ptg 84 Chapter 4 The Polygonal Lasso creates straight-line selections, perfect for creat- ing a selection around a windowpane or the roofline of a house. Select the Polygonal Lasso tool in the toolbox from the available Lasso options, and click to create a point; then, move and click to create straight lines between the two points. Keep clicking and moving your mouse until the desired selection shape appears. Double-clicking the mouse instructs the Polygonal Lasso tool to close the selection shape. Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool Select the Polygonal Lasso tool on the toolbox. Click the Tool Preset list arrow, and then select from the available tool presets. Use the selection options on the Options bar to create a new selection, or add to, subtract from, or intersect with an existing selection. Enter a numerical value (0 to 250) in the Feather box to create a feathered selection edge or click the Refine Edge box to visually fine-tune your feather size. Select the Anti-alias check box to create a softer selection (useful with intensely rounded or curved selections). Click to create anchor points, and then double-click or click the starting point to complete the selection. 6 5 4 3 2 1 3 52 4 Did You Know? You can temporarily use the Polygonal Lasso tool as a freeform Lasso tool. Hold down the Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) key, and then drag to draw. Release the mouse to return to the Polygonal Lasso tools. From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 4 Mastering the Art of Selection 85 The Quick Selection tool makes it easier to select the areas of an image you want. Simply paint a loose selection using an adjustable round brush tip to select the area you want. As you paint with the Quick Selection tool, the selection expands outward and automatically finds and follows defined edges in the image. You can also enable the Auto- Enhance option to reduce roughness and pixelation in the selection edge. Using the Quick Selection Tool Use the Quick Selection Tool Select the Quick Selection tool on the toolbox. Click the Tool Preset list arrow, and then select from the available tool presets. Use the selection options on the Options bar to create a new selection, or add to/subtract from an existing selection. Click the Brush list arrow, and then select the brush options you want: Diameter, Hardness, Spacing, Angle, Roundness, and Size. Select the Sample All Layers check box to create a selection based on all layers, not just the currently selected one. Select the Auto-Enhance check box to reduce roughness and pixelation in the selection edge. Paint with the Quick Selection tool to create the selection you want. TIMESAVER Press the right bracket (]) or left bracket ([) to increase or decrease the Quick Selection tool brush size. 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3 52 4 6 1 7 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 86 Chapter 4 The Magic Wand tool (so named since it looks like a magic wand) is unique in the fact that you do not drag and select with this tool; you simply click. The Magic Wand tool creates a selection based on the shift in brightness ranges within an image. If there is a definable shift in the brightness of the pixels, it can be a very powerful tool for the selec- tion of odd-shaped areas. For example, a brightly colored sunflower contrasted with a bright blue sky would be a snap for the Magic Wand tool. To use the Magic Wand, click on the Magic Wand Tool button in the toolbox. Sometimes it's easier to select what you don't want. In this example, the blue sky was selected and removed. However, you might have wanted to select the sunflower, and move it into another image. If that's the case, it is still easier to select the sky using the Magic Wand, click the Select menu, and then click Inverse to reverse the selection. Using the Magic Wand Tool Use the Magic Wand Tool Select the Magic Wand tool on the toolbox. Use the Preset Tool list arrow, and then select from the available tool presets. Use the selection options on the Options bar to create a new selection, or add to, subtract from, or intersect with an existing selection. Enter a Tolerance value (0 to 255). The higher the value, the more information the Magic Wand tool selects. Select the Anti-alias check box to create a softer selection (useful with intensely rounded or curved selections). Select the Contiguous check box to select adjacent pixels within the active document. Select the Sample All Layers check box to sample image information from all layers. Click an area to make a selection. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3 5 7 2 4 6 8 Results of the Magic Wand tool From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 4 Mastering the Art of Selection 87 Photoshop makes selection easy by giving you ways to draw selection borders in any shape, size, or form. However, selection is more than dragging your mouse across the screen to create a selection. In addi- tion to standard drawing tools, Photoshop lets you select image informa- tion based on channel color information. Maybe it's that bright red car in your background, or the white stucco finish adorning an adobe house. It doesn't matter, because Photoshop lets you choose the color and the maximum range to select. When you work with the Color Range option, the image displayed in the dialog box becomes a mix of black and white. The white areas represent the selected portions of the image, while the black areas represent the masked portions of the image. Selecting by Color Range Selection by Color Range Click the Select menu, click Color Range, and then select an option: ◆ Select. Lets you choose Sampled Colors, a specific color, or Out-of-Gamut colors. ◆ Localized Color Clusters. Select when you want to constrain your color selection to a specific area. Use the Range slider to fix the distance to use with the localized color selection. ◆ Selection or Image. Lets you view the Selection Mask or the Image. ◆ Selection Preview. Changes the view of the image in the document window. Select None, Grayscale, Black Matte, White Matte, or Quick Mask. Click the eyedroppers to add to or subtract from colors from the selection, and then click within the image. Click the Fuzziness slider to increase or decrease the color values selected (0 to 200). Select the Invert check box to reverse the Selection Mask. Click OK to turn the color range information into a selection. 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 4 5 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 88 Chapter 4 After you make the initial selection, you can use the Refine Edge tool to fine-tune the selection to your exact specifications. The Refine Edge tool is useful for selecting elements with different edge types. For example, you can select the edge around a ship in the ocean and then place it in front of a different background. With the Smart Radius and Decontaminate Colors options (New!), you can create precise selec- tions for complex elements. Smart Radius automatically creates the best selection for the elements changing edge, while Decontaminate Colors removes the background color around the edge. If the selection is not quite right, you can use the Refine Radius and Erase Refinements tools (New!) to expand the selection or restore it back to the original selection. These tools also work well with the Decontaminate Colors option to remove residual background color from around the edges of a selection. In addition, you can make selection adjustments using the following slider options: Radius, Smooth, Feather, Contrast, and Shift Edge. As you work with a selection, you can change the view mode (New!) to preview the selection against different backgrounds—such as overlay, on black or white, or on layers—in order to fine-tune it. Refining a Selection Edge Use the Refine Edge Tool Use one of the selection tools to make a selection. Click Refine Edge on the Options bar, or click the Select menu, and then click Refine Edge. To chang e th e vi ew s iz e or p os it ion, use the Zoom or Hand tools. To chang e th e vi ew m od es , cl ick a Selection View list arrow, and then select a view (New!). ◆ Show Radius. Select to view by the radius defined selection. ◆ Show Original. Select to view by the original selection. Specify an edge detection option. ◆ Smart Radius. Select to automatically apply the best radius to create an accurate selection (New!). ◆ Radius. Drag the slider to specify the size of the selection. Increase to create a more exact selection. 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 4 Mastering the Art of Selection 89 To refin e th e se le ct ion, use any of the following tools (New!): ◆ Refine Radius Tool. Select and drag to expand the selection area. ◆ Erase Refinements Tool. Select and drag to restore the original selection edge. Drag the sliders to adjust the edge of the selection. ◆ Smooth. Smooths out the rough edges of the selection (0-100). ◆ Feather. Creates a soft edge around the selection (0-250 px). ◆ Contrast. Sharpens the selection edges and removes fuzziness. ◆ Shift Edge. Decreases or increases the selection edge. Click the Output To list arrow, and then select an option, such as Selection, Layer Mask, or New Document (New!). ◆ Decontaminate Colors. Removes background color around the edge by the amount (%). ◆ You can also use this option along with the Refine Radius and Erase Refinements tools to remove residual background color from around the edges of a selection. To remem be r yo ur s et tings fo r us e next time, select the Remember Settings check box (New!). Click OK. 10 9 8 7 6 3 4 5 7 8 6 10 9 Overlay view From the Library of Wow! eBook . tool From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 4 Mastering the Art of Selection 87 Photoshop makes selection easy by giving you ways to draw selection borders in any shape, size, or form. However,. image, while the black areas represent the masked portions of the image. Selecting by Color Range Selection by Color Range Click the Select menu, click Color Range, and then select an option: ◆. and then select a view (New!). ◆ Show Radius. Select to view by the radius defined selection. ◆ Show Original. Select to view by the original selection. Specify an edge detection option. ◆