Photoshop_User_July_2017

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HINT 1: If you use the Brush tool, the size and edge

of the brush will have an influence on the selection. Use

smaller brushes for detailed areas; hard-edged brushes to

create non-feathered selections; and soft-edged brushes to

create feathered edges.

HINT 2: Use a series of short brushstrokes, rather than

one long brushstroke. That way if you make a mistake, it’s

easy to undo the last short stroke rather than all of the

painting you’ve done.

When I think a selection is good enough to move on to

the next step, it’s become a habit for me to always tap Q

for Quick Mask to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

TIP: If the item you selected is red and the red overlay

is too confusing to work with, you can double-click on

the Quick Mask icon to change the color in the Quick

Mask Options.

4. Get Temporary Help
   If you look at a photo and you can’t see much contrast
   between the subject and the background, consider this: If
   you can’t see the edge, Photoshop probably can’t either. In
   these cases, you can take advantage of the option to tem-
   porarily adjust the photo either using an adjustment layer
   or a Camera Raw smart object. In this image, the Quick
   Selection tool wouldn’t have much success since the edge
   is hard to detect.

By adding an adjustment layer such as Levels using

the Layer>New Adjustment Layer menu (not the Image>

Adjustments menu), we can temporarily over-adjust to

help make the selection. Don’t worry about “ruining” the

photo; all we care about is temporarily making it easier to

see the edge.

Next, click on the photo layer in the Layers panel to

make it active and make the selection.

Once the selection is complete and you’ve created a

layer mask, throw away the Adjustment Layer.

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