7.38. Alpha to Selection
| 7. The “Layers” Menu |

### 7.38. Alpha to Selection

The Alpha to Selection command creates a selection in the current layer from the alpha channel, which encodes transparency. Opaque areas are fully selected, transparent areas are unselected, and translucent areas are partially selected. This selection replaces the existing selection. The alpha channel itself is not changed.

The other commands in this group of operations are similar, except that instead of completely replacing the existing selection with the selection produced from the alpha channel, they either add the two selections, subtract the alpha selection from the existing selection, or create a selection that is the intersection of the two.

#### 7.38.1. Activate the Command

- You can access this command from the image menubar through Layer → Transparency → Alpha to Selection

- or from the pop-up menu which appears when you right-click on the active layer in the Layer Dialog.

#### 7.38.2. Example

Figure 15.101. Applying “Alpha to Selection”

Non-transparent pixels of the active layer have replaced the existing rectangular selection.

7.37. Threshold Alpha |  | 7.39. Add Alpha channel to Selection