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Move, copy, and delete selected pixels

Learn how to move, copy, and delete selected pixels in your image

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Move a selection

  1. Select the Move tool  .
  2. Move the pointer inside the selection border, and drag the selection to a new position. If you selected multiple areas, all move as you drag.

    Photoshop move a selection
    Original selection (left), and after you move the selection with the Move tool (right)

Hover layer bounds in the Move tool

Introduced in the Photoshop on desktop (version 25.7) April 2024 release

With hover layer bounds, you can view an object's boundaries as you mouse over them on the canvas.

While the boundary outline is displayed, the corresponding layer will be highlighted in the Layers panel. Additionally, layers with pixel or vector masks will display both visible and hidden layer data.

Hover layer bounds follow the chosen Move tool selection in Auto-Select.

Layer will display the outline of individual layer objects and Group will display the outline of layer groups. They also appear on the canvas as you mouse over layers in the Layers panel.

For overlapping layers, you can view the boundaries of additional layers that share the same pixel coordinates by pressing the [ and ] keys. These keyboard shortcuts can be customized in Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts > Tools.

Once the desired group or layer boundaries are displayed, select or drag to interact with the outlined layer.

You can customize these behaviors of hover layer bounds:

  • Customize the color and thickness and the Layers panel highlight color in Preferences > Guides, Grid & Slices.
  • Show or hide hover layer boundaries or the Layers panel highlights in in the gear menu of the Move tool in the options bar.
  • Customize whether selecting a layer from the canvas expands layer groups in the gear menu of the Move tool in the options bar.
Hover layer bounds in Photoshop on desktop

Copy and paste selections

You can use the Move tool to copy selections as you drag them within or between images, or you can copy and move selections using the Copy, Copy Merged, Cut, and Paste commands. Dragging with the Move tool saves memory because you don't use the clipboard.

When you paste a selection or layer between images with different resolutions, the pasted data retains its pixel dimensions. This can make the pasted portion appear out of proportion to the new image. Use the Image Size command to make the source and destination images the same resolution before copying and pasting, or use the Free Transform command to resize the pasted content.

Depending on your color management settings and the color profile associated with the file (or imported data), you may be prompted to specify how to handle color information in the file (or imported data).

Understanding the Copy and Paste commands

Copy

Copies the selected area on the active layer.

Copy Merged

Makes a merged copy of all the visible layers in the selected area.

Paste

Pastes a copied selection into another part of the image or into another image as a new layer. If you have a selection, the Paste command places the copied selection over the current selection. Without an active selection, Paste places the copied selection in the middle of the view area.

Paste In Place

If the clipboard contains pixels copied from another Photoshop document, pastes the selection into the same relative location in the target document as it occupied in the source.

Paste Into or Paste Outside

Pastes a copied selection into or outside another selection in any image. The source selection is pasted onto a new layer, and the destination selection border is converted into a layer mask.

Copy a selection

  1. Select the area you want to copy.
  2. Choose Edit > Copy, or Edit > Copy Merged.

Copy a selection while dragging

  1. Select the Move tool  , or hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to activate the Move tool.
  2. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag the selection you want to copy and move.

    When copying between images, drag the selection from the active image window into the destination image window. If nothing is selected, the entire active layer is copied. As you drag the selection over another image window, a border highlights the window if you can drop the selection into it.

    Photoshop Drag a selection into another image
    Dragging a selection into another image

Create multiple copies of a selection within an image

  1. Select the Move tool , or hold down Ctrl (Win) or Command (Mac) to activate the Move tool.

  2. Copy the selection:
    • Hold down Alt (Win) or Option (Mac), and drag the selection.

    • To copy the selection and offset the duplicate by 1 pixel, hold down Alt or Option, and press an arrow key.

    • To copy the selection and offset the duplicate by 10 pixels, press Alt+Shift (Win) or Option+Shift (Mac), and press an arrow key.

      As long as you hold down Alt or Option, each press of an arrow key creates a copy of the selection and offsets it by the specified distance from the last duplicate. In this case, the copy is made on the same layer.

Paste one selection into or outside another

  1. Cut or copy the part of the image you want to paste.
  2. In the same image or another, select the area you want to paste into or outside. If you’re pasting outside, select an area smaller than the copied selection.

  3. Do either of the following:
    • Choose Edit > Paste Special > Paste Into. The contents of the source selection appear within the destination selection.

    • Choose Edit > Paste Special > Paste Outside. The contents of the source selection appear around the destination selection.

    The Paste Into or Paste Outside command adds a layer and layer mask to the image. In the Layers panel, the new layer contains a layer thumbnail for the pasted selection next to a layer mask thumbnail. The layer mask is based on the selection you pasted into: the selection is unmasked (white), the rest of the layer is masked (black). The layer and layer mask are unlinked—that is, you can move each one independently.

    Photoshop Use the Paste Into command
    Using the Paste Into command

    A. Window panes selected B. Copied image C. Paste Into command D. Layer thumbnails and layer mask in Layers panel E. Pasted image repositioned 

  4. Select the Move tool , or hold down the Ctrl (Win) or Command (Mac) key to activate the Move tool. Then drag the source contents until the part you want appears through the mask.

  5. To specify how much of the underlying image shows through, click the layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel, select a painting tool, and edit the mask:
    • To hide more of the image underlying the layer, paint the mask with black.

    • To reveal more of the underlying image, paint the mask with white.

    • To partially reveal the underlying image, paint the mask with gray.

  6. If you are satisfied with your results, you can choose Layer > Merge Down to merge the new layer and layer mask with the underlying layer and make the changes permanent.

How to copy and paste between applications

You can use the Cut, Copy, or Paste commands to copy selections from Photoshop and paste them into other applications, or to paste artwork from other applications into Photoshop. The cut or copied selection remains on the clipboard until you cut or copy another selection. You can also copy artwork between Photoshop and Illustrator by dragging and dropping.

In some cases, the contents of the clipboard are converted to a raster image. Photoshop prompts you when vector artwork will be rasterized. The image is rasterized at the resolution of the file into which you paste it. Vector Smart Objects are not rasterized.

Delete or cut selected pixels

Choose Edit > Clear, or press Backspace (Win) or Delete (Mac). To cut a selection to the clipboard, choose Edit > Cut

Deleting a selection on a background layer replaces the original color with the background color. Deleting a selection on a standard layer replaces the original color with layer transparency.


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