Help me with Photoshop layers and selcting stuff.

DeMoN

So, the other day in class, when working on an assignment, I was taught that when you select a shape in photoshop and create a new layer, the original shape remains selected. This isn't the case for me when I use photoshop at home. When I make a new layer, it deselects the shape on the previous layer.
Is there a setting or something to remedy this?
It's giving me a serious headache and I can't do my homework because of it.

Rhaven

Not sure off the top of my head why you would lose a selection when creating a new layer...but if the problem is that you need to retain your selection for further use, you can save it then reload it under Select > Save Selection (and Select > Load Selection to load it). Come to think of it, can't you just reselect it once it becomes deselected? Apologies if I misunderstood your question...I'll look into the settings when I have a chance.

DeMoN

Yeah, it's kind of hard to explain. When I select an object in a layer, and then make a new layer, the original object should still be selected, so that the work I do on the new layer is still done in the same shape of the original selection. But when I make a new layer, I lose the selection, I just have a blank layer to work on.

Rhaven

That's weird. I just checked in CS3 and that doesn't appear to be the case for me...and I couldn't find any settings where you might be able to change that either. Can you CTRL-D to reselect your selection once you've made a new layer?

Oh, when you say that you select an object, do you mean that you just draw a selection around a certain portion of your image? Or are you actually selecting a vector shape or something like that?

Daenris

Hmm... not sure why it's doing this for you. What version of Photoshop are you using?

Though, as suggested you can save the selection then reload it after creating the new layer.

DeMoN

Hold on, I think the problem itself is with selecting objects. For my homework I have to create a new document then draw an an ellipse with the Ellipse Marquee tool, and then make a new layer using Layer via Cut. When I did this in class I'm pretty sure this kept the circle selected. When I do it at my home computer, it doesn't stay selected. And when I do select it manually, I don't see the usual moving dotted line, I just get a dotted box around it, so I don't see the actual outline of the circle.

I'm using photoshop CS3.

Daenris

Ah... no, Layer Via Cut won't retain the selection. What is does is cuts out whatever you have selected and pastes it as a new layer. So if I have a blank image with a background color blue, make an elliptical selection, and do New Layer Via Cut, it cuts out the Blue ellipse, and pastes it as a new layer, so I have a layer with my blue ellipse, and a layer beneath it with an ellipse cut out.

DeMoN

But then if I were to apply a gradient onto the new layer, shouldn't the gradient go into the circular shape? In this case it does not. The whole image is covered by the gradient.

yalborap

DeMoN wrote: »

But then if I were to apply a gradient onto the new layer, shouldn't the gradient go into the circular shape? In this case it does not. The whole image is covered by the gradient.

The issue is you still have a full layer, it's just that most of it is transparent. Hit the 'lock transparency' button, right above your actual layers. Or turn it into a mask. Or hold command and click on the layer's thumbnail(on a mac, probably control on a PC). All of these will get you where you need to be in some form or another.

flatlinegraphics

also, selections are not shapes. draw out a shape (below the type tool, next to the white arrow, on your palette, or "u"). make sure that "shape layers" is clicked on the floating palette on the top. now, you should be able to continue to select and use that shape. you can also see the shape on your "paths" palette, as a "work path". if you double click the work path, you can make it into path that you can use and reselect multiple times.