(11-09-2017, 08:42 PM)rich2005 Wrote: You could almost consider it to be a bug. Seeing what it is in Gimp 2.9.7 and the same, so unlikely to get a change from the developers.
The only (partial) solution I can think of
I think it's likely something the developers considered an improvement. And in all honesty I would have to objectively agree. I can't foresee anyone actually needing what I need (displaying the pasted layers boundaries past where transparency is) other than for this specific method of pixel art using a grid based system. So I definitely wouldn't expect the developers to add in a toggle specifically for me, as I would represent a very small percent of the end user.
Decent recommendation, however I think that'd still end up taking slightly more time than my current work around. Since I can work around my issue, it simply takes a few seconds longer (representing a roughly 100% time increase in the process over all). Which I realize a few seconds might sound trivial but production work flow becomes important when every few seconds over each process can end up being a decent chunk of over all production time.
(11-09-2017, 09:51 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: I can reproduce the "problem", but there is a misunderstanding... what you see around the pasted object is not the layer boundary, it is an automatic alpha-to-selection applied to what is being pasted. The true size of the initial copy is still there, in particular, at that point "Layer>To new layer" will create a layer the size of the initial selection.
You are absolutely correct. I hadn't realized that it was in fact retaining the transparent area as part of the new layer upon initially making this post. It wasn't until rich2005 had recommended a new layer that I realized it was in fact retaining the size, but simply wasn't displaying it upon pasting.
(11-09-2017, 09:51 PM)Ofnuts Wrote: In the picture below, I made a wide selection around a funky shape with partial opacity
So what is required is either:
- a bit of faith because even if you don't see it, the copy boundary is there
- and if you want to see it, Ctrl-Shift-N to make a new layer from the copy, and it will have the initial copy boundary
Amazing test, mate. That was super clever. The problem with making it into a new layer is that the new layer is then at the top, past the active layer I was working on, with other layers between it.
This then forces me to move the new layer to above my active layer to merge down to the correct layer (otherwise that's how I would have solved it initially).
I did consider simply having my other layers remain invisible so that it would always merge down accordingly, but those layers are often shadows and detail that I haven't decided to merge with the background yet (since it is pixel art, and I need to add detail on top that doesn't remove the background pixels, until I'm satisfied, then ultimately merge it in order to edit both together eventually) and it is easier to keep everything within the same layer so that my boundaries are the same size as the image, and I can thus work within the confines of the image boundary itself without having to edit layer to image size (another step, costing more effort/time).
Remembering the idea here, for me, is to avoid as many steps/hot key commands as possible in order to have an expedited process (something that took me months to perfect into a streamlines process). Since the more futzing I have to do with layers, boundary sizes, etc, the longer the entire process can be, and the more tedious it becomes, and the easier it is to lose inspiration/train of thought when trying to create something visually appealing (I thought it worth explaining why I can't just make a new layer out of everything I cut and past and move, cause the new layers would add up super fast, and wouldn't merge down onto the correct layer).
The best analogy I could think of is if you had to sharpen a pencil every 3 lines you drew, it would then be difficult to have the work flow out of your head and onto the paper as fast as the ideas are coming into your head. (in case someone doesn't draw, the way you keep your pencil sharp over multiple lines is you rotate it in your hand so you ware the edge down evenly and keep a reasonably sharp point).
I was all ready to be excited at the prospect of using the guidelines to snap my floating selection pasted layer, but the problem is vertical lines aren't enough, I need horizontal lines, and since there are literally 100's of them over the length of the image that setup time isn't reasonable.
However, it did inspire my new solution which now allows it to take almost the same development time (minus if I use ctrl shift N to double check it, followed by ctrl z to undo so I can easily left click of the pasted layer to merge down to my active layer).
I simply toggled View > Snap to Grid, and set my snap distance to 64 so that it's basically impossible to move the pasted floating layer anywhere but snapped to a grid. It's still a touch sloppy at times, but it most certain shaved time of the process.
-Good Karama to you Ofnuts for inspiring my solution, and to everyone else who posted with potential solutions. I thumbs upped the people who posted helping in order to generate more reputation for you.
