Problem with moving a selection

[pschroeter]

I relatively new to PDN so I'm sure if this is a bug, but... I will make a selection then try to switch to the Move Selection or Move Selected Pixels and the cursor will change into the Hand tool. I can see the tool I intended to select (either by a keyboard shortcut or by clicking on a button) chosen in the Tools Palette, but I only get the Hand tool. I notice I can sometimes get the tool I intended to appear by moving the cursor outside of my selection and then drag the selection moving the cursor outside of the selection.

I'm not sure but I think this behavior is mainly happening when I work with very small images (under 50 pixel)in Zoom mode. I think the program is having a problem detecting when the cursor is inside a few pixel size selections in Zoom mode. I have been taking larger images and cropping and shrinking and making favicon size images out of them.

I also notice I am occasionally somehow selecting the entire image just by switching to a selection tool.

I am using v3.10

Thank You

[david.atwell]

Yep. That's common, and I believe Rick's planning to fix it sometime. But I'm not sure. Anyway, it has been discussed :-) Welcome to the forum!

[Crazy Man Dan]

Yep, the Move Tool difficulty is a known bug. The hot-zone detection area for nubs does not currently scale appropriately based on the zoom setting. You can move and rotate the selection by left- / right-clicking anywhere on the canvas that isn't a nub.

I know Rick is aware of this, but I do not know where it is in the changes queue.

As to automatically selecting the entire canvas with a switch to a selection tool, I've never heard of this one before. Is there a repeatable set of steps you can post so we can troubleshoot this?

[Myrddin]

As to automatically selecting the entire canvas with a switch to a selection tool, I've never heard of this one before. Is there a repeatable set of steps you can post so we can troubleshoot this?

I have a similar situation but it's not when switching tools, but does relate to the tools in question:

- on any image, any layer, any size, select either the Move Pixel or the Move Selection Tool;

- click on the canvas, do not drag, just click and you will notice the entire canvas become selected equivalent to the tool in use. In the History window you will notice that you can undo a Move Pixels/Selection and before that a Select All command.

This doesn't happen when switching, however, accidentally clicking on the canvas and not notice can give the illusion that it was the switching which caused the selection, and is more frequent when the canvas extends out and beyond past the Tools window, perhaps when zoomed in close. This is especially prone to laptop touch-pad users when anywhere on the hand, even the heal of your hand, can register as a 'click'. Instances like this one has been commented before when using word processors, as you type close to the pad the slight, unnoticeable contact of your hand shifts the cursor to another location within the document and you carry on typing elsewhere. Interesting technology, the touch-pad. Irritating as well.

EDIT:Speedy, ahead-of-yourself clicking could also attribute to this illusion if you're not using a laptop touch-pad.

[pschroeter]

I also notice I am occasionally somehow selecting the entire image just by switching to a selection tool.

I think what may be happening is if I switch to the Move tool without first selecting anything in the image. PDN then automatically selects the entire image and moves the entire image when I left click and drag the mouse. This may be a feature. As I learn how to select things in PDN I sometimes will be working quickly and think I made a selection, but find I haven't and then find I'm moving the entire image by mistake.

This brings up my main complaint/comment about PDN. I wish there was a button to click that told the program that I intend to work with one image and have no intention of using layers. The program should realize this when I don't even have the Layers pallet turned on and I am working with a JPG or Bitmap. Some of my problems seem to be with the concept of layers which I plan to learn one day. I just wish I didn't have to paint in white when I move part of an image or use the eraser.

[Rex_Mundi]

I find it quite annoying too that when i have a selection pasted into a layer, the selection doesn't exist as a floating selection because when i switch tools to the magnifier for instance, the selection has been pasted while I did not instruct Paint.net to do this. So I can only move the selection without screwing up the background by not switching tools.

[david.atwell]

You should paste it onto a blank layer (Ctrl+Shift+V). If you do that, you can move it to your heart's content :-) Just make sure not to flatten it 'til you're done.

Oh, and this happens in most graphics programs I've used...

[Crazy Man Dan]

[Ctrl]+[+] will zoom in without necessitating the switching of tools.

As to the selection of the entire canvas when first clicking with the Move tools, this is a feature. Paint.NET is restricted to moving only the current selection. Back in the day, people were expecting the Move tool to move the current layer, but since it wasn't selected, Paint.NET wouldn't move it. Rick added the auto-select to fill their request. If you forget and haven't made a selection, you can [Ctrl]+[D] (Deselect), (switch to Rectangular Selection tool), make your selection, [M] (Switch to Move tool), and move it.