Re: [Gimp-user] layers, new problem with old methods

[bgw <west ieee org>]

On 01/21/2013 11:06 AM, Steve Kinney wrote:
> On 01/21/2013 03:57 AM, Ofnuts wrote:
>
> > On 01/21/2013 01:30 AM, Richard Gitschlag wrote:
> > > As GIMP concepts go, floating selections have always existed in
> > > GIMP and they really are something that needs to be killed off
> > > with fire because of how big a stumbling block they are to new users.
> > *applauds*
> If I recall correctly, "floats" existed before "layers" in the GIMP,
> as a mechanism for moving pasted-in content around before merging it
> into the image.  Floats were not a problem for me when I was
> learning how to use the GIMP, and now I take them so much for
> granted that it's kind of tricky to think about the impact of doing
> away with them.
>
> Floats enable and require the user to explicitly anchor pasted
> content somewhere, i.e. make a new layer for it, merge it down into
> an existing layer, or merge it down into a layer mask.  Whether I
> would be OK with floats being done away with, would depend on the
> proposed mechanism for targeting where pasted content lands in the
> layer stack:  A proposed replacement for floats would have to
> accomplish the same results in a smaller number of steps, or the
> same number of steps but in a way that is substantially easier for a
> beginner to understand and use.
>
> Right now I can't think of a way to improve on the existing
> "floating layer" workflow.
In my experiment, I created a layer group and moved an image into it, and then:
    created a second-level layer sub-group within the group;
    moved my original picture into the group
    selected an area of the image in the subgroup
    copied / pasted
    "To-New-Layer"ed it
    moved the new layer into the newly created group.
I supposed that the entire indented activity was a single operation activated by 
the copy/paste activity
The sub-group can be manipulated essentially the same as the float had been; 
then afterward the "anchor" command is replaced by "Merge Layer Group."

I think this might be "substantially easier for a beginner to understand and use"

 -- Burnie