Why is there no "copy selection"

[wiiiindy]

I find that I often want to copy the same selection in a picture to multiple other places in the picture. While there is a "move selection" tool there doesn't seem to be a "copy selection" tool. Why not??

Some other tools I've tried allow you to copy by drag and drop using the control or shift keys while dragging. Is there an easy way in PdN to do that but I am missing it??

[david.atwell]

Yup! Move selection while holding ctrl. :-)

[Crazy Man Dan]

Once you make a selection and switch to the Move Selected Pixels tool, hold [Ctrl] and click to lift a copy of the selected pixels.

Note that this only works when the pixels are first lifted, so if the selection has been moved beforehand, you will have to drop the selection by switching to a different tool, switch back to the Move Selected Pixels tool, and hold [Ctrl] during the first click to lift a new copy. I use my left hand on [Ctrl] and my right hand on my laptop touchpad, so the quickest way for me is pressing with my left hand (switches to Selection tool group), then [M] with my right to switch back to the Move tool.

[david.atwell]

Show-off. :-)

[wiiiindy]

Crazy Man Dan...

Well you are making me feel pretty stupid. It seems you have to finish the copy and start all over to get the next copy - redo the selection. Yuck.

Am I not understanding your post? I want to do muliple copies of the same selection. If I have to redo the selection, there is a high probability the selections will not be exactly the same.

[Helio]

In that case, I would just make your selection, [ctrl]+[c], [ctrl]+[v], move, [ctrl]+[v], move, [ctrl]+[v], move, etc...

[david.atwell]

Try copying and pasting the selection onto a new layer, and then copy it from there multiple times. When it's the only thing on the layer, it will always be the same. :-)

[Crazy Man Dan]

When the Move tool is first used, it picks up the pixels that were inside that selection and "lifts" them off the canvas. For as long as the Move tool is active, those pixels stay lifted. Holding [Ctrl] lifts a copy of the selected pixels, instead of the original pixels, essentially creating a copy you can move. However, the copying only occurs when the pixels are lifted, so you have to "drop" the selected pixels in their new place before you can lift another copy.

When you switch to a different tool, the pixels are dropped, but the selection is preserved around those pixels you just copied, so switching back to the Move tool and "lifting" another copy will lift an identical image section, just from the ending location instead of the starting location. So, you will not have to redo the Selection area, it'll just make a copy from the last copy you just made.

To see this in action, start a new image and draw a filled ellipse on the Background layer of your canvas in some color other than white, and hit to switch to the Rectangle Select tool. Draw a selection that includes both some of the color and some of the white, and press [M] to switch to the Move Selected Pixels tool. Hold [Ctrl] and click in the selection, and drag it to another area on the canvas. You'll see that the original piece of the image stays and a duplicate section is moved. Now press , [M] to switch away from the Move tool and back again, dropping the pixels but retaining the selected area. Again, hold [Ctrl] and click-drag another duplicate away.

It's not as intuitive as the PhotoShop method where every [Ctrl]+click+drag creates a new copy, but if I remember correctly, PhotoShop makes a new layer for each copy. In Paint.NET, all layers are the size of the overall canvas, so the PhotoShop behavior isn't feasible. Using keyboard shortcuts to quickly switch away from and back to the Move tool is the fastest alternative I've found.

[david.atwell]

Show-off. :-)

[wiiiindy]

Got it. Hardly ideal but it works. But I find it easier to hit K or H then M before the next copy. I wonder why you use S. Do you do everything with the keyboard instead of using the mouse?

[Crazy Man Dan]

I have a laptop, but I use it on my lap, so I don't have an external mouse. As such, I use the touchpad (right-handedly), which is below the keyboard in the center, which makes my right hands default resting place within finger-distance of the [M]. My left hand hovers over the [shift], [Ctrl], and [Alt] keys on the left side of the keyboard, making its default resting position within finger distance of the . Since the selection tools that activates can't accidentally affect the pixels under the selection, I find is both safe and convenient.

If you're using a Mouse-mouse, though, then yeah, using a key closer to the [M] would be easier for the single-handed approach.

[Myrddin]

I have a laptop, but I use it on my lap...

Why 'but'? It is called a laptop for a reason .

By the way, I'm in the same predicament where keyboard commands are practically the only option for an efficient session, hence I follow the same technique as you.

[DarkShock]

Show-off. :-)

Don't be jealous.