How do you MOVE stuff in GIMP as there's no pointer?

[ulrichburke]

Dear Anyone.

Dunno what version of GIMP I've got, complete dumbass with software, but most things have a pointer tool that lets you move stuff about the screen. Now I've imported 2 JPEGs. I want to position one inside the other - but I can't find a pointer tool to move them about the screen with. Where is it?  Ditto for moving text around the screen (I've googled 'Where's the Pointer in GIMP' and it says there isn't one which has to be stupid, I can't believe the programmers would leave out something so basic. Gimp's supposed to be a free Photoshop and that's got a pointer!) 

Also - sorry for two questions in one thread - I use the scissors tool to outline an area of foreground.  Say  for argument's sake someone's head.  Now I want to remove the head(!) and leave the rest of the picture untouched. If I press DELETE, it doesn't delete the area I've selected, it deletes the whole picture! 

How do I just delete what I've selected? Nope - CTRL-I for invert does NOT work, I've tried it. Whatever I do kills the background and leaves the selected foreground untouched which is the exact opposite of what I'm going for!

Yours frustratedly

Chris.

[rich2005]

Quote:..Gimp's supposed to be a free Photoshop and that's got a pointer!..

No you are mistaken. Gimp is not a free photoshop and works in different ways. If you want to use Ad*be PS you should buy (rent) a copy.

Two Images (opened as layers?) Move a layer with the move tool. screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/h1T9Mo5.jpg If the layer contains transparency (such as text) you might want to enable move the active layer

Moving Text while the text tool is active ctrl-alt-click'n'drag https://i.imgur.com/rddvges.jpg if not in the text tool treat it as a layer and use the move tool.

Cutting a selection. You have not decided which Gimp to use yet (Help -> About will tell you, same as 99% of applications) , but once you get those 'crawling-ants' selection you can cut ctrl-x or use the menu Edit -> Cut https://i.imgur.com/cNbVCPF.jpg

[sallyanne]

Depending on your preferences in Gimp too, the pointer changes to the shape of the tool your using. ie the move tool is a 

[JohnSandlin]

if you place your mouse over something that can be selected - a tool or menu or other such item - the pointer does appear. It is only over the image where the pointer is, well pointless, that it disappears and becomes which ever tool you have currently chosen. I believe it is a pencil by default. If you "hover" the mouse over a tool on the left set of icons, you will see they have a pop up "help text" that tells you what a specific icon represents. The MOVE tool looks like a four way arrow - because you can move in all directions with it.

The scissors select tool is a smart select that you would use, as you state in your "for example" someone's head. You have to CLOSE the selection before the delete key will act the way you want. Otherwise, like a paint too, it will leak and you'll paint... or in this case delete the whole thing. To close the scissors select, you have to click on the node that you started the selection at. Then once your selection of solid segments completely surrounds whatever you are selecting, click inside that area to make that a real selection (with the marching ants dotted lines). Then if you click delete, the selection will be gone.