Most applications have a few editing commands in common (copy, cut, paste, undo, and delete), and LayOut is definitely part of that crowd. Moreover, the way these commands work is similar to, if not the same as, other applications.

Cutting, copying, and pasting elements in the drawing area

In LayOut, you have several ways to make a copy:

  • Select Edit > Copy or press Ctrl+C or Command+C to copy the selected items to the clipboard without deleting the items from your LayOut document. You can then paste the clipboard’s contents back into any open LayOut document by selecting Edit > Paste or pressing Ctrl+V or Command+V.
  • You can duplicate elements, which copies and pastes the selected items in your LayOut document in one swift action. Select Edit > Duplicate or press Ctrl+D or Command+D.
  • Before you move an element with the Select tool (), hold down the Ctrl key or the Option key, and LayOut creates a copy.
  • Use the Move () tool. Press Ctrl or CMD to change the tool to Copy or Stamp.
Tip: If you reuse the same elements over and over across projects, check out LayOut’s Scrapbooks feature.

Whereas copying a selection leaves the originals in place, cutting removes the selection. Select Edit > Cut or press Ctrl+X or Command+X to remove the selected items from your document and place them on the clipboard. To insert the clipboard’s contents elsewhere in an open LayOut document, select Edit > Paste or press Ctrl+V or Command+V.

Undoing or redoing your last action

Undo is handy in almost any situation. If something you just added doesn’t look right, or if you just deleted something and you want it back, the undo function can help you get things back to normal.

Tip: The important thing is to use the Undo command right away. LayOut will only undo your last drawing or editing command.

To undo your last action, select Edit > Undo or press Ctrl+Z or Command+Z.

After you undo an action, you can redo it, which returns the last undo to its previous state. Select Edit > Redo or press Ctrl+Y or Command+Y.

Deleting elements from the drawing area

In LayOut, you can delete entities from the drawing area in a few different ways: the Delete command, the Delete key, or the Erase tool.

To delete the currently selected entities from your LayOut document, select Edit > Delete or simply press the Delete key.

To use the Erase tool, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Erase tool () from the Tools menu or the default toolbar.
  2. Click any entity to erase it. Or, click and drag the Erase tool cursor over several entities and release the mouse button to delete them.

Here are a few tips to make clearing out unwanted entities easy and efficient:

  • If you keep skipping over entities you want to erase, move the cursor more slowly.
  • If you need to erase a lot of entities, the fastest way to do so is to select them all and press the Delete key.
  • If you erase anything you meant to keep, remember that the Undo command can help.
  • Locking layers can help you control what you are able to delete in a selection. See Using Layers for more information on how to control the layers in your LayOut document.
  • If you want to delete or replace all instances of a specific entity, use Ctrl + F or CMD + F to find and replace it.
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