Selections and fill
A selection limits where an edit can happen. It does not decide which layer receives the edit. This distinction lets you use an ink outline to find a region, then fill that region on a separate color layer without painting over the ink.
These draft guides describe the intended workflow and include features that are still in development.
What you'll learn
- Choose between drawing a boundary yourself and selecting from an existing outline or color.
- Set which layer a selection or fill reads for its boundaries.
- Correct gaps and edges, then clear the selection when the operation is complete.
Choose the selection method
Use a freehand selection when you want to draw the boundary yourself, such as around part of a sketch that needs moving. Use automatic selection when an existing color region or enclosed outline provides the boundary. Add to or subtract from the selection to correct it without starting over.
A selection limits where an operation can act; it does not choose which layer is edited. Select the intended base-color layer before filling the region or creating a mask from it. Masking uses the latter method to keep the boundary editable.
Read one layer and fill another
The reference setting tells an automatic selection or fill which layers to inspect for boundaries. An empty base-color layer has no outline to detect, so use the line art as the reference when filling beneath it.
Tolerance controls how much color variation counts as the same region. Increase it when a slightly varied area is being split into unwanted pieces. If the fill spreads into a neighboring region, check for an open contour before increasing tolerance further; gap closing or a freehand selection may be more appropriate.
Correct the edge and clear the selection
Expansion extends a selected or filled area outward. A small expansion can cover pale gaps beneath anti-aliased line art. Inspect the result at actual size so the fill reaches beneath the ink without extending visibly past it.
Feathering deliberately softens a selection’s edge. Leave it off for a crisp base-color boundary. Once the fill or transform is complete, clear the selection so subsequent strokes are not unexpectedly cut off.