Disclosure: This draft was generated with AI and checked against the cited primary sources, with a separate AI editorial review. It was prepared for the FrameSprite team, which has a commercial interest in FrameSprite. Proposed examples are not executed tests unless explicitly identified as recorded fixture results.
An active selection can restrict a repair even when the rest of the icon is visible. If your brush works inside yesterday's gem shape but refuses to touch its surrounding frame, inspect selection state before unlocking layers or flattening the artwork. A stored local selection and a transparency mask serve different purposes.
Key Takeaways
- A local selection recalls an editing boundary; it does not automatically remove pixels outside that boundary.
- Check the selected paint target and the active selection independently.
- Preserve useful selections with descriptive names instead of deleting the entire mask structure.
Test the restriction without damaging the icon
Save a native copy. Create a temporary paint layer and draw a broad stroke across the area that seems inaccessible. If the stroke is restricted to the same shape, an active selection is a strong candidate. Undo the stroke and inspect the selection controls. This is a suggested diagnostic, not an observation from an executed project.
Krita's Selections manual describes selections as editing constraints. Their display is an interface aid, not a substitute for understanding the selected area. A complicated icon may have soft or small selected regions that are easy to miss at a reduced zoom.
If clearing the current selection restores painting, stop changing unrelated layer locks. If it does not, investigate the chosen layer type, alpha lock or mask target. A selection diagnosis is useful only when the controlled comparison changes the symptom.
Find the recalled local selection
The Selection Masks reference documents layer-associated selections and their activation control in the Layers docker. One layer can retain multiple local selections. That makes them useful for alternate gems, trim and insignia, but it also makes an old boundary easy to recall accidentally.
Inspect the expanded layer tree and name masks for what they include, such as gem-interior or metal-rim. Avoid calling every mask “selection.” Confirm which one is active before a repair pass. Keep a note when a boundary deliberately excludes a highlight or a translucent rim.
An editable selection is not the same as a Transparency Mask. Changing a transparency mask changes visibility; recalling a selection limits a subsequent edit. Painting on the mask instead of the intended paint layer introduces another independent cause of unexpected results.
Separate selection mistakes from correct variant boundaries
Imagine an unexecuted example with a red gem inside a gold ring. A saved gem selection is appropriate for creating a blue gem variant. The same selection is inappropriate when repairing the ring's chipped outer corner. The right decision is to clear or switch the active selection for that task, while preserving the useful gem selection for later variants.
| Repair | Selection to use | Check after export |
|---|---|---|
| Change gem color | Gem interior | Gold ring remains unchanged |
| Repair outer corner | Corner region or no selection | New corner exists at native size |
| Adjust visibility | Inspect transparency mask separately | Intended opening remains transparent |
Do not judge success solely by whether the cursor paints again. Reopen the exported PNG and confirm that the desired repair is present, that no stray test stroke remains, and that the alpha silhouette still fits its slot.
For related scope problems, read Colorize Mask output updates, alpha inheritance in groups and rarity cues beyond color. A useful handoff retains the native masks, identifies their intended regions and delivers a clean flattened runtime image.
Written by the FrameSprite Workflow Team. Send a correction.
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