Develop Reference

Swing: How to reduce the response time of MouseInputAdapter?

I've made a tool which could allow user to draw on screenshot.Here is my code:
package GUI.Views;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.MouseInputAdapter;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
public class Canvas extends JPanel {
public static int radius = 5;
public class DrawPointListener extends MouseInputAdapter{
private void draw(Point p, int radius){
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D)getGraphics();
int x = (int)p.getX() - radius/2;
int y = (int)p.getY() - radius/2;
g2.fillOval(x, y, radius, radius);
}
#Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
draw(e.getPoint(), radius);
}
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e) {
draw(e.getPoint(), radius);
}
}
private BufferedImage screenShot;
#Override
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
g2.drawImage(this.screenShot, 0, 0, null);
}
public Canvas() {
this.setVisible(true);
this.screenShot = getScreenShot();
this.setCursor(new Cursor(Cursor.CROSSHAIR_CURSOR));
DrawPointListener drawListener = new DrawPointListener();
this.addMouseListener(drawListener);
this.addMouseMotionListener(drawListener);
}
private BufferedImage getScreenShot() {
try {
return new Robot().createScreenCapture(new Rectangle(Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getScreenSize()));
} catch (AWTException e) {
System.out.println("Error");
return null;
}
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame f = new JFrame();
Canvas canvas = new Canvas();
f.setUndecorated(true);
f.add(canvas);
f.setExtendedState(JFrame.MAXIMIZED_BOTH);
f.setVisible(true);
}
}
Code worked fine when you try to "draw" on the screen slowly, but when you move your mouse quickly, you would see those points are not consecutive, like this:
I think that because there is a time interval of Listener.How could I improve it?

You can't change the time interval of the listener. You are NOT guaranteed to generate an event for every pixel.
So instead of drawing a single point, you need to draw a line between the current and previous point.
Something like:
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
class DrawingPanel extends JPanel
{
private ArrayList<ArrayList<Point>> previous = new ArrayList<ArrayList<Point>>();
private ArrayList<Point> current = new ArrayList<Point>();
private BasicStroke basicStroke;
public DrawingPanel(int strokeSize)
{
basicStroke = new BasicStroke(strokeSize, BasicStroke.CAP_ROUND, BasicStroke.JOIN_ROUND);
MouseAdapter ma = new MouseAdapter()
{
#Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e)
{
current.add( new Point(e.getX(), e.getY()) );
}
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e)
{
current.add( new Point(e.getX(), e.getY()) );
repaint();
}
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e)
{
if (current.size() > 1)
{
previous.add( current );
}
current = new ArrayList<Point>();
}
};
addMouseMotionListener( ma );
addMouseListener( ma );
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g)
{
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
g2.setStroke( basicStroke );
// Paint lines from previous drags
for (int i = 0; i < previous.size(); i++)
{
drawLines(g, previous.get(i));
}
// Paint line from current drag
drawLines(g, current);
}
private void drawLines(Graphics g, ArrayList<Point> points)
{
for (int i = 0; i < points.size() - 1; i++)
{
int x = (int) points.get(i).getX();
int y = (int) points.get(i).getY();
int x2 = (int) points.get(i + 1).getX();
int y2 = (int) points.get(i + 1).getY();
g.drawLine(x, y, x2, y2);
}
}
private static void createAndShowGUI()
{
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Drawing Panel");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new DrawingPanel(15));
frame.setSize(400, 400);
frame.setLocationByPlatform( true );
frame.setVisible( true );
}
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception
{
EventQueue.invokeLater( () -> createAndShowGUI() );
/*
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable()
{
public void run()
{
createAndShowGUI();
}
});
*/
}
}

How can I set the stroke color at runtime in JAVA?

I'm trying to create an interface where the user can change the color of a line to mark what is background or what is foreground of an image. So far I have coded this:
private class ImageLine extends JComponent
{
java.awt.Point p1,p2;
BufferedImage show;
ArrayList <Shape> shapes = new ArrayList<Shape>();
int flag = 0;
Color color = Color.ORANGE;
public ImageLine(BufferedImage img)
{
show = img;
setPreferredSize(new Dimension(img.getWidth(), img.getHeight()));
this.addMouseListener
(
new MouseAdapter()
{
#Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e)
{
p1 = e.getPoint();
}
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e)
{
p2 = e.getPoint();
Shape r = createLine(p1.x,p1.y,e.getX(),e.getY());
shapes.add(r);
repaint();
}
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e)
{
mouseReleased(e);
repaint();
}
}
);
this.addKeyListener(
new KeyAdapter()
{
#Override
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e)
{
if(e.getKeyChar() == 'b')
{
color = Color.GREEN;
System.out.println("bck");
}
if(e.getKeyChar() == 'f')
{
color = Color.RED;
System.out.println("fgr");
}
}
}
);
this.setFocusable(true);
}
private Line2D.Float createLine(int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2)
{
return new Line2D.Float(x1,y1 ,x2, y2);
}
Until this part everything works fine , my real problem comes when I try to override the paintComponent() method, here actually I dont know exactly how to set the color as the keylistener indicates, in this case if the user press the "b" key the color of the line has to change to green, in the other hand if the user press the "f" key the color of the line has to change to red, also if the user draws differents lines , these lines have to remain shown. I have tried with this code without sucess:
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
g2.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
g2.setStroke(new BasicStroke(10));
g2.setComposite(AlphaComposite.getInstance(AlphaComposite.SRC_OVER, 0.50f));
for (Shape s : shapes) {
//g2.setPaint(Color.BLACK);
g2.draw(s);
g2.setPaint(color);
//g2.fill(s);
}
if (p1 != null && p2 != null) {
g2.setPaint(Color.CYAN);
Shape r = createLine(p1.x, p1.y, p2.x, p2.y);
g2.draw(r);
}
}
But the result is not what I want, I paint the lines and change the color, but when this happen , the lines I drew before change it´s color automatically to the color selected, and they dont keep it's "original color". Any sugestions? Thanks in advance.

There are a few ways you might be able to achieve this, I kind of like the idea of marrying the Shape and Color together into a single object, but this might present more work as you add more shapes.
Another solution might be to use a Map to simply map the line to a color, for example
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.Shape;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.geom.Line2D;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import javax.swing.AbstractAction;
import javax.swing.ActionMap;
import javax.swing.InputMap;
import javax.swing.JComponent;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.KeyStroke;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class DrawLines {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new DrawLines();
}
public DrawLines() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private Line2D currentLine;
private Map<Shape, Color> mapColors;
private Color currentColor;
private List<Shape> shapes;
public TestPane() {
mapColors = new HashMap<>(25);
shapes = new ArrayList<>(25);
InputMap inputMap = getInputMap(JComponent.WHEN_IN_FOCUSED_WINDOW);
ActionMap actionMap = getActionMap();
inputMap.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_F, 0), "foreground");
inputMap.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_B, 0), "background");
actionMap.put("foreground", new AbstractAction() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
currentColor = Color.GREEN;
if (currentLine != null) {
mapColors.put(currentLine, currentColor);
repaint();
}
}
});
actionMap.put("background", new AbstractAction() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
currentColor = Color.RED;
if (currentLine != null) {
mapColors.put(currentLine, currentColor);
repaint();
}
}
});
MouseAdapter ma = new MouseAdapter() {
private Point p1, p2;
#Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
p1 = e.getPoint();
currentLine = null;
}
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) {
p2 = e.getPoint();
if (currentLine == null) {
currentLine = createLine(p1.x, p1.y, e.getX(), e.getY());
} else {
currentLine.setLine(p1, p2);
}
mapColors.put(currentLine, currentColor);
shapes.add(currentLine);
repaint();
}
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e) {
p2 = e.getPoint();
if (currentLine == null) {
currentLine = createLine(p1.x, p1.y, e.getX(), e.getY());
} else {
currentLine.setLine(p1, p2);
}
repaint();
}
private Line2D.Float createLine(int x1, int y1, int x2, int y2) {
return new Line2D.Float(x1, y1, x2, y2);
}
};
addMouseListener(ma);
addMouseMotionListener(ma);
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
for (Shape shape : shapes) {
Color color = mapColors.get(shape);
if (color == null) {
color = Color.BLACK;
}
g2d.setColor(color);
g2d.draw(shape);
}
if (currentLine != null) {
Color color = mapColors.get(currentLine);
if (color == null) {
color = currentColor;
}
g2d.setColor(color);
g2d.draw(currentLine);
}
g2d.dispose();
}
}
}
Also, I avoid using KeyListener and use the key bindings API instead, it's less troublesome
See How to Use Key Bindings for more details

Check out Custom Painting Approaches.
You would want to use the DrawOnImage approach. It uses a ColoredRectangle class to store information of the color and the Rectangle. Then in the paintComponent() method is loops through all the ColoredRectangle classes and paints the Rectangle.
You will need to add logic to change the Color of a selected Rectangle.

Using listeners and mouse pointer location to check if pointer is inside of a circle

I'm trying to make it so a line of text is drawn on the point of the cursor that states if the cursor is inside or outside of the drawn circle. I'm not entirely sure how to do that and I don't think that the global X and Y coordinates I've made are working properly.
Does anyone know of a way to some how trigger the string to be drawn when the cursor is in or out of the circle? I'm still sort of new to Java.
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
public class MouseCircleLocation extends JPanel {
boolean insideCircleStatus;
PointerInfo a = MouseInfo.getPointerInfo();
Point b = a.getLocation();
int x = (int) b.getX();
int y = (int) b.getY();
public MouseCircleLocation() {
//the listener that checks if the mouse if moving.
addMouseMotionListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseMoved(MouseEvent e) {
//gets the location of the mouse.
int x = e.getX();
int y = e.getY();
//simple check to see if the mouse location is inside the circle area.
if ( (Math.pow((x - 100), 2)) + (Math.pow((y - 60), 2)) < (Math.pow((50), 2))){
insideCircleStatus = true;
}
else{
insideCircleStatus = false;
}
}
});
}
//basic frame setup.
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Mouse Location");
frame.add(new MouseCircleLocation());
frame.setSize(210, 190);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null); // Center the frame
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
//draws the circle.
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
if (insideCircleStatus = true){
g.drawString("Point is inside the circle", x, y);
System.out.println("Point is inside the circle");
}
if (insideCircleStatus = false){
g.drawString("Point is outside the circle", x, y);
System.out.println("Point is outside the circle");
}
g.setColor(Color.BLACK);
g.drawOval(100 - 50, 60 - 50, 50 *2, 50 * 2);
}
}

One thing you're forgetting to do is call repaint(). Just because the value of insideCircleStatus changes, doesn't make it automatically repaint(), so you'll want to call repaint() inside the MouseListener
Also, you could use the Shape interface and the method contains for example
Ellipse2D.Double circle = new Ellipse2D.Double(50, 50, 200, 200);
...
addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter(){
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
if (circle.contains(e.getPoint())) {
System.out.println("Click within Circle");
}
}
});
See full example using MouseMotionListener and the API - Also See Ellips2D
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseMotionAdapter;
import java.awt.geom.Ellipse2D;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
public class TestShapeContains extends JPanel {
private static final int D_W = 500;
private static final int D_H = 500;
Ellipse2D.Double circle = new Ellipse2D.Double(50, 50, 300, 300);
Point p = new Point();
private boolean insideCircle = false;
public TestShapeContains() {
addMouseMotionListener(new MouseMotionAdapter(){
public void mouseMoved(MouseEvent e) {
if (circle.contains(e.getPoint())) {
insideCircle = true;
} else {
insideCircle = false;
}
p = e.getPoint();
repaint();
}
});
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
g2.draw(circle);
if (insideCircle) {
g.drawString("Mouse in Circle at point " + (int)p.getX() + ", " + (int)p.getY(),
(int)p.getX(), (int)p.getY());
} else {
g.drawString("Mouse outside Circle at point " + (int)p.getX() + ", " + (int)p.getY(),
(int)p.getX(), (int)p.getY());
}
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(D_W, D_H);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.add(new TestShapeContains());
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
}

Move an Oval in java

I made a mini code that draw oval and link each other , now i try to move the oval(Circle) but I have a problem (in coding)
// Panneau.java
public class Panneau extends JPanel {
private int R = 20;
private boolean isDrag = false;
String text = "stack";
int x = 250, y = 200;
int height = 50, width = 50;
Random Rnd = new Random();
int rand=Rnd.nextInt();
int r=Math.abs(rand%250);
int r2=Math.abs(rand%250);
public Panneau() {
addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
if ((x<=e.getX() && x+R>=e.getX()) && ( y<=e.getY() && y+R>=e.getY())) {
moveVertex(e.getX(),e.getY());
isDrag = true;
}
}
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) {
isDrag = false;
}
});
addMouseMotionListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e) {
if (isDrag) moveVertex(e.getX(),e.getY());
}
});
}
private void moveVertex(int x1, int y1) {
if ((x!=x1) || (y!=y1)) {
x=x1-10;
y=y1-10;
repaint();
}
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g){
// declaration
super.paintComponent(g);
g.setColor(Color.black);
g.drawLine(x,y,x+r,y+r2);
g.setColor(Color.yellow);
g.fillOval(x-height/2, y-width/2,width, height);
g.fillOval((x-height/2)+r, (y-width/2)+r2,width, height);
FontMetrics fm = g.getFontMetrics();
double textWidth = fm.getStringBounds(text, g).getWidth();
g.setColor(Color.blue);
g.drawString(text, (int) (x - textWidth/2),(int) (y + fm.getMaxAscent() / 2));
g.drawString(text, (int) (x - textWidth/2)+r,(int) (y + fm.getMaxAscent() / 2)+r2);
}
}
I must move the two circles and the line must not move(Graph node)
please help me and thanks :)
After the update ( thanks to MadProgrammer) now I can move all the figure ( but if I clicked in the red circle only) , I want to move just circles thanks :)

Basically, because instead of using reapint(int, int) you could use repaint()
private void moveVertex(int x1, int y1) {
int OFFSET = 1;
if ((x != x1) || (y != y1)) {
x = x1 - 10;
y = y1 - 10;
repaint();
}
}
This will ensure that the entire component is repainted.
While I wouldn't discount the use of repaint(int, int), because your painting process is relatively simple, it's not going to provide you with a great deal of benefit at this stage
Updated with additional example
IF I understand, you want to be able to move a single node and have the line remain joined.
While it might be possible to implement within the code you have available, a simpler soltution would be to take advantage of the 2D Graphics Shape API, this provides a number of really useful functions, including determining of points fall within a given shape.
It also means you don't need to keep track of a large number of parameters, but instead, get a self contained object that just knows how it should be painted...
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.FontMetrics;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.geom.Ellipse2D;
import java.awt.geom.Line2D;
import java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class TestGraphNode {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new TestGraphNode();
}
public TestGraphNode() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new Panneau());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class Panneau extends JPanel {
private int radius = 50;
private String text = "stack";
private List<Ellipse2D> nodes;
private Ellipse2D dragged;
private Point offset;
public Panneau() {
nodes = new ArrayList<>(25);
nodes.add(new Ellipse2D.Float(50 - (radius / 2), 100 - (radius / 2), radius, radius));
nodes.add(new Ellipse2D.Float(350 - (radius / 2), 100 - (radius / 2), radius, radius));
addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
for (Ellipse2D node : nodes) {
if (node.contains(e.getPoint())) {
System.out.println("Clicked...");
dragged = node;
// Adjust for the different between the top/left corner of the
// node and the point it was clicked...
offset = new Point(node.getBounds().x - e.getX(), node.getBounds().y - e.getY());
// Highlight the clicked node
repaint();
break;
}
}
}
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) {
// Erase the "click" highlight
if (dragged != null) {
repaint();
}
dragged = null;
offset = null;
}
});
addMouseMotionListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e) {
if (dragged != null && offset != null) {
// Adjust the position of the drag point to allow for the
// click point offset
Point to = e.getPoint();
to.x += offset.x;
to.y += offset.y;
// Modify the position of the node...
Rectangle bounds = dragged.getBounds();
bounds.setLocation(to);
dragged.setFrame(bounds);
// repaint...
repaint();
}
}
});
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(400, 400);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
// declaration
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
// Draw the connecting lines first
// This ensures that the lines are under the nodes...
Point p = null;
for (Ellipse2D node : nodes) {
g2d.setColor(Color.BLACK);
Point to = node.getBounds().getLocation();
to.x += radius / 2;
to.y += radius / 2;
if (p != null) {
g2d.draw(new Line2D.Float(p, to));
}
p = to;
}
// Draw the nodes...
for (Ellipse2D node : nodes) {
g2d.setColor(Color.yellow);
g2d.fill(node);
if (node == dragged) {
g2d.setColor(Color.BLUE);
g2d.draw(node);
}
g2d.setColor(Color.BLUE);
FontMetrics fm = g.getFontMetrics();
int textWidth = fm.stringWidth(text);
int x = node.getBounds().x;
int y = node.getBounds().y;
int width = node.getBounds().width;
int height = node.getBounds().height;
g.drawString(text,
x + ((width - textWidth)) / 2,
y + ((height - fm.getHeight()) / 2) + fm.getAscent());
}
g2d.dispose();
}
}
}

How do i temporarily store an image of the JPanel or PaintComponent in Java?

I'm trying to make a paint program, and this class is the main area where you drag your mouse to paint. The problem is the clip has to be rectangular, so any other lines within that rectangle of the clip (the clip gets bigger the faster you move) will get covered by the new clip, however the new clip isn't all needed.
My ideas of solutions are:
To somehow set the clip to a line (but I think that clip would have to be set in the repaint method, not the setClip() in paint component)
To save the image currently on the paint component and set it to the backgroud
Possibly set the ocupancy of the clip lower in the areas without the line?
Thank you for looking at it, here is the code (with some parts left out for simpler reading) and if you know a solution I would love to hear it. Thanks!
public class Canvas extends JPanel implements MouseMotionListener, MouseListener{
int sizeX, sizeY;
String title;
int[] backColor = new int[3];
int brushSize=20;
Point currentP = new Point();
Point pastP = new Point();
Point paintP = new Point();
int diffX, diffY;
boolean initialize=true;
boolean initClip=true;
Canvas(){
backColor[0] = newProject.colorA;
backColor[1] = newProject.colorB;
backColor[2] = newProject.colorC;
if(backColor[0]>=255){
backColor[0]=255;
}
if(backColor[1]>=255){
backColor[1]=255;
}
if(backColor[2]>=255){
backColor[2]=255;
}
sizeX = newProject.sizeX;
sizeY = newProject.sizeY;
//System.out.println(sizeX + " " + sizeY);
setSize(sizeX,sizeY);
setBackground(Color.white);
}
public void paintComponent(Graphics g){
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
g2.setStroke(new BasicStroke(brushSize));
if(initialize){
g.setColor(new Color(backColor[0], backColor[1], backColor[2]));
g.fillRect(0, 0, sizeX, sizeY);
g.setColor(Color.red);
g.drawRect(0,0,50,50);
System.out.println("Initialize");
}
else{
g2.drawLine(currentP.x, currentP.y, pastP.x,pastP.y);
}
//System.out.println("Paint");
}
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e) {
if(initClip) //if mouse has been released since last dragged
currentP = e.getPoint(); //This causes PastP and CurrentP to be equal
initClip=false; //since pastP is set equal to CurrentP afterward
pastP = currentP;
currentP = e.getPoint();
diffX=Math.abs(currentP.x-pastP.x); //find the differences to find how big of
diffY=Math.abs(currentP.y-pastP.y); //a clip it needs
if(diffX==0){ //if no movement, set it to brush size so the
diffX=brushSize; //clip shows up
}
if(diffY==0){
diffY=brushSize;
}
initialize=false;
if(currentP.x-pastP.x>0){ //figures out which direction it moved
paintP.x=pastP.x; //sets the clip variable to the correct corner
}
else{
paintP.x=currentP.x;
}
if(currentP.y-pastP.y>0){
paintP.y=pastP.y;
}
else{
paintP.y=currentP.y;
}
System.out.println(paintP);
repaint(paintP.x, paintP.y, diffX, diffY); //repaint with point PaintP and the
//difference it moved
}
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent arg0) {
initClip=true;
}

I'm not sure why you would bother. Each time paintComponent is called by the paint system, you are expected to repaint the entire component anyway.
Instead, simply paint what you need to paint, then paint the selection on top of it...
import java.awt.AlphaComposite;
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class DrawSelection {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new DrawSelection();
}
public DrawSelection() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private BufferedImage background;
private Rectangle clipRect;
public TestPane() {
try {
background = ImageIO.read(new File("/path/to/your/image"));
} catch (IOException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
MouseAdapter ma = new MouseAdapter() {
private Point cp;
#Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
cp = e.getPoint();
clipRect = null;
repaint();
}
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) {
cp = null;
}
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e) {
Point p = e.getPoint();
int x = Math.min(p.x, cp.x);
int y = Math.min(p.y, cp.y);
int width = Math.max(p.x, cp.x) - x;
int height = Math.max(p.y, cp.y) - y;
clipRect = new Rectangle(x, y, width, height);
repaint();
}
};
addMouseListener(ma);
addMouseMotionListener(ma);
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return background == null ? new Dimension(200, 200) : new Dimension(background.getWidth(), background.getHeight());
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
if (background != null) {
int x = (getWidth() - background.getWidth()) / 2;
int y = (getHeight() - background.getHeight()) / 2;
g2d.drawImage(background, x, y, this);
}
if (clipRect != null) {
g2d.setColor(UIManager.getColor("List.selectionBackground"));
g2d.setComposite(AlphaComposite.SrcOver.derive(0.5f));
g2d.fill(clipRect);
}
g2d.dispose();
}
}
}
If you want to optimise the paint process, why not draw the parts of the image to a backing buffer and simply paint the buffer, then paint the selection or other dynamic parts on top of it within the paintComponent?