Selection - Paint Forge Docs

Was this page helpful?

Object Selection

The Select tool (V) is your primary way to interact with vector objects on the canvas. Click any object to select it, then move, resize, rotate, or edit its properties in the right sidebar.

Action	How	Notes
Select single object	Click with the Select tool (`V`)	Clicking empty canvas deselects all
Multi-select	`Shift`+click additional objects	Toggle individual objects in and out of the selection
Select all objects	`Ctrl+A`	Selects every visible, unlocked object on the active layer
Deselect all	`Escape`	Clears the current object selection
Invert object selection	Edit menu > Invert Object Selection	Selects all visible/unlocked objects NOT currently selected; skips hidden and locked layers
Select similar objects	Edit menu > Select Similar...	Opens a dialog to match by type, fill, stroke, strokeWidth, blendMode, or opacity with a live match count preview
Zoom to object	Double-click an object (in Select tool)	Zooms the viewport to fit the selected object; text objects enter editing mode instead
Duplicate and move	`Alt`+drag a selected object	Creates an in-place duplicate and immediately begins moving the clone
Select all objects on layer	Edit menu > Select All on Layer	Selects every visible, unlocked object on the active layer regardless of which layer is active in the panel

You can also rubber-band select by dragging on empty canvas space. All objects that intersect the rectangle will be selected.

Object Transforms

When one or more objects are selected, interactive handles appear around the selection bounding box. Use these handles to move, resize, and rotate objects directly on the canvas.

Move, Resize & Rotate

Transform	Interaction	Modifier Keys
Move	Drag the selection body	`Shift` constrains to the dominant axis (horizontal or vertical)
Resize	Drag any of the 8 handles	`Shift` = proportional; `Alt` = scale from center; `Shift`+`Alt` = both
Rotate	Drag the rotation handle above the selection	`Shift` snaps to 15-degree increments; live angle is displayed during drag
Flip	Image menu > Flip Horizontal / Flip Vertical	Flips the selected objects in place
Nudge	Arrow keys (`←` `↑` `↓` `→`)	1px per press; `Shift`+Arrow = 10px

Alignment & Distribution

Alignment and distribution controls are available in the Arrange section of the Properties panel, or via the Image menu.

Align to Selection

Align Left / Center Horizontal / Right
Align Top / Center Vertical / Bottom

Align to Canvas

Six modes that align one or more selected objects to the document bounds: left, right, center-horizontal, top, bottom, and center-vertical.

Distribute

Distribute horizontally or vertically. When no custom gap is specified, objects are spread with equal spacing within their current span. Provide a pixel gap value to space objects with an exact distance between them.

Key Object

Designate one selected object as the alignment and distribution reference by choosing "Set as Key Object" from the context menu or the Arrange toolbar. The key object is highlighted with a green 2px border. Alignment operations use its bounds as the fixed target, and distribution keeps the key object in place while spacing the others around it. Clear the key object to return to default behavior.

Grouping & Z-Order

Action	Shortcut	Description
Group	`Ctrl+G`	Combines selected objects into a group
Ungroup	`Ctrl+Shift+G`	Breaks a group back into individual objects
Bring Forward	`Ctrl+]`	Moves the selection one step up in the stacking order
Bring to Front	`Ctrl+Shift+]`	Moves the selection to the top of the stacking order
Send Backward	`Ctrl+[`	Moves the selection one step down in the stacking order
Send to Back	`Ctrl+Shift+[`	Moves the selection to the bottom of the stacking order

Lock, Copy Style & Swap

Action	Shortcut / Access	Description
Lock / Unlock	Properties panel or context menu	Locked objects cannot be moved or edited; the selection border turns red with a padlock icon when all objects are locked, and amber when some are locked
Copy Style	`Ctrl+Alt+C`	Copies the visual style (fill, stroke, opacity, blendMode, effects) of the selected object
Paste Style	`Ctrl+Alt+V`	Applies a previously copied style to the current selection
Swap Fill & Stroke	`Shift+X`	Exchanges the fill and stroke colors of selected objects; sets strokeWidth to 2 if it was 0

Pixel Selection Tools

Pixel selection tools create selection masks on the raster layer. Selected pixels can be moved, deleted, copied, or used to constrain painting operations. A marching ants animation outlines the selected region.

Tool	Shortcut	Usage	Options
Marquee	`M`	Drag to define a rectangular or elliptical selection area	Shape variant (rectangle / ellipse), feathering radius
Lasso	Toolbar	Freehand drag to draw a selection outline; auto-closes on pointer release	Feathering radius
Polygonal Lasso	Toolbar	Click to place vertices defining the selection boundary. Close by clicking near the first vertex, double-clicking, or pressing `Enter`. Press `Backspace` to undo the last vertex.	Feathering radius
Magic Wand	Toolbar	Click a pixel to select all similar colors within the tolerance range	Tolerance (0-255), contiguous or global mode

All painting tools (brush, vector brush, eraser, spray paint, calligraphy, blur, sharpen, dodge/burn, smudge, liquify, clone stamp, healing brush, color replace) clip their strokes to the active pixel selection. This lets you paint precisely within a selected region without affecting the rest of the layer.

Selection Modes

Hold modifier keys while using any pixel selection tool to combine selections.

Mode	Modifier	Behavior
New	None (default)	Replaces the existing pixel selection entirely
Add	Hold `Shift`	Adds the new region to the existing selection
Subtract	Hold `Alt`	Removes the new region from the existing selection
Intersect	Hold `Shift`+`Alt`	Keeps only the area where the new and existing selections overlap

These modifier keys work with all four pixel selection tools: Marquee, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and Magic Wand.

Selection Operations

These operations modify the current pixel selection. Most are available from the Edit > Selection submenu and the Command Palette (Ctrl+K).

Operation	Shortcut	Description
Invert Selection	`Ctrl+Shift+I`	Swaps selected and unselected pixels across the entire document
Select All Pixels	`Ctrl+Shift+A`	Selects every pixel on the active layer
Clear Selection	`Ctrl+Shift+D` or `Escape`	Removes the pixel selection entirely
Grow Selection	Edit > Selection > Grow...	Expands the selection boundary outward by a specified number of pixels
Shrink Selection	Edit > Selection > Shrink...	Contracts the selection boundary inward by a specified number of pixels
Border Selection	Edit > Selection > Border...	Creates an N-pixel-wide border strip along the edges of the current selection
Feather Selection	Edit > Selection > Feather...	Softens selection edges with a Gaussian blur at a configurable radius, producing gradual transitions
Smooth Selection	Edit > Selection > Smooth...	Applies a Gaussian blur then thresholds at 128 to round jagged or uneven selection edges
Select by Color Range	Edit > Selection > Color Range...	Opens a dialog to create a selection from all pixels matching a target color within a tolerance across the entire layer
Select Layer Pixels	`Ctrl`+click a layer thumbnail, or `Ctrl+Shift+L`	Creates a pixel selection from all non-transparent pixels on the clicked layer (composites raster and visible vector objects)
Save Selection	Edit > Selection > Save Selection	Exports the current pixel selection mask as a grayscale PNG file (white = selected, black = unselected)
Load Selection	Edit > Selection > Load Selection	Imports a grayscale PNG as a selection mask; the image is scaled to fit the document size

Quick Mask Mode

Quick Mask mode lets you paint a selection using the brush and eraser instead of the dedicated selection tools. This is especially useful for creating complex or organic selection boundaries.

Press Q to toggle Quick Mask mode on and off.
A temporary canvas is created. Paint with white to add to the selection, or black to remove from it.
The masked area is shown as a semi-transparent red overlay on the canvas.
When you exit Quick Mask mode, the painted canvas is converted back into a pixel selection mask.
The raster painting and raster-effect tools work in Quick Mask mode — Brush, Eraser, Spray Paint, Fill, Calligraphy, Blur, Sharpen, Dodge/Burn, Smudge, Liquify, Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, Color Replace, and Mask Brush. (The vector Smart Brush is excluded, since it produces editable objects rather than pixels.)
The Status Bar displays a "Quick Mask" indicator while the mode is active.
Switching to a non-painting tool automatically exits Quick Mask mode.

If you already have a pixel selection when entering Quick Mask mode, it is rendered as white-on-black onto the temporary canvas so you can refine it with paint strokes.

Advanced Selection Operations

These features convert selections into other data types or combine selection data with layer compositing for powerful workflows.

Operation	Access	Description
Selection to Path	Edit > Selection > Selection to Path	Converts the pixel selection boundary into a vector PathObject via marching squares contour tracing and Visvalingam-Whyatt simplification. The resulting path is added to the active layer.
Copy Merged Selection	`Ctrl+Shift+C`	Composites all visible layers, crops to the active selection bounds, applies the selection mask as alpha, and copies the result as a PNG image to the clipboard. Falls back to the full canvas if no selection is active.
Guides from Selection	Edit menu > Guides from Selection	Creates six guides positioned at the selection bounding box edges (left, right, top, bottom) and centers (horizontal, vertical). Deduplicates against existing guides within 0.5px.

Selection to Path is useful for turning a rough pixel selection into a precise vector outline you can further edit with the Edit Path tool.

Was this page helpful?

Edit this page

Object Selection

The Select tool (V) is your primary way to interact with vector objects on the canvas. Click any object to select it, then move, resize, rotate, or edit its properties in the right sidebar.

Action	How	Notes
Select single object	Click with the Select tool (`V`)	Clicking empty canvas deselects all
Multi-select	`Shift`+click additional objects	Toggle individual objects in and out of the selection
Select all objects	`Ctrl+A`	Selects every visible, unlocked object on the active layer
Deselect all	`Escape`	Clears the current object selection
Invert object selection	Edit menu > Invert Object Selection	Selects all visible/unlocked objects NOT currently selected; skips hidden and locked layers
Select similar objects	Edit menu > Select Similar...	Opens a dialog to match by type, fill, stroke, strokeWidth, blendMode, or opacity with a live match count preview
Zoom to object	Double-click an object (in Select tool)	Zooms the viewport to fit the selected object; text objects enter editing mode instead
Duplicate and move	`Alt`+drag a selected object	Creates an in-place duplicate and immediately begins moving the clone
Select all objects on layer	Edit menu > Select All on Layer	Selects every visible, unlocked object on the active layer regardless of which layer is active in the panel

You can also rubber-band select by dragging on empty canvas space. All objects that intersect the rectangle will be selected.

Object Transforms

When one or more objects are selected, interactive handles appear around the selection bounding box. Use these handles to move, resize, and rotate objects directly on the canvas.

Move, Resize & Rotate

Transform	Interaction	Modifier Keys
Move	Drag the selection body	`Shift` constrains to the dominant axis (horizontal or vertical)
Resize	Drag any of the 8 handles	`Shift` = proportional; `Alt` = scale from center; `Shift`+`Alt` = both
Rotate	Drag the rotation handle above the selection	`Shift` snaps to 15-degree increments; live angle is displayed during drag
Flip	Image menu > Flip Horizontal / Flip Vertical	Flips the selected objects in place
Nudge	Arrow keys (`←` `↑` `↓` `→`)	1px per press; `Shift`+Arrow = 10px

Alignment & Distribution

Alignment and distribution controls are available in the Arrange section of the Properties panel, or via the Image menu.

Align to Selection

Align Left / Center Horizontal / Right
Align Top / Center Vertical / Bottom

Align to Canvas

Six modes that align one or more selected objects to the document bounds: left, right, center-horizontal, top, bottom, and center-vertical.

Distribute

Key Object

Grouping & Z-Order

Action	Shortcut	Description
Group	`Ctrl+G`	Combines selected objects into a group
Ungroup	`Ctrl+Shift+G`	Breaks a group back into individual objects
Bring Forward	`Ctrl+]`	Moves the selection one step up in the stacking order
Bring to Front	`Ctrl+Shift+]`	Moves the selection to the top of the stacking order
Send Backward	`Ctrl+[`	Moves the selection one step down in the stacking order
Send to Back	`Ctrl+Shift+[`	Moves the selection to the bottom of the stacking order

Lock, Copy Style & Swap

Action	Shortcut / Access	Description
Lock / Unlock	Properties panel or context menu	Locked objects cannot be moved or edited; the selection border turns red with a padlock icon when all objects are locked, and amber when some are locked
Copy Style	`Ctrl+Alt+C`	Copies the visual style (fill, stroke, opacity, blendMode, effects) of the selected object
Paste Style	`Ctrl+Alt+V`	Applies a previously copied style to the current selection
Swap Fill & Stroke	`Shift+X`	Exchanges the fill and stroke colors of selected objects; sets strokeWidth to 2 if it was 0

Pixel Selection Tools

Tool	Shortcut	Usage	Options
Marquee	`M`	Drag to define a rectangular or elliptical selection area	Shape variant (rectangle / ellipse), feathering radius
Lasso	Toolbar	Freehand drag to draw a selection outline; auto-closes on pointer release	Feathering radius
Polygonal Lasso	Toolbar	Click to place vertices defining the selection boundary. Close by clicking near the first vertex, double-clicking, or pressing `Enter`. Press `Backspace` to undo the last vertex.	Feathering radius
Magic Wand	Toolbar	Click a pixel to select all similar colors within the tolerance range	Tolerance (0-255), contiguous or global mode

Selection Modes

Hold modifier keys while using any pixel selection tool to combine selections.

Mode	Modifier	Behavior
New	None (default)	Replaces the existing pixel selection entirely
Add	Hold `Shift`	Adds the new region to the existing selection
Subtract	Hold `Alt`	Removes the new region from the existing selection
Intersect	Hold `Shift`+`Alt`	Keeps only the area where the new and existing selections overlap

These modifier keys work with all four pixel selection tools: Marquee, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and Magic Wand.

Selection Operations

These operations modify the current pixel selection. Most are available from the Edit > Selection submenu and the Command Palette (Ctrl+K).

Operation	Shortcut	Description
Invert Selection	`Ctrl+Shift+I`	Swaps selected and unselected pixels across the entire document
Select All Pixels	`Ctrl+Shift+A`	Selects every pixel on the active layer
Clear Selection	`Ctrl+Shift+D` or `Escape`	Removes the pixel selection entirely
Grow Selection	Edit > Selection > Grow...	Expands the selection boundary outward by a specified number of pixels
Shrink Selection	Edit > Selection > Shrink...	Contracts the selection boundary inward by a specified number of pixels
Border Selection	Edit > Selection > Border...	Creates an N-pixel-wide border strip along the edges of the current selection
Feather Selection	Edit > Selection > Feather...	Softens selection edges with a Gaussian blur at a configurable radius, producing gradual transitions
Smooth Selection	Edit > Selection > Smooth...	Applies a Gaussian blur then thresholds at 128 to round jagged or uneven selection edges
Select by Color Range	Edit > Selection > Color Range...	Opens a dialog to create a selection from all pixels matching a target color within a tolerance across the entire layer
Select Layer Pixels	`Ctrl`+click a layer thumbnail, or `Ctrl+Shift+L`	Creates a pixel selection from all non-transparent pixels on the clicked layer (composites raster and visible vector objects)
Save Selection	Edit > Selection > Save Selection	Exports the current pixel selection mask as a grayscale PNG file (white = selected, black = unselected)
Load Selection	Edit > Selection > Load Selection	Imports a grayscale PNG as a selection mask; the image is scaled to fit the document size

Quick Mask Mode

Quick Mask mode lets you paint a selection using the brush and eraser instead of the dedicated selection tools. This is especially useful for creating complex or organic selection boundaries.

Press Q to toggle Quick Mask mode on and off.
A temporary canvas is created. Paint with white to add to the selection, or black to remove from it.
The masked area is shown as a semi-transparent red overlay on the canvas.
When you exit Quick Mask mode, the painted canvas is converted back into a pixel selection mask.
The raster painting and raster-effect tools work in Quick Mask mode — Brush, Eraser, Spray Paint, Fill, Calligraphy, Blur, Sharpen, Dodge/Burn, Smudge, Liquify, Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, Color Replace, and Mask Brush. (The vector Smart Brush is excluded, since it produces editable objects rather than pixels.)
The Status Bar displays a "Quick Mask" indicator while the mode is active.
Switching to a non-painting tool automatically exits Quick Mask mode.

If you already have a pixel selection when entering Quick Mask mode, it is rendered as white-on-black onto the temporary canvas so you can refine it with paint strokes.

Advanced Selection Operations

These features convert selections into other data types or combine selection data with layer compositing for powerful workflows.

Operation	Access	Description
Selection to Path	Edit > Selection > Selection to Path	Converts the pixel selection boundary into a vector PathObject via marching squares contour tracing and Visvalingam-Whyatt simplification. The resulting path is added to the active layer.
Copy Merged Selection	`Ctrl+Shift+C`	Composites all visible layers, crops to the active selection bounds, applies the selection mask as alpha, and copies the result as a PNG image to the clipboard. Falls back to the full canvas if no selection is active.
Guides from Selection	Edit menu > Guides from Selection	Creates six guides positioned at the selection bounding box edges (left, right, top, bottom) and centers (horizontal, vertical). Deduplicates against existing guides within 0.5px.

Selection to Path is useful for turning a rough pixel selection into a precise vector outline you can further edit with the Edit Path tool.

Selection - Paint Forge Docs