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SHAPE SELECTION TOOLS
- Rectangular Marquee—for selecting
rectangles and squares - Elliptical Marquee—for selecting ovals
and circles - Single Column Marquee—for a one-
pixel column selection - Single Row Marquee—for a one-pixel
row selection - Polygonal Lasso—for selecting straight-
edged shapes - Lasso—for selecting free-form shapes
- Pen—selecting using anchor points
and paths
AUTOMATED SELECTION TOOLS & COMMANDS
- Magic Wand—automatic selection based
on a range of colors - Magnetic Lasso—senses edges to help
make a selection - Color Range—selects by ranges of
colors, with options to adjust - Quick Selection—the “edge detection”
tool (click-and-drag) - Focus Area—makes a selection based
on depth of field
OTHER SELECTION METHODS
(FOUND UNDER THE SELECT MENU)
- Quick Mask—view and edit the selection
as a colored overlay - Load Selections from other sources—use
layers or channels to create selections - Grow—expand an existing selection
- Similar—select pixels similar to existing
selection - Transform Selection—adjust a selection
using transformation handles - Modify commands—a series of
commands to adjust a selection - Save Selection—a means to “store”
selection for later use - Select and Mask—a workspace to
refine and adjust the selection
The Selection Tools & Commands MY TOP 10
Here are my top techniques when working with selections
and masks.
- End up with a Great Selection
Although you may sometimes be able to make a great selection
with one tool, chances are it’s going to take several steps and tools.
As we know, there are many options for making selections both in
tools and under menus, and it’s very likely that you’ll end up using
multiple functions together.
For me, it’s always made better sense to think, “End up with a
great selection,” rather than “Select something.”
If you’ve made an initial selection and it’s not quite right, you can
use the same selection tool (or a different one) to tweak the selection.
Think about fine-tuning your selection using keyboard modifiers and
the Transform Selection command, in this way:- Hold down Shift and click-and-drag to add to
the existing selection. - Hold down Option (PC: Alt) and click-and-drag
to remove from an existing selection
As an example, start with a selection made with the Quick Selection
tool (W) and then switch to the Lasso tool (L) to add the missing areas
(with the Shift key held down).
You can also use Select>Transform Selection to click-and-drag
on handles to resize a selection to fit the shape you need. Use the
same techniques as you would with Free Transform (Command-T
[PC: Ctrl-T]), such as Shift to constrain and Command (PC: Ctrl) to
edit the individual corners.
- Hold down Shift and click-and-drag to add to
Once you’re in Transform
Selection, you can also click the
Warp icon (the warped grid shape
with a curved arrow below it in the
Options Bar) and drag the grid to
adjust your selection.
©Adobe Stock/asafeliason
Although we’re not going to cover all of the
following in detail, Photoshop has many
selection tools and commands, each with their
own advantages, and each designed for dif-
ferent selection situations.