Hello - my first dumb question

DaleF · **Joined:** Sep 27, 2017 **Posts:** 1

Hello, I am completely new to GIMP, finding myself here only because I have a photo - a shot of a person - that I need to clear away the left half of the photo, keeping only the person and whatever is to the right of him. I got so far as to select using the scissors the part I want to blank out. But now I cannot figure out how to do anything with the selection - specifically make it go away. It seems this should be simple, but ....

Pat625 · **Joined:** May 12, 2015 **Posts:** 4693

Welcome to Gimp Chat, DaleF!

With your photo open in Gimp, use your rectangular select tool found in the tool box and make a selection of the part of the photo you wish to keep. Then go to Images/Crop to selection. Now you will have only the part that you wanted.

lylejk · **Joined:** Sep 24, 2010 **Posts:** 12825

If you have Resynthesizer plugin installed, you can select the object to remove and choose the heal selection script-fu which comes with the Resynthesizer plugin.

http://registry.gimp.org/node/27986

Erisian · **Posted:** Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:08 am **(#4)**

Re the title of your thread:

“The only stupid question is the question that is never asked.”
(Ramon Bautista)

Tas_mania · **Joined:** Nov 04, 2015 **Posts:** 1461

Hi DaleF,
I use Pat625's method - rectangle select with the left mouse button and delete or clear.

sallyanne · **Posted:** Thu Sep 28, 2017 5:07 am **(#6)**

DaleF wrote:

I got so far as to select using the scissors the part I want to blank out. But now I cannot figure out how to do anything with the selection - specifically make it go away. It seems this should be simple, but ....

To remove/clear your selection (make sure the selection is around the area you want gone)press delete.

There are different ways you can do this too. Cut your selection (after Selection invert, Edit, cut) Paste it as a new image or paste it as a new layer (if you want to put it into something else).
BTW welcome to Gimp Chat

To get rid of a selection - go to 'selection in the top menu bar and click on none. Or, if you have dynamic keyboard shortcuts ticked you can press Shift, control, A.

Mainah_Ayuh · **Joined:** Oct 12, 2016 **Posts:** 377

Issabella · **Posted:** Mon Oct 02, 2017 3:32 pm **(#8)**

WElcome to Gimp Chat, DaleF

animicule · **Joined:** Jun 06, 2016 **Posts:** 1033

Welcome to Gimp Chat!

If you want the area you remove to be transparent,
Click the LAYERS tab, then right click anywhere in the open box.
Find ADD ALPHA CHANNEL and click on it.
Now the deleted area will be transparent and it will show the checkerboard pattern of the image canvas.

AnasaziDan · **Joined:** Feb 21, 2023 **Posts:** 5

I understand that GIMP always has a tool selected by default. However, the 2 attached images illustrate my issue.

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MyGIMPScreen.jpeg [ 149.29 KiB | Viewed 2120 times ]

After selecting a tool, I am unable to unselect the tool. Ctrl +Shift+A or the menu drop-down do not work.

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Select_None_Greyed_Out.jpg [ 32.43 KiB | Viewed 2120 times ]

PixLab · **Posted:** Wed Feb 22, 2023 12:08 am **(#11)**

AnasaziDan wrote:

After selecting a tool I am unable to unselect the tool. Ctrl +Shift+A or the menu drop-down do not work.

You are misunderstanding "Selecting" a tool, and a "Selection":
A Selection is an area which is selected on the canvas, thus the top "Select" menu dropdown is for that purpose as well as the "Ctrl +Shift+A",
If you don't want to have a type of tool "selected", just use another tool, usually people "Select" the move tool > :move

to "unselect" an active tool

nelo · **Posted:** Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:56 am **(#12)**

You always have one active tool in GIMP.
There is not "tool-less" state.

AnasaziDan · **Joined:** Feb 21, 2023 **Posts:** 5

Thank you all for your authoritative and rapid responses.

I am delighted to have now subscribed to gimpchat.com to enjoy responsive and authoritative answers to my enjoyable use of GIMP.

Using a Google search can lead to misinformation, as the image shows.

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