Photoshop: how to copy entire selection?

[Genesis F5]

For the example, the image size is 100px by 100px and by default, it's transparent. There is a square drawn in the middle that's 50px by 50px and has a solid fill. If I select the entire image, copy it, and paste it into a new 100px by 100px image, it will reposition the selection because it's not copying the entire image, but rather just the area that contains visible pixels (not the padding around the square in the middle). I tried creating a background and setting the opacity to 0, but that didn't work.

Is there a way to copy a selection even if the selection contains areas with no pixel data?

[tayjax]

stick a dot in each corner - copy it all and paste it - then delete the dots
not pretty but would do the job ?

[Black_phoenix]

I've had this as well, as previously said create two squares of colour in the top left and bottom right corners (something bright) so you dont forget to remove them, then do a Ctrl + a and then copy, this will position it in exactly the same place.

You could also try doing a ctrl + A and then using the align tools to center the object (thats if you want it centered)

D

[Genesis F5]

Thanks for the suggestions . The squares suggestion might work, however I'm creating a script and all of the layers are merged. I guess I could set a single pixel at the top left / bottom right and store what the previous pixel value was in each so I can reset it when I paste it into the new document.

Thanks again.

[lefteyewilly]

i feel your pain Genny. That's one of the bigger flaws in PS which has never been solved. Yet Illustrator and InDesign allows for anything to be selected and pasted in place. It couldn't be too much for them to implement that code into PS.

[Googooboyy]

Probably due to dpi constraints? 'Copy/paste'-ing into different documents with individual DPI can be quite disastrous when one expects the print size to be similar. Tough love, I suppose.

[pea3698]

Are the layers merged before you try to do this. You could just put it on it's own layer and duplicate the layer. Then everything stays put.

[johnbrackett]

I just tend to duplicate layers into a new document rather than copying and pasting. Just right click on the layer with no pixels in it and select Duplicate Layer, then select New from the drop down tab. You can do with this multiple layers too, just select them all and right click on one.

[herr_dada]

or, if the source image has the same size as the final image, use Apply Image. But usually i duplicate layer and then drag and drop like some have suggested

EDIT:
and again, if both source and final images are the same size, you can Edit->Define Pattern and paint bucket it (it saves the transparent info that way)