+- Gimp-Forum.net (https://www.gimp-forum.net)
+-- Forum: GIMP (https://www.gimp-forum.net/Forum-GIMP)
+--- Forum: Tutorials and tips (https://www.gimp-forum.net/Forum-Tutorials-and-tips)
+--- Thread: Why is the Move tool moving the wrong layer? (/Thread-Why-is-the-Move-tool-moving-the-wrong-layer)
Why is the Move tool moving the wrong layer? - Ofnuts - 01-23-2024
By default, the Move tool auto-picks the layer of the top most-non transparent pixel where you click. So, starting with such an image:
[attachment=11054]
Depending on where you click the Move tool will pick a different layer:
[attachment=11055]
This can be disconcerting at times because if you click at random in text, you could be clicking on a transparent spot (for instance, inside the D or O above) and so selecting a layer below (the background or the green spot), which will make the move tool move that layer and not the text layer.
So, to move text, you have to click on the characters themselves (or on any opaque part of the layer, but this is what we are naturally doing most of the time for non-text layers).
In case of dire need, you can make the Move tool act on the active layer:
[attachment=11056]
But instead of checking the tool option, you can also just start the drag with a shift-click. It is usually a bad idea to set the tool permanently in the Move active layer mode, because it makes arranging several layers very cumbersome.
Finally, remember that in the Text tool, you can move the layer you are editing by Alt-Control-drag (independently of where you click).