Absolute Beginner's Guide to Digital Photography

Don’t Forget the Crop Tool

Selections can be used to crop an image, or you can use the Crop tool found near

the top-left on the toolbar; cropping can also be done by drawing a rectangular

selection and choosing Image, Crop (see Figure 11.23).

170 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TODIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

FIGURE 11.23

Crop tool at

work.

Photoshop Elements Workarounds for Pen

and Quick Mask

Elements does not include the Quick Mask feature, nor does it include the Pen tool.

Fortunately, workarounds are available in the form of Elements’ Magnetic Lasso, its

Selection Brush, and the Save Selection command.

To select objects in Elements with the same precision as Photoshop, just follow these

steps:

1. Open an image in Photoshop Elements and zoom in on an object you’d like
   to select or trace.


2. Click and hold down the cursor over the Lasso tool until the fly-out menu
   appears. Select the Magnetic Lasso tool.


3. Begin tracing your image with the magnetic lasso. You do not need to click
   and drag. Just move the mouse. As you trace, the Magnetic Lasso will set
   anchor points (see Figure 11.24). You can set your own as you trace by click-
   ing the mouse at corners.