`DELETE`/ `DELETE SELECTION` IN PHOTOSHOP

Hi, thanks for the help both of you, though I didnt explain myself too clearly your advice  seems to work!

RKRIS1 wrote: Hi, I know there`s likely a ludicrously simple answer to this; Ive just installed Photshop CS4 (I appreciate these forums are focussed on CS5 now); ALL I want to do as a way of cropping a layer, as opposed to an image, is to draw a marquee round the part I need to keep, then cut it from the rest; online Ive seen peole saying to use `Delete` from the Edit Menu, or `Delete Selection` from the Select Menu; but for the life of me I can see neither of these commands! Do I need to re-install or am I missing something? I appreciate `cut` and `clear` will clear the inverted selection from the composition, but the reset of the layer obviously remains, just out of sight, and I wish to crop it away completely. A rather juvenile early stumbling block, I know.

I read your note several times and to be honest I'm having a little trouble understanding exactly what you would like to accomplish.

Emil may be right on the money with making the selection first, Layer > New > Layer via Copy (or just Copy / Paste).  You would then want to delete the original layer.

A way to be sure to eliminate pixels outside the edges of the canvas is to select the Crop tool, ensure Cropped Area: Delete is selected, then drag it around the entire canvas and complete the crop.  That will force all pixels outside the canvas in all layers to be removed.

-Noel

the name in the menu is Edit > Clear. Pressing Delete or Backspace on your keyboard does the same.

To crop a layer I often select what I want to remain, press Ctrl + J which is the same as Layer > New > Layer via Copy. Then in the layer's palette select the layer below either by clicking it or with the hotkey Alt + [  then press Delete key to delete the original layer. Cropping a layer like this will ensure that you don't have parts of the layer remain when they are hidden beyond the canvas size.

If you are sure you don't have anything beyond the canvas size you can simply select what you don't need and press the delete key.