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The command converts a normal selection
into a “floating selection”.
A floating selection (sometimes called a “floating layer”) is
a type of temporary layer which is similar in function to a normal layer,
except that before you can resume working on any other layers in the
image, a floating selection must be anchored.
That is, you have to attach it to a normal (non-floating) layer, usually
the original layer (the one which was active previously), for instance, by
clicking on the image outside of the floating selection (see below).
![[Important]](images/important.png)
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Important |
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You cannot perform any operations on other layers while the image has a
floating selection!
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You can use various operations to change the image data on the floating
selection. There can only be one floating selection in an image at a time.
![[Tip]](images/tip.png)
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Tip |
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If you display the layer boundary by using the
Show Layer Boundary
command, you may have difficulty selecting a precise area of the
image which you want in a layer. To avoid this problem, you can make a
rectangular selection, transform it into a floating selection and
anchor it to a new layer. Then simply remove the original layer.
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In early versions of GIMP, floating
selections were used for performing operations on a limited part of an
image. You can do that more easily now with layers, but you can still
use this way of working with images.
4.5.1. Activate the Command
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You can access this command from the image menubar through
→ ,
-
or by using the keyboard shortcut
Shift+Ctrl+L.
4.5.2. Creating a Floating Selection Automatically
Some image operations create a floating selection automatically:
-
The “paste” operations,
Paste Named Buffer,
Paste or
Paste Into, also
create a floating selection.
-
In addition, the Transform tools,
Flip,
Shear,
Scale,
Rotate and
Perspective,
create a floating selection when they are used on a selection,
rather than a layer. When the Affect mode is
Transform Layer and a selection already exists,
these tools transform the selection and create a floating selection
with the result. If a selection does not exist, they transform the
current layer and do not create a floating selection. (If the
Affect mode is Transform
Selection, they also do not create a floating selection.)
-
By click-and-dragging a selection while pressing the
Ctrl+Alt keys
(see Section 2.1, “Moving a Selection”) you also
automatically create a floating selection.
4.5.3. Anchor a Floating Selection
You can anchor a floating selection in various ways:
-
You can anchor the floating selection to the current layer the
selection is originating from. To do this, click anywhere on the
image except on the floating selection. This merges the floating
selection with the current layer.
-
Or you can use the
Anchor layer command
(Ctrl+H).
-
You can also anchor the floating selection to the current layer by
clicking on the anchor button of the
Layers dialog.
-
If you create a New Layer
while there is a floating selection, the floating selection is
anchored to this newly created layer.
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