Photoshop_User_July_2017

> PHOTOSHOP USER

>^ JULY 2017

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2. Something is Better than Nothing
   This “philosophy” is similar to the concept of “End up with
   a great selection.” I sometimes see people trying an auto-
   mated tool or method and being unhappy with the results
   because it wasn’t perfect—and then starting over from
   scratch. I prefer to think of this as a great start, compared
   to the alternative of my making a manual selection.
   For example, the automated selection tools will some-
   times work very well, but often make a selection that’s less
   than ideal; but rather than starting over again, consider
   whether you can build on the selection (as we discussed
   in the first tip).
   The Magic Wand, Select>Color Range command, and
   the Quick Selection tools all make a selection more auto-
   matically than any other methods, and as a result, provide
   a fast way to get a great start.

BONUS: Change Lasso tools on the Fly

Use this method to change between the Lasso, Magnetic

Lasso, and Polygonal Lasso tool “on the fly,” without stop-

ping and starting again to change tools. With the Magnetic

Lasso (press Shift-L until it’s active in the Toolbar) start drag-

ging out your selection. Without letting go of the mouse

button, press-and-hold Option (PC: Alt). If you continue

to drag, you’ll now be using the Lasso tool. Then, release

the mouse button (but continue to hold Option [PC: Alt]),

and it will switch to the Polygonal Lasso tool. Click to add

straight lines to the selection. Before you click to draw your

last straight line, let go of Option (PC: Alt), click to draw

that final line, and you’ll be back to the Magnetic Lasso. It

takes a bit of practice but it’s a great timesaver.

3. See What You’re Doing
   One of the challenges of making selections is being able to
   tell how accurate your selection really is because sometimes
   the selection edges (a.k.a. marching ants) make it difficult
   to see how well you’re doing. For these situations, try using
   Quick Mask. With an active selection, click on the Quick
   Mask icon near the bottom of the Toolbar, or tap Q on your
   keyboard. The selection displays with a colored overlay that
   represents the areas that aren’t selected. The selected areas
   have no colored overlay. (Note: If your selected area is red,
   double-click the Quick Mask icon in the Toolbar to open
   the Quick Mask Options, and make sure Color Indicates is
   set to Masked Areas.)
   To fine-tune the selection in Quick Mask, paint with
   black to add to the colored overlay and remove from the
   selection. To add to the selection, paint with white. You can
   use any method of “painting,” from using the Brush tool (B)
   to making a selection and filling it with black or white.

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