moving or dragging a layer with few pixels

[flora]

I sometimes work with files that have very few pixels.   It can be a problem to drag them onto the canvas or even move them about the canvas and it interrupts my work flow.  I've discovered I can use the lasso tool rather the move tool/drag option.  

Select the layer, draw round it with the lasso tool, switch to the move tool and drag  where you like.

Sometimes I have that many layers I can't locate it on the page because it might be in 'vivid light' mode for instance.  I  switch the mode of that layer to the difference mode and locate it that way.    

So easy.   No more frustration.    

[flora]

Thanks for moving it, Sepiana. I forgot to add that this tip works with .png files. not jpgs.

[cats4jan]

When I need to move a layer that has few pixels, I use transform 

This is especially helpful when you have text layers that are too close to each other

[Major Major]

Sept 25, 2017 0:56:59 GMT flora said:

Thanks for moving it, Sepiana. I forgot to add that this tip works with .png files. not jpgs.

I can't imagine that it wouldn't work with both.

[Sepiana]

Sept 25, 2017 0:13:34 GMT flora said:

I sometimes work with files that have very few pixels.   It can be a problem to drag them onto the canvas or even move them about the canvas and it interrupts my work flow.  I've discovered I can use the lasso tool rather the move tool/drag option.  

Select the layer, draw round it with the lasso tool, switch to the move tool and drag  where you like.

Sometimes I have that many layers I can't locate it on the page because it might be in 'vivid light' mode for instance.  I  switch the mode of that layer to the difference mode and locate it that way.    

So easy.   No more frustration.    

Flora,

Thanks for this tip! This is a great workaround to deal with this problem. However, Elements is capable of moving files with very few pixels without you having to use the Lasso tool. Just Ctrl/Cmmd-click on the layer thumbnail (not on the layer name). This will load those pixels as a selection; you will see marching ants around them. Now you can easily move/drag those few pixels around.

I believe you use Elements 15. In this version Adobe introduced two new features -- Layer Groups and Layer Color Coding. You may want to give them a try; they really help when it comes to managing files with many layers.

Layer Groups in Photoshop Elements

Layer Colors in Photoshop Elements – Instructions

[flora]

Wow. Will I ever use the 'Layer Groups' option. Every day. Best tip ever. Elements 15 is worth it for me just for that. You're a gem and thanks for the links. I've only this new version a fortnight and haven't explored it yet.

I'm not sure how I might use the colour coding. I think it might get confusing for me personally but I can understand how it might of great use to someone else. I'll keep it mind though.

As for the .png files. The particular workaround I discovered above has been a great workaround for me but this other one would be better if I could get it to work. I must be missing something. It just brings up the layer dialogue, Sepiana.

[Sepiana]

Sept 27, 2017 8:54:47 GMT flora said:

Wow. Will I ever use the 'Layer Groups' option. Every day. Best tip ever. Elements 15 is worth it for me just for that. You're a gem and thanks for the links. I've only this new version a fortnight and haven't explored it yet.  

Flora, you are most welcome!

As a side note, one doesn't need to upgrade to Elements 15 to be able to group/ungroup layers. Users of Elements 7 through 14 can use a FREE third-party action (.atn file) to do the job.

www.photoshopelementsandmore.com/thread/1508/unlocking-non-editable-layers

As for the .png files. The particular workaround I discovered above has been a great workaround for me but this other one would be better if I could get it to work. I must be missing something. It just brings up the layer dialogue, Sepiana.

The use of Ctrl/Cmmd-Click I suggested in my previous post is not a workaround. It is a standard feature in Elements (as well as in Photoshop). The point I was trying to make is that there is no need to use workarounds (Lasso tool, Free Transform, etc.) because Elements is capable of doing it. When you do Ctrl/Cmmd-Click on the layer thumbnail, you are telling Elements to select (load as a selection) the nontransparent areas on the layer. Once those areas are selected, then, you can move them or do copy/paste. You can use this feature with both text (simplified or not) and image content.

If you give us more details of what you are trying to do, we may be able to figure out why it is not working for you. I don't really understand why this is bringing up the "layer dialogue". What do you mean by this?

Also, I am in total agreement with Craig about this . . .

Sept 26, 2017 23:15:44 GMT Major Major said:

Sept 25, 2017 0:56:59 GMT flora said:

I forgot to add that this tip works with .png files. not jpgs.

I can't imagine that it wouldn't work with both.

I cannot imagine it either. The file format (.jpeg, .png, .psd, etc.) has no bearing on this issue. We are talking about moving pixels.

[flora]

Sept 27, 2017 20:58:41 GMT Sepiana said:

Sept 27, 2017 8:54:47 GMT flora said:

As for the .png files. The particular workaround I discovered above has been a great workaround for me but this other one would be better if I could get it to work. I must be missing something. It just brings up the layer dialogue, Sepiana.

The use of Ctrl/Cmmd-Click I suggested in my previous post is not a workaround. It is a standard feature in Elements (as well as in Photoshop). The point I was trying to make is that there is no need to use workarounds (Lasso tool, Free Transform, etc.) because Elements is capable of doing it. When you do Ctrl/Cmmd-Click on the layer thumbnail, you are telling Elements to select (load as a selection) the nontransparent areas on the layer. Once those areas are selected, then, you can move them or do copy/paste. You can use this feature with both text (simplified or not) and image content.

If you give us more details of what you are trying to do, we may be able to figure out why it is not working for you. I don't really understand why this is bringing up the "layer dialogue". What do you mean by this?

Also, I am in total agreement with Craig about this . . .

Sept 26, 2017 23:15:44 GMT Major Major said:

I can't imagine that it wouldn't work with both.

I cannot imagine it either. The file format (.jpeg, .png, .psd, etc.) has no bearing on this issue. We are talking about moving pixels.

So I went back to have another go and nup. Then thought you just have the wrong keys so tried Opt/Cmd click and bingo.  Works like a charm.   
SaveSave

[flora]

Sept 26, 2017 23:14:09 GMT cats4jan said:

When I need to move a layer that has few pixels, I use the transform option of the move tool.

control/command T - opens the transform tool

This is especially helpful when you have text layers that are too close to each other

Hi, I tried it and nothing happens.   I tried Opt/Cmd T also and I get the Smart Tone dialogue.   It's a bit slow to load and probably  quicker to  go to the menu.  Okay so I checked the menu and the shortcut to the Transform Tool is Cmd T.  That gives me the bounding box which I can also select in the Move Tool option dialogue.   So many ways to do it.   I guess it's just what's easy for your work flow.

Your post was useful to me because I'm learning as I go.  Thanks.  SaveSave

[flora]

I should have added that I knew about using the bounding box to move pixels in .pngs but there were times when this didn't work and it frustrated me too often for me to bother with it. Hence why I started using the lasso tool. It only happened when there were very few pixels.

[cats4jan]

Sorry about the confusion in how to access Transform 

With a PC - you use Control T
With a Mac - you use Command T

[Sepiana]

Sept 28, 2017 6:11:56 GMT flora said:

So I went back to have another go and nup. Then thought you just have the wrong keys so tried Opt/Cmd click and bingo.  Works like a charm.  

Glad to hear you finally got it to work.

BTW, I believe you had the right keys to begin with.  If you want to select nontransparent areas, "a few pixels", on a layer, and you are on a Mac, you Cmmd-Click on the layer thumbnail as I explained earlier. This will load those areas as a selection; you will see marching ants around those areas. The whole idea is that, by doing this, there is no need to break your workflow to activate the Lasso tool or bring up the Free Transform command to select those areas. According to the Help file . . .

•To select only the nontransparent areas on an unmasked layer, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the layer thumbnail in the Layers panel.

[Sepiana]

I hate dwelling on this but I believe some further clarification may be needed for the benefit of new users of Elements who may be following this thread.

First, throughout the literature you may see shortcuts written in the . . ./. . . format. Ex.: The shortcut to bring up the Free Transform command may be written as:

Ctrl/Cmmd-T

That's how you interpret this:

If you are on a PC, you use the key listed to the left of the forward slash. So, your shortcut will be . . . Ctrl-T.

If you are on a Mac, you use the key listed to the right of the forward slash. So, your shortcut will be . . . Cmmd-T.

Second, the Move tool (shortcut = V) does not have a Transform option in its Options bar. Elements offers a set of four Transform commands; Free Transform is one of these commands. You go to Image>Transform to access any one of them. In the case of the Free Transform command, you also have the choice of a shortcut.

I believe this confusion is due to the following.

1.  When you use any one of the Transform commands, you will get the same kind of bounding box that appears when you use the Move tool.

2.  You can use the square handles of the Move tool to resize or distort the selected material. In this way, this tool allows you to do the same things as the Free Transform command does.

         

[flora]

Now I understand, Sepiana. ]. I initiated the thread and was thinking in terms of my own experience on the Mac and was assuming the answers were directed to me rather than everybody who might be interested. Apologies to everyone. I hope I haven't confused the issue further.

[Sepiana]

Sept 29, 2017 6:36:56 GMT flora said:

Now I understand, Sepiana. ]. I initiated the thread and was thinking in terms of my own experience on the Mac and was assuming the answers were directed to me rather than everybody who might be interested. Apologies to everyone. I hope I haven't confused the issue further.

Flora, there is no need for apologies. On the contrary, . . . kudos to you! You discovered a workaround to drag/move layers with few pixels and you generously shared it with all of us. This is a workaround which knows no boundaries, i.e., which works for both Windows and Mac users alike. Although Elements is designed to select those few pixels with a combo of key + thumbnail clicking, we never know when this program is going to "misbehave". Such a workaround will be handy then.

Sept 25, 2017 0:13:34 GMT flora said:

I sometimes work with files that have very few pixels. It can be a problem to drag them onto the canvas or even move them about the canvas and it interrupts my work flow. I've discovered I can use the lasso tool rather the move tool/drag option.

Select the layer, draw round it with the lasso tool, switch to the move tool and drag where you like.