PhotoPlus X2 User Guide - Serif

Making a selection
Manipulating Images 43
In any photo editing program, the selection tools and techniques are as significant
as any of the basic brush tools or commands. The basic principle is simple: quite
often you'll want to perform an operation on just a portion of the image. To do this
you must define an active selection area.
The wide range of selection options in PhotoPlus lets you:
• Define just about any selection shape
• Modify the extent or properties of the selection (see Modifying a selection on
p. 49)
• Carry out various manipulations on the selected pixels, including cut, copy,
paste, rotate, etc. (see Manipulating a selection on p. 53)
Selection basics
Although the techniques for using the various selection methods differ, the end
result is always the same: a portion of the active layer has been roped off from the
rest of the image. The boundary is visible as a broken line or marquee around the
selected region.
The cursor over the selection changes to the Move
Marquee cursor, which lets you reposition just the
marquee as needed without affecting the underlying
pixels.
Whenever there's a selection, certain tools and commands operate only on the
pixels inside the selection—as opposed to a condition where nothing is selected, in
which case those functions generally affect the entire active layer.
For example, when there's a selection, the brush tools only work inside
the selection; the colour simply doesn't affect outside pixels. If you
apply an adjustment or special effect, it only affects the selected region.
You may occasionally (especially if the marquee is hidden) find yourself using a
tool or command that seems to have no effect... it's probably because there's still a
selection somewhere, and you're trying to work outside the selection. In this case,
just cancel the selection.