Photoshop: Select Tools

There are several select tools found in the Toolbox. Their specification can be adjusted in the Tool Option bar. Lasso tools.  Probable ...

There are several select tools found in the Toolbox. Their specification can be adjusted in the Tool Option bar.

• Lasso tools. Probable the most common selection tool, use it to draw precise shapes. To make a selection, click then drag around the shape, keeping the mouse button pressed down. To complete the selection, finish dragging at the point where you started.
• Lasso icons. When using any of the three Lassos, a small icon appear above the cursor, which shows the one being used. To remove this, hit the Shift key.
• Polygonal Lasso tool. Use this to draw straight lines. Simply click on a reference point, usually a corner of straight shape, move the mouse to the next point, and click again, and continue moving and clicking until the selection is completed.

• Magnetic Lasso tool. The Magnetic Lasso tool is similar to the conventional Lasso except that it will automatically snap to the shape being selected, providing the tonality is different to what's around. It is not always exact, but any parts of the selection that are wrong can be corrected later.
• Marquee tools. Use Marquee tools for making straight-edged and round-shaped selections. Use Rectangular for drawing rectangular or square shapes, and Elliptical for circular or Oval shapes. To make a Marquee selection, click on a corner of the area required then, with the mouse button pressed down, drag it diagonally across the screen. Release the mouse button when the shape is formed. To move the selection within the image, click inside it and drag it across the screen.
• Feathering. When making a Marquee or Lasso selection, set a rate of feathering, expressed as a number of pixels, in the Tool Option bar. This controls how hard or soft the edge of the selection is, and how it will blend into the rest of the image. O pixels will provide a feathering, while 1-10 pixels, depending on the size and resolution of the image, will give a slight softening. A large feathering of 50 or more is used to make a smoother blend, and more than 100 will give the effect of a gradation.
• Magic Wand. This tool is use to select an area comprising similar colored pixels with one click. It works best on clearly defined shapes, such as an open sky.
• Adjusting the Magic Wand. Magic wand selection is depend on the Tolerance level (expressde in pixels) set in the Tool Option bar. A low value is used for selecting similarly colored pixels, and a higher one for a wider range. To obtain a smooth-edged selection, Anti-aliased should be ticked. To make sure the selection includes adjacent areas of a similar color, click Contiguous. If it is unticked, the Magic Wand will then select all areas in the photograph of the same color.

The following two selection tools are currently only available with Elements, but would make a useful addition to Photoshop.

• Magic Selection Brush. Use this brush to make selection based on a quick sketch drawn roughly within an area of similar color. Unlike the Magic Wand, it can accommodate different tonal areas in the same selection. There are three modes. The default is New selection, which will generate a selection as soon as the mouse is released. This can be added to by using indicate Foreground, and parts subtracted by choosing Indicated Background.
• Selection Brush. Use this tool to combine the action of a brush with a selection. As you draw the shape, the selection will form. In the Tool Option bar, there is a choice of modes. one lets you add to a selection while the other is used for subtracting. the hardness of the edge can also be adjusted, and there is an option showing a colored mask, with the selected are showing through, instead of the normal marching ants.
• Making selections in stages. Often, awkward and complicated shapes need to be selected, but to draw around them would be very difficult to do one move. The answer is to make the selection in several stages using the four different select modes. The first is the default mode, New selection will be highlighted before making the first selection. The next id Add to Selection, where the initial selection can be added to, either by touching the new selection onto the first or making a separate selection within the same image. It can be added to indefinitely in this mode. Subtract from Selection is used to remove part of a selection where an additional selection intersects it.
• Different modes. Another advantage of using these different modes is that it is possible to combine different types of selection tools, such as adding a Polygonal Lasso to a Rectangular Marquee.