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Lasso/rectangle select tool to copy PDF background regions as images #1756

@PaulLasry

Description

@PaulLasry

Motivation

I self-host my own Nextcloud instance. I'm a student and I annotate PDFs
(exercise sheets, textbooks) daily on a tablet with a stylus.

One feature I rely on heavily is the ability to select a region
of the PDF — for example an exercise statement — and paste it
further down in the same note, so I can write my solution
directly below without having to scroll up and down constantly.

This is the single feature that is preventing me from switching
fully to Saber. I currently have to use a proprietary app with
a cloud I don't control, only because of this missing capability.

Expected behavior

  1. User selects the rectangle/lasso selection tool
  2. User draws a selection around a region of the PDF
  3. User taps "Copy" → the region is captured as an image
  4. User navigates to another page and taps "Paste" → the image is
    inserted and can be repositioned

Similar feature in

Notewise (Android), GoodNotes (iOS/Android)

Related

#170, #1424

Solution

I have no Flutter experience and no technical background,
but after discussing with an AI assistant, it suggested that
a possible approach would be to render the selected region
of the PDF background as a bitmap image using the existing
PDF renderer, then insert it as a regular image element
that can be repositioned — similar to how a screenshot
of the selection would work internally.

I'm not in a position to validate or discuss this technically,
but I wanted to mention it in case it helps frame the request.

Alternatives

Using an external screenshot tool and importing the image manually.
It works but completely breaks the note-taking flow.

Saber version

v1.34.1 Google Play (134011)

Device

  • Device: Samsung Tab S9
  • OS: One UI 9.0, Android 16

Anything else?

No response

Before submitting an issue, please check the following

  • I have searched for similar issues (both open and closed) and cannot find a duplicate
  • This is not an automated submission and has been written by a human.

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