Moving a selection?

[PeterAit]

Photoshop. I want to select an area using Magic Wand and then move the selection to another area. Not the contents of the selection, just the outline--so I can select the same shaped area from another part of the image. Possible?

[digitaldog]

The outline fine, you need to decide how many pixels you want of that outline selected. Move, as usual, then under Select check out "Modify". Maybe you want "Border" with one pixel?

[Jeffrey Saldinger]

An active selection (regardless of how it was made) can be saved as an alpha channel (Select>Save Selection). You can then re-select it and move it as you wish at any time. If you want to save the original selection in order to repeat moving it to different locations, you can duplicate the original and move only its duplicates.

[jwlimages]

Hmm, I don't know why you're getting these answers, seems a simple question with a simple answer. (unless I am somehow misunderstanding, of course)

So you make your selection, using Magic Wand or any other selection tool. Then simply click inside the selected area & drag - the selection will move, not the pixels. Just make sure not to change to a 'non-selection' tool (e.g., the Move tool) before you drag.

If you take the Save to an Alpha Channel route, that will work except for the fact that when you move the channel/selection around, you will find that some additional areas of your image become selected. You'll have to go into Quick Mask mode to paint them out in order to get just the selected area you want...

HTH,

John

[digitaldog]

Hmm, I don't know why you're getting these answers, seems a simple question with a simple answer. (unless I am somehow misunderstanding, of course)

So you make your selection, using Magic Wand or any other selection tool. Then simply click inside the selected area & drag - the selection will move, not the pixels. Just make sure not to change to a 'non-selection' tool (e.g., the Move tool) before you drag.

He's getting those answer because he doesn't want the full selection after its moved. As he wrote: "Not the contents of the selection, just the outline-"

[jwlimages]

... he doesn't want the full selection after its moved. As he wrote: "Not the contents of the selection, just the outline-"

Ah, OK. I read "not the contents, just the outline" as meaning not the pixels, just the selection outline. Sounds like you're saying he wants the border of the selection area - yes, quite different.

John

[Daverich]

Ah, OK. I read "not the contents, just the outline" as meaning not the pixels, just the selection outline. Sounds like you're saying he wants the border of the selection area - yes, quite different.

John

Well, I read it the way you did originally because he says he wants to make the same selection elsewhere in the image. To me that means your answer was correct. Perhaps the OP could weigh in again and clarify what was intended.

[digitaldog]

Pretty clear text, proper answers provided.

I want to select an area using Magic Wand and then move the selection to another area. Not the contents of the selection, just the outline--so I can select the same shaped area from another part of the image.

[Daverich]

so I can select the same shaped area from another part of the image. Possible?

The outline fine, you need to decide how many pixels you want of that outline selected…..  Maybe you want "Border" with one pixel?

If he wants to select the same shaped area he doesn’t want any width to the selection. At this point I’m going to stand down until the OP clarifies what he’s after as neither you nor I actually know other than we disagree on what it is.

[digitaldog]

At this point I’m going to stand down until the OP clarifies what he’s after as neither you nor I actually know other than we disagree on what it is.

Good idea (and again, my reading of his English is very clear).

[Peano]

So you make your selection, using Magic Wand or any other selection tool. Then simply click inside the selected area & drag - the selection will move, not the pixels.

This is the correct answer. There's a lot of confusion in this thread arising from misreading the OP's question.

Instead of dragging the selection to a new location on the image, you can also move it by holding the Shift key and using the arrow keys. Either way moves only the outline of marching ants, not the image pixels inside the outline.

[Peano]

The outline fine, you need to decide how many pixels you want of that outline selected. Move, as usual, then under Select check out "Modify".

No, you misunderstood his question.

[digitaldog]

No, you misunderstood his question.

Perhaps. Let's let the OP make this decision.

[PeterAit]

Perhaps. Let's let the OP make this decision.

I figured this out. MAKE A SELECTION USING ANY OF THE TOOLS THEN CLICK ON THE LASSO TOOL. YOU CAN then drag the selection outline to a new location. I think someone mentioned something along these lines, and now I have verified. Like many things, simple once you know how!

[jwlimages]

PeterAit wrote:

MAKE A SELECTION USING ANY OF THE TOOLS THEN CLICK ON THE LASSO TOOL. YOU CAN then drag the selection outline to a new location.

HaHa, yup!

As an aside to Andrew: how long do you think this has been a feature of Photoshop - maybe back to version 2? I don't even remember, but I do recall the introduction of layers, a Big Deal in version 3. What do you think?

John

[Daverich]

Perhaps. Let's let the OP make this decision.

Seems like he has…