Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Selecting with a Brush
Elements gives you two very special brushes for making selections. The Selection Brush has
been around since Elements 2, so if you've used the program before, you probably know
how handy it is. But these days it often takes a backseat to the Quick Selection tool, which
makes even the trickiest selections as easy as doodling. The Quick Selection tool automatic-
ally finds the bounds of the objects you drag it over, while the Selection Brush selects only
the area directly under your cursor. Using the Quick Selection tool in combination with the
Refine Edge dialog box makes it incredibly simple to create the kinds of selections that
would have driven you half crazy trying to get right in old versions of Elements.
These two brushes are grouped together in the Tools panel, and they're available in both Ex-
pert and Quick Fix modes because they're so useful. You may well find that with these two
brushes, you rarely need the other Selection tools.
It couldn't be easier to use the Quick Selection tool:
1. Activate the Quick Selection tool .
It shares a slot in the Tools panel's Select section with the Selection Brush, the Magic
Wand, and the Refine Selection Brush. Click this slot or press A, and then—if one of
the other tools is active instead—click the Quick Selection tool's icon in the Tool Op-
tions area or tap the A key until you see its icon.
NOTE
Make sure you have the right tool active. All these similar icons can be a little
confusing at first. The simplest way is just to look at the tool's name at the upper
left of the Tool Options area.
2. Drag within your photo .
As you move the cursor, Elements calculates where it thinks the selection's edges
should be, and the selection outline (the marching ants) jumps out to surround that
area. It's an amazingly good guesser. You don't even need to cover the entire area or
go around the edges of the object—Elements does that for you.
This tool has a few Tool Options settings, which are explained below, but you mostly
won't need to think about them—at least, not till you've finished making your selec-
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