Mobile app version of vmapp.org
Login or Join
Nimeshi706

: GIMP: Trying to move selected text layer but moves background layer I have a background overlay on which I have three text layers on top. Now I want to move these text layers around on the

@Nimeshi706

Posted in: #Gimp #Layers

I have a background overlay on which I have three text layers on top.
Now I want to move these text layers around on the overlay, but I can't get it to work.

As soon as I click inside the text layer I can see that the background layer is catching the click, and if I drag I see that it's the background layer that is moved and not the intended text layer...

I find it very annoying, and I can't seem to figure out what I do wrong. The thing is that it seems to work sometimes, for one Click -> Drag -> Drop, but as soon as I try and move it again it just moves the background.

I have the Move Tool selected and the move is set to Move: Layer, just to be clear.

10.01% popularity Vote Up Vote Down


Login to follow query

More posts by @Nimeshi706

1 Comments

Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best

 

@Cugini998

Are you sure you're clicking on the actual letters in the text? When selecting a layer to move, GIMP will pick the uppermost layer which is non-transparent1 at the point you clicked, ignoring any transparent layers that might be on top of it.

What this means is that, using the "Pick a layer or guide" mode of the move tool, you can only drag a layer around by its opaque parts. Since a text layer is typically mostly transparent, with only narrow opaque lines making up the text, this can sometimes make them tricky to move.

The general solution (besides practicing finer mouse control) is to select "Move the active layer" in the move tool options (or just hold down the Shift key when clicking), which will cause it to move the currently selected layer no matter where you click. Then select the layer you want from the Layers dialog and move it around as you like.

You can do this by: 1) selecting the move tool, and 2) in the menu bar, navigating to Windows → Dockable Dialogs → Tool Options. In the dialog box that appears, select "Move the active layer".

1) I did a few tests, and it looks like the layer needs to be at least 25% opaque at the clicked point to be draggable. Anything less is treated as transparent.

10% popularity Vote Up Vote Down


Back to top | Use Dark Theme