To move the content within a selection in Paint.net, simply move your cursor inside the selection and drag it after defining your selection area.
Moving the Content Within a Selection in Paint.net
Once you have defined an area on your image using one of Paint.net's selection tools (like the Rectangle Select, Ellipse Select, Lasso Select, or Magic Wand), you can easily reposition the pixels or content contained within that selected area. This action is typically performed using the "Move Selected Pixels" tool, but the process itself is intuitive as described in the provided reference.
Here are the steps to move the content within a selection:
- Make Your Selection: Use any of the selection tools in Paint.net to define the area of your image you wish to move. You will see the "marching ants" outline indicating your active selection.
- Move Cursor Inside: Position your mouse cursor (arrow) so that it is inside the boundaries of the selection you have just made.
- Observe Cursor Change: Notice that the shape of the cursor will change (often to a crosshair with arrows), indicating that you are ready to move the selected content.
- Click and Hold: Hold down the left mouse button.
- Drag to Move: While keeping the left mouse button held down, drag the selection outline and the pixels within it to the desired new location on your canvas.
- Release: Release the left mouse button when the selected content is in its new position.
According to the reference, this moving capability is automatically enabled once you have made your selection, meaning you don't necessarily need to perform an extra enabling step, unlike what might be required in some other image editing programs. The act of simply moving the cursor inside the selection prepares it for dragging.
This method allows you to isolate and reposition specific parts of your image effortlessly.
