Convert part of image to be used for Shape Cutter tool

[nice2meetyou]

Hey,

am using Paintshop Pro 2018.

I am aware about the Text and Shape cutter tool. Want to use it but not with text and not with a shape but with a portion of a raster image.

So I am pondering about the way how to switch / convert the portion of the image to a format which the cutter tool accepts. I was already able to apply a proper selection to the image and I also saved the selection. Was this the right way to start? But what is next? Or should I go a different way?

Proposals welcome. Thank you.
Cheers, Manfred

[LeviFiction]

Depending on exactly what you mean, I think this is pretty easy.

The shape cutter tool essentially works like this. You create a shape, PSP then creates a selection based on this shape, copies it and pastes it as a new image.

To do the same thing with a raster shape you simply need to add the shape as its own layer inside PSP. Then create a selection, hide the layer, copy merged, and paste as new layer. The steps might look like this.

1) Paste raster as new layer
2) CTRL + A (Select All)
3) CTRL + F (Float Selection)
4) Delete floating selection Layer ( Delete Key is usually fine)

Now the opaque areas of the layer should be fully selected.

5) Hide Raster.
6) Edit -> Copy Special -> Copy Merged
7) Edit -> Paste as new image.

This is easily scriptable, and you can do it with any raster layer on the fly no need to create and save selections.

Of course you are still free to save a selection to disk. If you want to use a saved selection, just load it into any image and perform the last half of my instructions. Copy merged, paste as new image.

There are of course probably better ways to handle this than what I've laid out. But it's the closest exact copy to shape cutter I could come up with.

[nice2meetyou]

Hi,
thank you so far for this detailed guidance. It worked to some extent. But I need to dig deeper into some logics as I cannot fully follow. In special the thing with the floating selection is still a little weird to me. Need to find a tutorial.

Sample:
Steps 3 and 4. Step 3 creates me a new floating selection layer, but in step 4 I shall delete it again... hmm.

And for step 5 I was unsure what raster I shall hide. The background layer with my image which shall remain or pasted raster layer from step 1.

Anyway, I need to learn some more details first. Thanks for the moment.

[LeviFiction]

The floating selection layer is unimportant in and of itself. When you create a floating selection layer the selection is modified to wrap around the opaque areas of the image. But the floating layer we create is useless to us. And if we "unfloat" it it'll change any semi-transparent areas. So we delete the floating layer and it should leave us with just the selection marquee that we want.

You hide the layer you pasted in step 1 as it's the raster layer you're using as the cutter.

[nice2meetyou]

You made it clear. Thank you for your excellent support !!!