Re: [Gimp-gui] About the "floating selection"

[Ofnuts <ofnuts gmx com>]

Another use case not mentioned is pasting to a channel.

As you point out, the floating selection when pasting in layers is not
that useful these days.

However is you are creating a new layer directly you are not pasting to
a specific layer but to layers in general. But we can infer something
like the e position of that new layer in the layer stack/tree from the
target layer (should be used other clues like the size/position/mode of
that layer?)

Now when pasting to channels, with the current scheme you need a lot of
faith to understand that the thing you see in Layers will eventually be
added to a Channel when you anchor it. A bit the same for a mask. I
would suggest different visual clues:

1. We call it "Paste layer", "Pasted channel", "Pasted mask" depending
on target

2. Even if it is displayed as a plain layer on the canvas, its
thumbnail/name appears in the proper list (as a mask of an empty layer
in the Layers list for a mask, as a Channel for a Channel). But of
course displaying it as its final form (ie altering a mask if it is
pasted to a mask) would be even better.

3. The target object (Layer/Mask/Channel) get some kind of visual
indicator that it the Chosen One (because in the process, we can lose
track of that)

On 03/12/2020 00:10, Jehan wrote:
> Hello everyone!
>
> We have been pondering about the use cases of floating selections and
> possible changes for GIMP 3.
>
> # Current behavior
>
> Currently say you copy, then paste over a layer, you get a "Floating
> selection". You can do nothing so far except modify the floating
> selection contents (you can't select another layer for instance), and
> finally create a new layer off it, merge it to the layer below or
> delete it.
>
> ## Going simpler?
>
> Beginners are often confused at this stage when they don't realize
> they have a floating selection and that they have to make a decision
> to be able to do anything else. We gave university classes with GIMP
> and the "GIMP is stuck!" issue is quite a common one (when the student
> shows the screen, we directly see it, but beginners seem to miss even
> the big flashy green and red buttons on the Layers dockable).
>
> Yet even advanced users who are used to it seem to think it is
> bothersome. Indeed if a paste were just creating a new layer by
> default, then we'd spare one click if that was what you wanted to do
> (and if you wanted to merge, you could still do it in one click, so
> not better not worse). Also as its own layer, the data can be
> independently edited anyway. Finally no beginner confusion anymore. It
> seems like a total win.
>
> ## The only advantage of floating selection (at least only found so far)
>
> When you paste to a mask, there is no concept of multiple mask per
> layer (so far), so the only direct action would be merge/anchoring.
> But then it means you cannot edit the pasted data before merging.
>
> Indeed if you test pasting into a mask (click on a layer mask, then
> paste), your floating selection now acts as a mask itself and you get
> a preview of it. It's like the only time where a layer can somehow
> have 2 masks. So you can actually edit this pasted mask independently,
> move it, rotate it, paint in it, and finally merge it.
>
> That's indeed a big advantage here, and maybe the only reason I see
> for floating selections so far.
>
> # Proposition
>
> So our idea (at ZeMarmot project) would be:
>
> - When pasting on a layer, just create a new layer over the selected
> ones. Done. No floating selection anymore.
>
> - When pasting on a layer mask, still make a floating selection (but
> probably name it "Floating mask" because the name "Floating
> *selection*" is weird anyway).
>
> # Feedback
>
> So the questions are:
>
> - what do you all think?
>
> - did we miss anything? Are there some use cases where floating
> selections over a layer are meaningful too? Are there other use cases
> of floating selection we miss at all?
>
> - is there any reason why we'd want to leave a "Paste as floating
> selection" action (even if not default anymore)? I mean if there are
> no actual use case (other than pasting over mask which keeps the
> floating selection anyway), I don't see why we would. It only makes
> more maintenance burden with more code paths to take care of.
>
> But if we missed something, we obviously don't want to lose any
> ability of GIMP which was only possible (or much easier) because of
> floating selections.
>
> Thanks all!
>
> Jehan
> GIMP team