Working with Selections¶

In Rebelle you can easily select an area on the canvas to perform specific operations only inside this selected area. Selections serve as masking tools that block off the areas of the canvas you do not wish to change.

Operations that can be performed on the selection in Rebelle include painting, transforming, cutting, copying and pasting. It is also possible to create a stencil from a selection.

When a selection is active it is outlined on the canvas by dashes. Everything inside the area outlined is selected, and everything outside is unselected.

Paint within Selection¶

Create a simple mask on the canvas using the selection tool. Choose between rectangular, elliptical, polygonal, freehand or magic wand selection and create a selection on canvas. You will paint within the selection while the outside area will stay untouched. To paint on the areas outside the selection, click the 'Invert selection' button in the Selection Properties panel.

Note

You can quickly view your current selection via the 'Show Selection' button in the Layers panel or by tapping the Q shortcut. The non-active area on the canvas is colored red.

Transform Selection¶

Select specific parts of your painting using the selection tool. To transform this selection, click the Transform tool in the Tools panel or shortcut Ctrl + T on Windows or Cmd + T on macOS.

To transform the selection, click the Transform tool in the Tools panel or shortcut Ctrl + T on Windows or Cmd + T on macOS.

You can move, scale selection propotionally, rotate or flip selection horizontally or vertically.

Use Shift to scale the selection horizontally, vertically or both.

Use Alt to scale the selection relative to its center.

Use Shift to enable lock rotation at a 15-degree angle. You can change the default angle in Preferences > Tools > Transformation.

More about transform can be found in the Transform Tool Properties section.

Note

When a portion of the painting on the layer is selected and transformed, confirming the transformation will place the transformed area on a new layer. When the whole painting on the layer is selected and transformed, it will stay in the same layer.

Cut, Copy and Paste Selection¶

You can perform simple cut, copy and paste functions on the selected area of the canvas, either using the Edit menu or keyboard shortcuts.

Use Ctrl + X / Cmd + X to cut selection and Ctrl + V / Cmd + V to paste selection. You can cut and paste also from the Edit menu. Your selection will be pasted to a separate layer.

Use Ctrl + C / Cmd + C to copy selection and Ctrl + V / Cmd + V to paste selection. You can also copy and paste from the Edit menu. Your selection will be pasted to a separate layer.

Note

By default, the selection is kept after pasting a clipboard image. You can change this via Preferences > Tools > Selection where you deselect "Keep selection after pasting clipboard image".

Select All / Deselect All¶

Select the content of the current layer using the Ctrl + A / Cmd + A shortcut, via the Selection properties panel or via Edit menu > Select All.

Deselect the current selection by hitting the Ctrl + D / Cmd + D shortcut, via the Selection properties panel or via Edit menu > Deselect All.

You can change these shortcuts anytime via Preferences > Keyboard > Edit.

Select All Visible¶

Select all non-transparent pixels of the selected layer using one click. Use the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + V on Windows or Cmd + Alt + V on macOS.

You can also hold down the Ctrl key on Windows or Cmd key on macOS and click on the layer's thumbnail in the Layers panel to select the non-transparent pixels of that layer.

Invert Selection¶

Invert the current selection. The selected area will become inactive. Invert selection using the Ctrl + Shift + I / Cmd + Shift + I shortcut or via Edit menu > Invert Selection.

You can change the shortcut anytime via Preferences > Keyboard > Edit.

Show Selection & Show Selection Lines¶

Show selection to see which parts of the canvas are outside the current selection either via the Edit menu or by using the Q shortcut.

The color and the opacity of the 'Show Selection' mode can be adjusted in Preferences > Color > Selection.

Show or hide the lines (marching ants) of the selection either via the Edit menu or by using the Alt+Q shortcut.

Create Stencil from Selection¶

In Rebelle you can create a stencil from your selection via the Stencils panel menu. Draw your selection on the canvas and confirm the selection, then go to the Stencils panel menu and click "Create Stencil from Selection". The new stencil will be automatically created and added to the Stencils panel. This way you can mask out the specific area of the canvas (similar to using masking fluid).

Crop Canvas from Selection¶

Change the format of the image by cropping the area outside the current selection. Draw your selection on the canvas and confirm the selection, then go to the Edit menu and select "Crop Canvas from Selection". The canvas will be cropped and a new image format will be created.

Restore Last Selection¶

Rebelle remembers the last selection created during the session. You can restore this last selection from the Edit menu > Selection.

Open & Save Selection¶

You can save your selections as PNG files and reopen them anytime in Rebelle.

To save a current selection, go to the Edit menu > Selection and select "Save Selection As...".

To open a previously saved selection, go to the Edit menu > Selection and select "Open Selection...".

Create Selection from Stencil¶

Rebelle lets you create a selection from the currently active stencil. Add a stencil on canvas, go to the Edit menu > Selection and select "Create Selection from Stencil". A selection will automatically be created on canvas.

Create Selection from Path¶

Rebelle lets you create a selection from the currently active path. Add a path on canvas, go to the Edit menu > Selection and select "Create Selection from Path". A selection will automatically be created on canvas.

Feather...¶

This tool allows for gradual transitions between selected and unselected areas, providing a soft and natural blending effect. Whether refining edges or creating nuanced transitions, you can achieve seamless selections with enhanced control. Set up the radius from 1-100. Click Apply to apply the changes or Cancel to remove the changes.