PHOTOSHOP SELECTION
TOOLS
The four basic
set of selection tools in Adobe Photoshop are marquee,lasso, magic wand and
pen tools. Using these tools you can make selections based on size, shape,and
color. To start practicing using selection tools, open a new file(File >
New) .Then save as .psd file to your hard drive.
Photoshop- Rectangular
Marquee Tool 
The rectangular
marquee tool makes rectangular selections.
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1)
To make rectangular selection, Select the rectangular marquee tool and drag
it diagonally from top let to bottom right corner as shown in fig. |
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2)
To reposition the border of selection, Place the marquee tool anywhere
inside the selection and drag it to desired position. When you place the
marquee tool anywhere inside the selection, the pointer becomes an arrow
with a small selection icon next to it.See move selection section
to learn how you reposition the border while creating it.
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If you want to
deselect the selection, Choose Select>Deselect or click anywhere in the window
out side the selection border.
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Marquee
Options palette
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You can open
options palette either by Choosing Window > Show Options from the menu
or by Double-clicking the tool in the toolbox .
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Select the
style as (1)Normal to determine marquee
proportions by dragging.(2) Constrained Aspect
Ratio to set a height-to-width ratio. Enter the values (including decimal
values) for the aspect ratio. For example, to draw a marquee twice as
wide as it is high, enter 2 for the width and 1 for the height. (3)
Fixed Size to specify set values for the marquee’s height and width.
Specify
feathering and anti-aliasing settings. (You cannot select anti-aliasing
for the rectangular marquee tool.) .Anti-aliasing smoothes the jagged
edges of a selection by softening the color transition between edge pixels
and background pixels.See the following examples.
 <--
Anti aliasing
off 
<--Anti aliasing on
Feathering
blurs edges by building a transition boundary between the selection and
its surrounding pixels.Try to experiment with different feather values.
 <--
feathering =0  <--
feathering =10
You can reset
to default values by selecting reset Tool from option menu.(Click the
arrow on right side, option menu will appear).
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Photoshop- Elliptical
marquee tool 
The elliptical
marquee tool makes elliptical selections. Hold down the mouse button on the
rectangular marquee tool, and drag to the elliptical marquee tool.
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fig1
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1) To make
elliptical selection, Select the elliptical marquee tool and drag it diagonally
from top let to bottom right corner as shown in fig1. If the selection
border is not placed exactly where you want, you can adjust its position
and size while creating it.
2) To
change the point of origin(selection border) while creating it , Still
holding down the mouse button, hold down the space bar, and drag the selection
(fig2).Release the space bar(but not the mouse button) and drag again.
Notice that
when you drag without the spacebar, the size and shape of the selection
changes , but its point of origin does not change.
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fig2 |
Selecting from
center point
Click the marquee
tool at the approximate center of the picture and start dragging. Then press
the Alt without releasing the mouse button.Notice that the selection is centered
over its starting point. Then continue dragging the selection to the outside
edge of the picture. After selecting the entire picture release the mouse button
first and then the Alt.
circular selection
Holding down the
Shift key, Click the marquee tool at the the picture and start dragging. The
selection will be circular. Or in the elliptical marquee option palette select
the style as Constrained Aspect Ratio and enter equal values for height and
width.
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Photoshop- Magic
wand tool
fig1 |
fig2(adding
to selection) |
fig3(final
selection) |
fig4(Subtracting
from selection) |
The magic wand
tool selects similarly colored areas.For eg. in the fig1 click the magic wand
tool anywhere in the yellow color.It will be selected.
Magic
wand Options palette :
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For
Tolerance, enter a value in pixels, ranging
from 0 to 255. Enter a low value to select colors very similar to the pixel
you click or a higher value to select a broader range of colors. Select
Anti-aliased to define a smooth edge. Select
Use All Layers to select colors using data
from all the visible layers. Otherwise, the magic wand tool selects colors
from the active layer only. |
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Photoshop- Lasso
tools 
Lasso tools are
used to make freehand and straight-edged selections.
The
lasso tool 
makes freehand selections. Select
lasso tool.Then click on the picture and start dragging to create a free
hand out line. You
can close the selection between two points by double-clicking the mouse
button. |
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Specify
feather and anti-aliasing options. Feathering
blurs edges by building a transition boundary between the selection and
its surrounding pixels. Anti-aliasing
smoothes the jagged edges of a selection by softening the color transition
between edge pixels and background pixels. |
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Photoshop- Polygon
lasso tool 
| The
polygon lasso tool makes freehand and straight-edged selections.Select polygon
lasso tool .Then start clicking to make straight line selections. To create
a parallel line between two points, press Shift and click the points you
want to connect.ouble-clicking the mouse button. |
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Photoshop- Magnetic
Lasso Tool 
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The
magnetic lasso tool is used to make free hand selections of an object with
height contrast edges.When you draw, the border automatically snaps to the
edge you are tracing. Select the tool and click at one point, release the
mouse button, and begin tracing the outline by dragging over the curved
edges. Notice that the tool snaps to the edge and automatically puts in
fastening points. You can add your own fastening points by clicking the
mouse button. Also you can remove the fastening points by pressing Delete. |
Magnetic lasso
options palette:
| Specify
feather and anti-aliasing
options. To
specify a detection width, enter a pixel value
between 1 and 40 for Lasso Width. To specify the rate at which the lasso
sets fastening points, enter a value between 0 and 100 for Frequency.
A higher value anchors the selection border in place more quickly. To specify
the lasso’s sensitivity to edges in the image, enter a value between 1%
and 100% for Edge Contrast. A higher value
detects only edges that contrast sharply with their surroundings; a lower
value detects lower-contrast edges.Select or deselect the Stylus
& Pressure option, if you are working with a stylus tablet.
When the option is selected, an increase in stylus pressure will cause the
lasso width to narrow. |
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Photoshop- Crop Tool 
The crop tool is
used to trim the image. Select the crop tool and drag the pointer diagonally
from the top left to bottom right corner of the image to make the selection.Press
enter key to crop the image.
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Adding
and subtracting Selections
(1)To add an
area to current selection, Hold down the Shift key while you are selection.
In fig2 to add the green circle area inside yellow square to previous selection,
Hold down the Shift key and click the green circle area. Notice that a + sign
appears with the tool indicating that you are adding newly selected area to
old one.
(2)To subtract
an area from current selection, Hold down the Alt key while you are selection.
From fig4 to remove the green circle area inside yellow square, Hold down the
Alt key and click the green circle area. Notice that a - sign appears with the
tool indicating that you are removing newly selected area from the old one.
Combining Selection
tools
(fig1)Create
circle |
(fig2)add square
to circle |
fig(3) final |
Also You can combine
two tool to make a selection.Open a new file. Select elliptical tool. Make a
circle(Hold down the Shift key and drag). Then Select rectangular marquee. Holding
down the Shift key and create a square.Then release the mouse key. The final
selection is shown in fig3.
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