Select areas in an image

Adobe Photoshop has selection tools tailored for different selection tasks. In this tutorial, you’ll learn some good uses for these tools.

Use the Magic Wand tool to select the background.
If the object has a well-defined shape against a background that’s primarily one color, you can select the background using the Magic Wand tool.
Select the Magic Wand tool, and then click anywhere in the background. The marquee around the background area indicates that the background is now editable. Try dragging a paintbrush over the whole image to verify that only the background, and not the object, is affected.

Invert your selection.
Because the background is easy to select, inverting the selection is a simple way to select the object. Choose Select > Inverse. Notice that the selection border changes to outline the object.
This technique is useful for selecting objects that are sharply delineated against a background. Now you can make edits on the object, leaving the background intact. Choose Select > Deselect to try another selection tool.

Use the Elliptical Marquee tool to select a detail.
Select the Elliptical Marquee tool, and then drag to draw a selection border around a detail in the object. To reposition the selection border as you draw it, hold down the spacebar and drag the selection border to a new position. To move the selection border after it’s created, click anywhere inside the border and drag.




Use the Magnetic Lasso to select part of an object.
Select the Magnetic Lasso tool (hidden in the toolbox behind the Lasso tool), and then click and drag around part of the object in your photo. As you drag, Photoshop “snaps” the selection to the edges of the object.
The Magnetic Lasso tool is especially suited for making freeform selections because it traces the edges of an object. It works best on areas with clearly defined edges.
The tool places anchors as you drag (you can remove anchors by pressing the Delete key). To finish the selection border, click the starting anchor point (or double-click). Try moving the selection using the Move tool. Choose Edit > Undo to return the selection to its original position. Then choose Select > Deselect to deselect the object.

Add to a selection.
Select the Marquee tool, and make a rough selection of the object in your photo. After you make the selection, you can add to the selection border without having to start over. Select the Magnetic Lasso tool, and select the Add To Selection option in the options bar. Refine your selection by dragging around the outside of the object (notice the small plus sign below the tool pointer). Release the mouse. The selection border now includes the area you selected with the Magnetic Lasso tool.
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