Feature request - "Selection Per Layer"

[avim1968]

Hi

I'm working on many layers with different images on each of them.

today when i (any one else) needs to move part of the image

in a layer , we go to the selection tool, select the needed area

and move the selection.

However if we need to move a number of objects in different layers each with a different

selection shape ,

then we must re select that SAME selection shape each time

we access that layer.

My request is to have the option for "Selection Per Layer" !

meaning that if i made a selection SHAPE1 on layer 1 ,

then when i switch/move to a new layer i would get the option to

make selection SHAPE2 and it would become the ACTIVE selection .

etc...

When i move back to layer 1 it would show me Selection SHAPE1

again and it would become ACTIVE again etc...

of course that all plugins and effects would apply to the ACTIVE

selection SHAPE on that layer ONLY.

this would save allot of wasted time making different selections each time

for each layer. (or load alpha masks)

also would allow many other uses for such feature :-)

to make it work , you can have a selection option in the layer

properties that would say , "lock/save selection"

when it is set then the selection would not be removed

and would "stick" to this layer and shown when the layer is selected.

without this selection then the selection shape would act like it does now

for this layer. ie. would not change the selection shape when moving

thru this layer.

(as a workaround today, i have a mask/alpha layer for each selection

for each layer which i re select each time)

my request would save all those layers and re selections.

thank you

Avi

p.s.

it would be fun also to have in depended selections in one layer too

but this is just a wishful thinking ;-)

p.s.2

again this would not effect the current selection mode where the selection

stays the same when moving between layers , skipping the layers

with the option "selection per layer" turned on.

Edited May 29, 2012 by avim1968

[barbieq25]

Welshy, I didn't know that but very useful to me. Thankies!

[avim1968]

Quite possibly I don't quite understand what your request is, I'm not always the brightest tool in the box

... but if I want to move various objects on various layers into different positions inside an image I use the paneling plug-in. Just click on a layer and press Ctrl-F. One click shopping once you've got the settings you want in Paneling. I very rarely use the move selection tool anymore

... but as I say, quite possibly I've misunderstood and wasted both our time. Yours for reading it and mine for typing it

its not what i'm talking about.

Avi

[pdnnoob]

Why might you need a specially shaped selection saved for each layer? I haven't come across such a need yet, so I'm merely curious...

You seem to have the workaround figured out, so there's not much more to say except that I hope Rick replies soon. I highly doubt it will be added to v4.0, but he might consider adding the feature in a later version.

[avim1968]

Why might you need a specially shaped selection saved for each layer? I haven't come across such a need yet, so I'm merely curious...

You seem to have the workaround figured out, so there's not much more to say except that I hope Rick replies soon. I highly doubt it will be added to v4.0, but he might consider adding the feature in a later version.

Hi its not just me who uses different selections all the time, its everyone.

each time you want to select a part of an images , we use the selection tools.

to select that uniqe part of the image and colors we want.

i call this selection by the name "shape"

since not all images are the same and we use many images , we all use different shapes

of selections .

for example.

i have 4 layers.

each has faces different in them.

and i\m working on a 5 and 6 layers then are made from parts of the faces

from layer 1-4. each time i need to select a different part of image for a diferent

image to move and create an effect from it.

in layer 1 i select the eye area in a unique shape.

in layer 2 i select the ears area in a unique shape

in layer 3 i select the nose area in a unique shape

in layer 4 i select the mouth area in a unique shape.

as you can see each selection is different in its size shape and place.

and each time i need to reselect that unique shape in each layer to

continue working and creating the effects i need.

my work around is only a workaround and its not for an image

with many layers.

so if i had the feature i asked for then i would of made those selections once per layer

then just select the layer and the unique selection would be there without the need to reselect it.

making life easy and simple for us.

as you can see this is just a small example.

Rick what do you think ?

Avi

[Rick Brewster]

I think it's too much to read through

[pdnnoob]

Personally, I use layers so that I don't need to have several different selections, but whatever works best for you, I guess...

EDIT: @Rick that's too long to read after this? No worries...apart from being the creator of my favorite program, comments like that are why you are my favorite person in the world of forums (this pic pretty much sums up my reaction)

Edited June 1, 2012 by pdnnoob

[avim1968]

I think it's too much to read through

Hi Rick

Here is the short version for you :-)

for example :

in the 1st layer i need to select a rectangle shape selection, on a different layer with another image

i'm selecting all red color pixels to work on and on the 3rd layer i need to select two circles .

as you can see i work on different images on different layers, i select a different selection areas from each image

to copy/add effect etc...

AND each time i must re select again and again the selection areas i want to use,

every/each time i switch the active layer.

please add the option to KEEP the selections per layer. so when i change my active layer,

automatically that layer selection become the active selection.

without the need for us to re select it again.

thank you

Avi.

ps.

you can replace the I with "we" since i think everyone would like this :-)

[Rick Brewster]

That's not short.

[pdnnoob]

<insert edit from my previous post>

Anyhow...avim1968, you are pretty much using selection to do what layers are designed for.

[jim100361]

Just a question of curiosity... does that other ($$) program ($$) that few of us speak of have the feature he's requesting?

[pdnnoob]

No, <snip> can't do this. Trust me...the government has forced me to use it about once a week since the beginning of the school year.

I don't think any major graphics program has this feature because, quite honestly, it just doesn't seem useful enough when you already have layers. If you need to save a selected area on a layer, that just means you should put the selected area on a new layer because you are editing it separately from the rest of the layer.

Edited June 2, 2012 by pdnnoob

[avim1968]

Hi All

sorry Rick if my answer was not short again, I hope the next few lines would be short and better.

-- > Very short for Rick :-)

today when working with a number of pictures open in paint.net, you can make selections on each of them.

and those selections are PER IMAGES and STAY intact when you switch between the images.

what i asked for is to apply this function to layers in an image. ie when selecting something on a layer

the selection would STAY on that layer even when i select something else on a different layer.

just like they are different images that are open in paint.net.

-->

End of short for Rick :-)

to all other great people here :-)

I think that everything said about what i asked for is out of focus or blared .

you all say things that are around the issue but not really solving or answering my request.

and you all talk about the workarounds that i already know about.

If what i wrote now for Rick would not explain what i'm talking about.

i would try to show it in pictures and i hope that it would explain it more.

but It would take me some time to get the screen shots ready due to time limits i have.

thank you all for answering this post .

Avi

p.s.

again there are "workarounds" for what i asked,even in my answer to Rick, but it would be much simpler to

solve them with my feature request.

p.s.2

I think that Paint.Net is in a league and a higher class of its own, and there is no need to talk about other

$oftware$ here ;-)

[Rick Brewster]

Not gonna happen.

[avim1968]

Not gonna happen.

Hi Rick , i don't want to sound rude !

but can i ask why not ?

it's a very cool feature to have ?

also if i quote what you wrote me in a different topic

"Being able to save/load or copy/paste just the selection outline is also something I've thought would be useful.

This probably won't make it in for 4.0. However, a lot of the groundwork is being laid which would/will make this fairly simple to do in a subsequent release.

In memory, a selection is essentially equivalent to a WPF GeometryGroup, which can easily be serialized and deserialized. (in fact, it may become a GeometryGroup eventually -- not the actual WPF version, but a custom implementation that has the same properties and type names (not the same namespaces) and which is close to being "XAML compatible" with WPF's version)

"

means that you can save the selection in memory , so it can be assigned to a layer ?

any way if you would implement the topic i took this quote from , maybe it would

solve as a workaround this problem too ;-)

thank you

Avi

Edited June 5, 2012 by avim1968

[Rick Brewster]

It's not going to happen because it doesn't make any sense and like pdnnoob says, you're using existing features incorrectly in the first place. An additional "why not" is because features don't just get granted by the Feature Fairy. I have to actually spend a lot of time designing and implementing, then testing and validating them. A feature must be generally useful for a wide range of people, and this one just sounds like it adds confusion and complexity. It's not like saying "please! why not?!" is going to make me go, "Aww shucks, alright. Just because you asked so nicely." Asking again and again will not help that.

[avim1968]

Hi Rick

thank you for the answer :-)

I don't agree with what you wrote

" it doesn't make any sense and like pdnnoob says, you're using existing features incorrectly in the first place"

I think it does make sense, and I think that the existing features are great and using them , makes my

workarounds work.

I think that paint.net does things that other $oftware$ don't, and you are doing a great job.

I have read again all that was written in this topic and i think that i didn't give a good explanation

to my request and didn't show clearly why i asked for it and what good it would do.

thank you ALL for your answers and mainly Rick for not throwing the keyboard at me ;-)

I'm a programmer too and kind of think like you when i'm being asked to add things

to my programs .

i'll put this subject to rest, at least until i'll have a good example ready to share.

Avi

p.s.

Rick I just figured yesterday what is your avatar and where it's from. :-)

you don't seem to be such a horrible Dr. ;-)

Edited June 6, 2012 by avim1968

[Rick Brewster]

I think we can fall back on another post I made about being able to save/restore selections in general. I do want to implement that, but it won't make it in time for 4.0. It will be possible though (to implement it, that is) without me having to bend over backwards in some heroic effort. The current workarounds aren't really satisfactory in my opinion.

[nitenurse79]

As a matter of interest Rick, when will we see a version of 4.0 ? soon I (we) hope