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# Selection A selection can be created with several drawing tools or by pasting in an image from an external source. Unlike some other image editors you may have used, NPS Image Editor's selection is part of the active layer. This provides the advantage of much simpler move operations (select, move, done – no need to choose a different tool) but this can make certain other workflows slightly more complicated. ## New Layer from Selection If you want to use the selection in a manner more similar to other image editors, convert it to a layer. This will allow you to draw inside the bounds defined by the selection. Then when you are done, you can merge down the new layer. ## Mask Selections created with the Freeform Select or Magic Wand tool contain a mask that defines the shape of the selection. Many of the same principles of layer masks apply to selection masks. ## Refining the selection If you've just created a rectangular selection, you can refine it by expanding it to a full "row" or "column" of the image. This saves time compared to painstakingly trying to hit just the right pixel on the edge. Access refinement options by right-clicking on the selection. You can also expand and shrink the selection. The current drawing width is used to determine how much to shrink or grow. You will not be able to refine a selection that was moved, pasted in from an external source, or contains a mask. ### Invert selection Inverting the selection will select all pixels and mask out the parts previously selected. This will work on any type of selection, even if it already contains a mask, and will work even if the selection has been moved. ### Ripple Delete If you have a full row or column selected, the Ripple Delete (Ctrl+Del) command will delete the selection and then move the rest of the image over to fill the gap. This is very useful when you are editing a screenshot and need to get rid of space in the middle. ## Moving the selection You can quickly move the selection to the edges or middle of your image using the Move commands in the right-click menu. You can of course also move the selection by clicking and dragging, or by using the arrow keys. ## Copy Merged Since the selection is part of the active layer only, you will need to "Copy Merged" to get the full selection image onto the clipboard. ## Compositing mode The compositing mode defines how transparent parts of the selection are handled. By default, transparent parts of the selection will overwrite what's below them (while the mask is always blended). However you can also set the selection to blend its transparent regions much like a layer. This is useful when you've pasted in an image containing transparency and want to layer it on top of existing pixels. Use the "Swap Alpha and Mask" command in the Color menu to achieve the same thing without changing the compositing mode ## See also: Layer Mask