Chapter 6

Making Selections

Do you want to edit some parts of an image but leave other parts unchanged? You need to make a selection. This chapter explains how you can use the selection tools in Photoshop Elements to select objects, areas, shapes, colors, and other useful photo features. You can even save selections and reload them later.

Select an Area with the Marquee

Select an Area with the Lasso

Select an Area with the Magic Wand

Select an Area with the Quick Selection Tool

Select an Area with the Selection Brush

Save and Load a Selection

Invert a Selection

Deselect a Selection

Select an Area with the Marquee

You can select parts of an image for editing by using the marquee — a tool that creates selections using simple shapes. After selecting an area, you can edit it with the editing tools built into Photoshop Elements.

Two marquee shapes are available. Use the Rectangular Marquee to select rectangular areas, including squares. Use the Elliptical Marquee to select elliptical areas, including circles. To use either tool, select Expert Mode, select the tool, and click and drag diagonally in the image to define the area. You can use the Tool Options panel to set the dimensions or width/height ratio.

Select an Area with the Marquee

Select with the Rectangular Marquee

In the Editor, click Expert.

Note: For more on opening the Editor, see Chapter 1.

Click the Rectangular Marquee tool ().

Note: This tool shares a space with the Elliptical Marquee tool (.) If the wrong tool is visible, press .

Click and drag diagonally inside the image window.

You can press and hold while you click and drag to create a square selection.

A Photoshop Elements shows the dimensions of the area as you drag.

B Photoshop Elements selects a rectangular portion of your image.

You can reposition the selection by pressing the arrow keys: , , , . You can also click and drag inside the selection while a marquee tool is active.

You can deselect a selection by clicking Select ⇒ Deselect, pressing + (+ on a Mac), or by clicking outside the selection area.

Select with the Elliptical Marquee

Click the Elliptical Marquee tool ().

Note: Pressing toggles between the Elliptical and Rectangular Marquee tools when either is selected.

If the Tool Options panel is not open, click here to open it.

Click and drag diagonally inside the image window.

You can press and hold while you click and drag to create a circular selection, or you can press and hold + (+ on a Mac) to expand the circle from the center.

You can reposition the selection by pressing the arrow keys: , , , . You can also click and drag inside the selection while a marquee tool is active.

Note: You often need to reposition circular/elliptical selections.

Photoshop Elements selects an elliptical portion of your image.

You can deselect a selection by clicking Select ⇒ Deselect, pressing + (+ on a Mac), or by clicking outside the selection area.

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How do I customize the marquee tools?

You can customize the marquee tools by using the boxes and menus in the Tool Options panel.

• Feather: Moving the slider softens the edges of the selection when you apply an edit.

• Aspect: Selecting an option from the Mode list defines the operation of the marquee tool as Normal (no restrictions), Fixed Ratio, or a Fixed Size.

• Width and Height: Select Fixed Size in the Aspect menu, then type values into the W (width) and H (weight) boxes to set the height and width of your selection in pixels or other dimensions.

Select an Area with the Lasso

You can use the Lasso tools to select areas with irregular outlines. Use the Regular Lasso to draw a selection area with the mouse. Use the Polygonal Lasso to select an area using line segments. Both Lasso types require a steady hand and plenty of concentration.

You can use the Magnetic Lasso to select edges automatically. It includes some simple intelligence that guesses where the selection should go, based on the colors and textures near the mouse cursor. This makes it easier to use than the other Lasso tools. But it is not as useful for challenging irregular selections.

Select an Area with the Lasso

Select with the Regular Lasso

In the Editor, click Expert.

Note: For more on opening the Editor, see Chapter 1.

Click the Lasso tool ().

Note: This tool shares space with the Polygonal Lasso () and the Magnetic Lasso (). If the wrong tool is visible, press until it appears.

Click and drag with your mouse pointer to make a selection.

Note: You may need to make a number of attempts before you get a clean selection.

Note: To accurately trace a complicated edge, you can zoom in to the image with the Zoom tool (). See Chapter 5 for more on the Zoom tool.

Drag to the beginning point, and then release the mouse button.

Photoshop Elements completes the selection.

Note: If you release the mouse button before completing the selection, Photoshop Elements completes the selection for you with a straight line.

Select with the Polygonal Lasso

Click the Polygonal Lasso tool ().

Note: This tool shares space with the Lasso () and the Magnetic Lasso (). If the wrong tool is visible, press until it appears.

Click multiple times along the border of the area you want to select.

Note: This example creates a selection inside the edges of a wall panel so you can see the tool working. Typically, you click around the visible edges of an object.

To complete the selection, click the starting point.

You can also double-click anywhere in the image.

Photoshop Elements adds a final straight line that connects to the starting point.

Photoshop Elements completes the selection.

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How do I select all the pixels in my image?

For a single-layer image, you can use the Select All command to select everything in your image. Click Select ⇒ All. You can also press + (+ on a Mac). Note that you must select all pixels before you can copy an image. You do not need to select all pixels before adjusting or editing the image.

What if my selection is not as precise as I want it to be?

Drawing selections with a mouse is difficult. You can try again by clicking Select and then Deselect. Or you can switch to the Magnetic Lasso tool (). You can also add to a selection or subtract an area from it. For details, see Chapter 7. Professional artists often use a graphics tablet — a device with a virtual pen that is easier to draw with than a mouse.

Select an Area with the Lasso (continued)

You can quickly and easily select elements of your image that have well-defined edges by using the Magnetic Lasso tool. The Magnetic Lasso looks for contrast to find edges. A building set against a clear sky works well. A gray building against a gray sky of similar brightness does not.

As you drag the Magnetic Lasso along an edge, Photoshop Elements places anchor points along the edge that fix the selection outline. The selection is made of the lines that join the anchor points. You can press ( on a Mac) to remove unwanted anchor points as you draw the selection.

Select an Area with the Lasso (continued)

Select with the Magnetic Lasso

Click the Magnetic Lasso tool ().

Note: This tool shares a space with the Lasso () and the Polygonal Lasso (). If the wrong tool is visible, press until it appears.

If the Tool Options panel is not open, click here to open it.

Click the edge of the object you want to select.

This creates the first anchor point on the lasso path.

Drag your mouse pointer along the edge of the object.

The Magnetic Lasso’s path snaps to the edge of the object as you drag.

To help guide the lasso, you can click to add anchor points as you go along the path.

Note: For good results, add a point at every corner.

Keep following the edge of the object or area, adding points until you get close to the first anchor point.

Double-click to complete the selection with a straight line to the first anchor point.

Note: You can also click the first anchor point.

The path is complete, and the object is selected.

Note: Even though the Magnetic Lasso is easier to use than the other lasso tools, you usually still need to fine-tune the selection. For details see Chapter 7.

Adjust the Precision of the Magnetic Lasso Tool

You can adjust the Magnetic Lasso tool’s precision with different settings.

Note: Adjust the settings before using the tool.

A Width sets the width of the area the tool looks at when finding edges.

B Contrast sets the minimum contrast needed to find an edge.

C Frequency determines how often anchor points appear.

D The Feather setting softens the selection edges.

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How can I get a more accurate selection?

When using the Magnetic Lasso, adjust the precision carefully. The contrast and width settings are critical, and small changes can have a big effect. However, you can also add and remove areas from an existing selection. If you “sculpt” the selection in stages, you do not have to worry about getting it right first time, and you can make extremely precise selections that do not rely on luck and a steady mouse. For details see Chapter 7.

Select an Area with the Magic Wand

You can use the Magic Wand tool to automatically select areas with a similar color. You may find this useful if you want to remove an object from a background. This tool is especially good at making selections in photos that feature the sky, the sea, a lawn, or sand on a beach.

You can control the accuracy of the selection by setting a tolerance value, from 0 to 255. Smaller numbers force Photoshop Elements to select a smaller range colors. Larger numbers select an area with a wider range of colors. You need to experiment with the tolerance to get the area you want. Different photos and selection areas often need different values.

Select an Area with the Magic Wand

Click the Magic Wand tool ().

Note: This tool shares a space with three other tools. (, , .) If the wrong tool is visible, press .

If the Tool Options panel is not open, click here to open it.

Optionally, click and drag the Tolerance slider to select a value from 0 to 255.

You can also click the value and type a number. The default value of 32 often produces good results.

To select a narrow range of colors, select or enter a small number; for less precision, select or enter a large number.

Click the area you want to select inside the image.

A Photoshop Elements selects the pixel you clicked and all the pixels with similar colors around it.

To add to your selection, press and click elsewhere in the image.

Photoshop Elements adds to your selection. The new selection does not have to connect with the previous area.

Note: You do not have to select the same colors every time you click. For example, you can build up a selection from similar colors at different brightness levels.

Note: For more details on editing selections, see Chapter 7.

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How can I select the same color across an image?

You can deselect Contiguous ( changes to ) in the Tool Options panel to make the Magic Wand tool find all similar colors in the image, even if they are not close to each other or part of a linked area. This can be useful when objects are in front of the area you are trying to select.

What is anti-aliasing?

If you leave the anti-aliasing option selected, Photoshop Elements applies some subtle smoothing to the edges of the selection. This helps avoid jagged edges when the selection edge changes by whole pixels. For most applications, leave anti-aliasing on. If you want to make the edges of a selection look crisp or rough as a special effect, deselect it.

Select an Area with the Quick Selection Tool

You can paint selections onto your images with the Quick Selection tool. The tool is “smart.” It looks for areas of similar color and expands the selection to the edges around them. If your image has areas of contrasting color with clean edges, the Quick Selection tool can make accurate selections with very little effort.

You can control the size of the tool and the softness of the selection edges. Start by using a large brush to “paint” an area. You can then use a “subtract” mode to remove unwanted areas with a smaller brush. You can also select an “add” mode to add further new areas.

Select an Area with the Quick Selection Tool

Click the Quick Selection tool ().

Note: This tool shares a space with three other tools. (, , .) If the wrong tool is visible, press .

If the Tool Options panel is not open, click here to open it.

Drag the slider to set the brush size. Start with a brush around a quarter to half the size of your object.

Click and drag inside the object you want to select.

A Photoshop Elements selects parts of the object based on its coloring and the contrast of its edges.

B After you make a selection, you can select the Add to Selection button () or the Subtract from Selection button () to fine-tune the selection.

Select a smaller brush size for finer control.

Click and drag to “sculpt” your selection, adding and removing further areas as needed.

Photoshop Elements modifies the selection.

Note: This example removes the green foliage from the poppy.

Note: The Quick Selection tool is also available in Quick mode.

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What do the Brush Settings do?

To work with the brush settings, click the Brush Settings button. Decrease the Hardness slider setting to blur the edges of the selection. When you apply an edit to a selection, the effect or filter fades in at the edges of the selection. Increase Spacing when selecting an object with jagged edges. Decrease Roundness to make the brush more elliptical. You can set the angle by dragging in the Angle box. If you have a graphics tablet or a wheel/touch mouse, you can use the Pen Pressure menu to set up your device so you can change the size of the brush with stylus pressure or with the mouse wheel.

Select an Area with the Selection Brush

With the Selection Brush, you can select areas by painting them with the mouse. This brush is not “smart.” It follows your mouse movements but does not look for edges or colors. Use this brush when you need to select an area that has similar color and contrast to the areas around it.

Like the Quick Selection tool, you can modify a selection by selecting add or subtract modes and painting again. You can also set the size and hardness of the brush. Typically, you paint with a large brush to sketch the selection and then fine-tune it with smaller brushes, adding or subtracting smaller areas.

Select an Area with the Selection Brush

Select with the Selection Brush

Click the Selection Brush tool ().

Note: This tool shares a space with three other tools. (, , .) If the wrong tool is visible press .

If the Tool Options panel is not open, click here to open it.

Note: You can use the zoom tool () to zoom in to the image to make it easier to make a clean selection.

Drag the slider to set the brush size. Start with a size about a quarter the size of your object.

Drag the slider to set the hardness. Use 75% to 100% unless you need soft borders around an edit.

Click and drag inside the object you want to select.

A Photoshop Elements selects the areas you paint.

Note: This example selects the thumb area in the image; it has no contrast or color differences with the palm it is attached to.

B After you make a selection, you can select the Add to Selection button () or the Subtract from Selection button () to fine-tune the selection.

Select a smaller brush size for finer control.

Click and drag to “sculpt” your selection, adding and removing further areas as needed.

Note: Typically you outline the area you want to select by drawing around its edges, then fill in the center, and then fix the edges.

Photoshop Elements modifies the selection.

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What does the “wavy line” menu do?

You can use this menu to select various brush presets, with a range of ready-made sizes and hardness values. You can also paint a selection with textures, including stars and grainy paint-like lines. The textures are included because this brush tool uses the standard brushes bundled with Photoshop Elements. Textured selections are a special effect, but can be useful in photo-edited art. For more about painting and drawing with the standard brushes, see Chapter 11.

Save and Load a Selection

You can save a selected area in your image to reuse later. If you make a selection and save the file as a Photoshop file, the selection is stored with the file and is available when you reopen the file. See Chapter 16 for more about saving image files.

You can save more than one selection and give each one a different name. The selections are tied to a single image. You cannot use this option to copy selections between images. However, you can reload any saved selection for any one image with Select ⇒ Load Selection.

Save and Load a Selection

Save a Selection

Make a selection by using one or more of the selection tools.

Click Select ⇒ Save Selection.

The Save Selection dialog box opens.

Make sure New is chosen in the Selection field.

Type a name for the selection.

Note: You can reuse the same names in different images. Photoshop Elements does not get them confused.

Click OK.

Photoshop Elements saves the selection.

Load a Selection

Click Select ⇒ Load Selection.

The Load Selection dialog box opens.

Click the Selection menu.

Choose the saved selection you want to load.

Click OK.

A The selection appears in the image.

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What do the Operation radio buttons do?

Instead of reloading a selection, you can use it to modify a selection you have already made in your image. Use the Add to Selection option to combine the current and saved selections. Use the Subtract from Selection option to remove the saved selection from the current selection. Use the Intersect with Selection to select only the overlapping areas between the current and saved selection.

Why do I lose all my saved selections when I close the image?

You must save the file as a PSD (Photoshop file) to save and load selections. If you save a file in any other format, Photoshop Elements forgets your selections.

Invert a Selection

You can use the Invert Selection option to select the background around an object instead of the object itself. Inverting a selection deselects the area inside it and selects the area around it — all the way to the edges of the photo. You can now edit the background selectively.

The inverted selection has the same properties as your initial selection, but it’s a “negative” of it. For example, if you have feathered a selection to soften its edges, the inverted selection also has soft edges. For more information about feathering and modifying selections, see Chapter 7.

Invert a Selection

Make a selection by using one of the selection tools.

Note: For more on the various selection tools, see the previous sections in this chapter. For more on opening the Editor, see Chapter 1.

Click Select ⇒ Inverse.

A Photoshop Elements inverts the selection.

Note: You can also press ++ (++ on a Mac) to invert a selection.

Note: If you have an object against a plain background such as the sky, you can use the Magic Wand tool () to select the background and then invert the selection to select the object.

Deselect a Selection

You can deselect a selection when you have finished editing your image or if you decide that a selection is not necessary. When you deselect an image, the “marching ants” outline around the selection disappears. If you make further edits, Photoshop Elements applies them to the entire image.

If you deselect an area by accident, select Edit ⇒ Undo. Photoshop Elements restores your selection.

Deselect a Selection

Make a selection using any of the selection tools.

Click Select ⇒ Deselect.

Photoshop Elements deselects the selection.

Note: You can also press ++ (++ on a Mac) to invert a selection.