How to copy a region of a bitmap and paste it quickly?

[jpdp]

This has got me stumped!
I have searched help, online and here, and I can't work out how to do this.

With a tool like SnagIt, you can simply use a region editor to copy or cut an area and paste that area in another location. It's really quick, you draw the rectangle around the area and then you can just drag it to a new section.
https://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-s...-sections.html

I want to be able to select a part of a photo or bitmap and cut and paste / drag it to another area.

Any ideas how to do this quickly and easily?
Thanks!

[mwenz]

Create the shape--any shape desired including a rectangle--send it behind the image, select the image (hold shift as the shape is still selected or otherwise select both the shape and the image) and press the Q key (clip).

[jpdp]

Thanks - that seems to have the same effect as using the photo clip tool.
What I ended up doing is copying the same bitmap in from the gallery and then using the clip tool to cut what I need out and position it.
Not as fast as using SnatIt...

[mwenz]

Yes and no. For one, shapes beyond a rectangle can be used. Even a rectangle can be made to be a precise pixel measurement versus just sizing by eye. For two, and more importantly to me, a screen cap is limited to the resolution of the monitor. Maybe this isn't important to what you do, but I work mostly in print.

Don't get me wrong, there are times I use my screen capture utility to grab a portion of a design. Which I use mainly to post on forums.

[jpdp]

Good point - I didn't think about using a non-rectangle shape or combined shapes.
Well I did learn something new - the Apply Clipview command, so thanks!

[jpavel]

You can use mask mode to do exactly what you want:

- Engage Mask mode (Ctrl+M in my setup), the screen turns pink
- Draw a rectange or any other shape on the mask layer (the default drawing layer in mask mode)
- Using the selector tool, CTRL-click within that shape
- Press CTRL-K to clone the portion of the bitmap within the shape

At that point, you'll have a partial copy of the bitmap in whatever shape you drew.

Best,
Jesse

[siran]

Nice to know, thank you!

[jvila]

Wow, I didn't know about that mask capability.
Thank you very much.

[angelize]

Xara's cloning tool can do this. With your photo selected clock the photo tool then click the cloning icon now draw freehand around the area you want to cover or replace, then click and drag on the area you want to replace it with. you can move it around and line it up as you wish, resize it and adjust the feathering but that's not all, you can go into the selector tool, hold ctrl and click the cloned patch and this way you can rotate, flip, skew stretch and more.

[David.P]

You can use mask mode to do exactly what you want:

- Engage Mask mode (Ctrl+M in my setup), the screen turns pink
- Draw a rectange or any other shape on the mask layer (the default drawing layer in mask mode)
- Using the selector tool, CTRL-click within that shape
- Press CTRL-K to clone the portion of the bitmap within the shape

At that point, you'll have a partial copy of the bitmap in whatever shape you drew.

Wow, I can't believe that this simple task of copying a rectangular part of an existing bitmap (as described by jpdp) should be so complicated to do.

What's more, already step 1 does not work (screen does not turn pink).

???

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Edit, I somehow figured out how to do it.

- Draw a rectange
- Select the (pink-ish) mask creation tool in the second tools row (Alt-F7) -> your rectangle becomes pink (i.e. is masked, however you'll want the rest of the image masked instead)
- Press Shift+Ctrl+I (this inverts the mask)
- Change to the selector tool (the normal arrow)
- Press CTRL-K to clone the rectangle's content
- Use the selector/arrow tool to move your clipped rectangle bitmap around.

Goodness gracious me