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How do I move pixels inside a selection?

On a normal drawing layer, drag inside an existing selection to move its pixels.

  1. Select the layer and frame that contain the artwork you want to move. For a single target, leave only that timeline cell selected.
  2. Create a selection with a selection tool. Replace mode is a straightforward starting point; Add mode also allows dragging from inside an existing selection. Subtract mode continues removing areas from the selection instead.
  3. Drag inside the selected area to reposition the pixels, then confirm the transform.

Dragging a transform handle scales, rotates, or skews the content according to the handle; it does not simply move the pixels. See Free Transform for handles, precise nudging, and snapping.

If the pixels do not move​

Check that you selected the correct layer and frame, the layer is editable and unlocked, and it has pixels inside the selected area. Artwork visible from another layer does not belong to the current layer. On touch devices, also check whether your finger is configured to pan the canvas rather than edit it; use your drawing input or adjust that setting.

Tilemap layers use tile-grid selections. Follow the tilemap editing guide for those operations. To remove the selection boundary afterward, see deselect an area.