Eraser Stopped Working

[Connolly Music Creations]

I've been erasing the background on an image (saving frequently) but then out of nowhere the eraser stopped working.  I can still change the brushes, sizes, opacity, etc., but it doesn't erase.  On the toolbox under Eraser the Mode says Normal and I can't change that, but I'm so new I don't know if that's typical or not.  Since I shut down and came back to working on it, is there a history I can go back to and pick up from there?  Thanks!

[rich2005]

(Yesterday, 04:41 PM)Connolly Music Creations Wrote: I've been erasing the background on an image (saving frequently) but then out of nowhere the eraser stopped working.  I can still change the brushes, sizes, opacity, etc., but it doesn't erase. 

Post a screenshot showing the eraser toolbox settings / layers ....maybe the layer has been locked.

...but first look at the eraser cursor Does it have a little minus sign against it ? Is the eraser in anti-erase mode ?

   

[Connolly Music Creations]

(Yesterday, 05:14 PM)rich2005 Wrote:

(Yesterday, 04:41 PM)Connolly Music Creations Wrote: I've been erasing the background on an image (saving frequently) but then out of nowhere the eraser stopped working.  I can still change the brushes, sizes, opacity, etc., but it doesn't erase. 

Post a screenshot showing the eraser toolbox settings / layers ....maybe the layer has been locked.

...but first look at the eraser cursor Does it have a little minus sign against it ? Is the eraser in anti-erase mode ?

Here's what I'm seeing in the toolbox.  Also the eraser tool is now an oval but when I hit the circle brush it didn't change.  How do I get it back to the default circle?

[rich2005]

OK, not anti-erase then.

From your screenshot:
The brush aspect ratio is set to -5.00 which is oval. Click on the little circular arrow icon to reset to zero.
The eraser opacity is 78.2 so only partial erase. drag the slider back to 100
Do you have more than one layer ? Are you on the correct layer ?
Then if still not erasing Check the Layer dock and the lock pixels toggle.

   

If the intent is to erase a background from an image, a better way is use a layer mask (white) then paint in black to hide (erase) white to show. Save in xcf format retains the layer mask for future edits.

[denzjos]

Is there possible a selection active on your drawing?

[Connolly Music Creations]

(Yesterday, 05:14 PM)rich2005 Wrote:

(Yesterday, 04:41 PM)Connolly Music Creations Wrote: I've been erasing the background on an image (saving frequently) but then out of nowhere the eraser stopped working.  I can still change the brushes, sizes, opacity, etc., but it doesn't erase. 

Post a screenshot showing the eraser toolbox settings / layers ....maybe the layer has been locked.

...but first look at the eraser cursor Does it have a little minus sign against it ? Is the eraser in anti-erase mode ?

Here's what I'm seeing in the toolbox.  Also the eraser tool is now an oval but when I hit the circle brush it didn't change.  How do I get it back to the default circle?

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Sorry if my formatting is wrong. Getting thumb tied trying to learn this system.

Quote - "If the intent is to erase a background from an image, a better way is use a layer mask (white) then paint in black to hide (erase) white to show. Save in xcf format retains the layer mask for future edits."

This brings up an issue I wasn't familiar with. What I'm trying to do is take an old photo and keep only me (as a transparency?) so I can then superimpose that (layer it?) on top of another image which I then put into OpenShot Video Editor with music.

Here is the original and current but please advise on the best way to go.

---

Here are the images I'm working with.

Well, I tried to upload them to show what I'm doing / where I'm at but apparently they both exceed the size limit.  Is it possible to reduce the file size somehow?

[sallyanne]

To reduce your image file size. Reduce the size and export with a different name so you do not lose your original. If you search for allowed image sizes here you will know what size it cannot excede.
After you export your image check your image properties to see what the file size is.

[Connolly Music Creations]

(9 hours ago)sallyanne Wrote: To reduce your image file size. Reduce the size and export with a different name so you do not lose your original. If you search for allowed image sizes here you will know what size it cannot excede.
After you export your image check your image properties to see what the file size is.

It said it couldn't exceed 500kb but I cropped and cropped down some more and it was still too much.  So is it the pixel size of the area or the amount of information within that pixelated area - like a slogan might contain less info than a party photo even though they're the same size?  Such basic questions but I'll keep checking it out.

[sallyanne]

don't look at the properties before you export it again -  Scale your whole picture down in size don't crop.
Check the image properties AFTER you export or the file size will stay the same. You need it to come under 500kb file size

[Ofnuts]

(Yesterday, 10:12 PM)Connolly Music Creations Wrote: Well, I tried to upload them to show what I'm doing / where I'm at but apparently they both exceed the size limit.  Is it possible to reduce the file size somehow?

If you export at decent quality JPEG instead of PNG you should be under the 500KB limit, you can also shrink the GIMP UI a bit before taking the screenshot (in other words, reduce the size of the canvas display, as long as the rest remains visible).