint.NET), you can press Ctrl+Z to unflatten the file and then save as .PDN or continue editing.

[dpdalton]

AH! A very important distinction. 

 

So does that mean, after a file has been "flattened and saved",  Paint.net keeps an "Undo" copy of:

 

A.  Just that file as it existed immediately prior to that one "flatten & save" operation, or

 

B.  If there had been multiple "flatten & save" operations on that same file during a single session while that file remained "open" & there had been no "exit" from the program, Paint.net keeps an "Undo" copy of all those earlier "pre-flatten" versions of that image file? 

 

If the latter, I imagine that could have a big impact on memory.  

 

Just curious to understand how the "Undo" operates.    

[Tactilis]

4 hours ago, dpdalton said:

So does that mean, after a file has been "flattened and saved",  Paint.net keeps an "Undo" copy of:

 ...

Just curious to understand how the "Undo" operates.

So, why not just try it yourself and find out?


Display the History window. Read the Documentation if you are not familiar with it: https://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/HistoryWindow.html

Then carry out the actions that you have described above and observe how it works.

 

 

4 hours ago, dpdalton said:

I imagine that could have a big impact on memory.

 

History files are written to disk, not held in RAM, so there is no impact on memory.