How do I use the Selection tool to move things in GIMP?
Once you selected whatever part of the picture you want to move, press ctrl-x and then ctrl-v. This will cut and paste the selection to a new layer. Now you can use the move tool to move the new layer around.
Note: The move tool can move layers, selections, and paths. Make sure the layer option in the move tool is selected (in the toolbox).
Edit:
You can also select an area, then hold down ctrl-alt and drag the selected area as described here. Once you start dragging, you can release the ctrl key to stop constraining the move to cardinal directions. After dropping the selection, you can still move it with the arrow keys.
Rotating and scaling selections seem to behave as expected (automatically creating a new layer). I'm not sure why they didn't make the move tool behave like that too.
The right way to do this is to use a Floating Selection. The currently accepted answer of doing a Copy/Paste creates a new layer which is undesirable in most cases.
How to make a floating selection:
- Make your selection (e.g. press R and draw a box).
- Select -> Float (Shift+Ctrl+L)
- Move your Selection (Press v and then click and drag).
- Anchor Layer Ctrl+h
Note: DO NOT select the move tool after making the selection. Instead, just press and hold ALT + CTRL and start dragging the selection.
On Windows computers: After making a rectangular or oval selection, hold ALT + CTRL to move the contents of the selection.
- If you want to duplicate the contents of the selection, hold ALT + SHIFT instead.
On Mac computers, hold down option and command and then drag the selection.
- Similarly, if you want to duplicate the contents of the selection, hold option + shift instead.