Moving a selection in all layers

[Prometheus|ANJ]

Sometimes I do lineup sheets where I have 3 layers:

Shadow: Multiply
Color: Multiply
Line art: Background

I might have drawn some dozen pinups, and sometimes I want to rearrange them, say

x, x, x, x, x
x, x, x, O, x

should be

x, O, x, x, x
x, x, x, x, x

Now I need to move the O in all layers by using a selection, and it is a bit of work to fit the layers perfectly at the new position.

I've thought about a few solutions:

1: Activate a grid, and use snapping. Unfortunately since I must have transparent color, the selections wrap around my figures and won't snap to the same positions.

2: Use Command + Shift + T to repeat the last action. Command = Ctrl in Windows. This works if I have made a transformation like scaling or rotating and THEN moved. It's very useful if I want to rescale a head. then I can just repeat the transformation in all layers. However, it does not work with just selection movement. If I just want to move, then I don't want to do a destructive transformation. Perhaps there is a way to trick PS to set the 'has been transformed' flag so I can do the repeat?

Eureka. Doing a Command + T then just moving the transformation selection without touching the corners worked. It seems I just need to be in transformation mode, which I'm not if I'm just doing a regular selection and move that.

Great. Anyways, I guess I'll post this anyways. In case someone finds it useful.

(It doesn't seem to work to just shift select layers, unfortunately. Then moving will move the entire canvas.)

[Klaus Reinbach III]

Ok I played a bit around and here a pretty fast and easy way to do this.
Cause this is a pretty old thread, I don't know if it would help you. But hope someone other maybe can need this.


Make your selection (mask the O place).

x, x, x, x, x
x, x, x, O, x

Save the selection as a path!
That was the hard part now XD.

-Make a action (macro)
-load the selection from the path (just click on it with strg)
-move it to the place you want to have it
x, O, x, x, x
x, x, x, x, x
-hit strg+d and stop the action (macro)

If you have assigned a shortcut for the action, then just select your next layer press shortcut and so on.
So you don't need a grid or anything, just a short macro for moving lot of layers around.


Greets, one of your fans~

Klaus Reinbach III