Which selection tool should you use?
Almost every local edit starts with a selection. Choosing the right tool saves a lot of cleanup time.
The tools
- Rectangular and elliptical marquee (M): for regular shapes. Hold Shift after you start dragging for a square or circle and Alt to draw from the center. The options bar offers fixed ratio and fixed size.
- Lasso (L): draw freehand around an object. It is quick but imprecise; use it for rough areas and then refine the edge.
- Polygonal lasso: click to place corner points and close the shape by clicking the start point, double-clicking or pressing Enter. Best for objects with straight edges, such as buildings or screens.
- Magic wand (W): selects pixels with a similar color to where you click. Raise the tolerance to include more shades. Turn off Contiguous to select the same color everywhere in the picture.
- Color range (Select menu): picks every pixel close to a chosen color, which suits skies and backgrounds that are not one connected area.
Combine selections
Hold Shift before you click to add to the current selection, hold Alt to subtract, and hold both to intersect. The mode buttons in the options bar do the same without the keyboard. A common approach is to select a large area with the lasso and then subtract the parts you do not want with the magic wand.
Refine the edge
The Select → Modify menu helps clean up a selection:
- Feather softens the edge so the change blends in. A few pixels is enough for most photos.
- Expand and Contract grow or shrink the selection by a number of pixels, useful to remove a thin halo.
- Smooth rounds off jagged corners.
- Border turns the edge into a band, handy for outlines.
Use the selection
Once something is selected, brushes, fills, adjustments and filters only affect that area. Ctrl J copies the selection to a new layer, Ctrl Shift I inverts it, and Layer → Layer mask → Reveal selection turns it into a mask. Press Ctrl D to deselect.
More guides
- How to correct the colors and brightness of a photoFix dull, dark or color-cast photos with levels, curves and hue/saturation, using adjustment layers you can change later.
- Layer masks explained: edit without deleting anythingLearn what a layer mask is, how to paint one, and how to combine two photos with a smooth transition.
- Opening and saving PSD files in the browserHow PSD files are handled: which layers, masks and effects are kept, what the “flattened” option means, and tips for saving.
- Retouching: remove blemishes and unwanted objectsUse the spot healing brush, healing brush and clone stamp to remove spots, dust and small objects from a photo without leaving obvious traces.