Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
The Selection Brush gives you several Tool Options choices:
▪
Mode
. This unlabeled drop-down menu is where you tell Elements whether you want to
create a selection (Selection) or exclude an area from being part of a selection (Mask).
▪
Brush thumbnail
. Click the triangle to the right of this squiggly line to choose from lots
of different brushes. (For more about brushes, see
Picking and Using a Basic Brush
.)
▪
Size
. To change the brush cursor's size, drag this slider or click the pixel value and then
type in a new one. Or you can press the close bracket key (]) to enlarge the cursor (keep
tapping it until you get the size you want) or the open bracket key ([) to shrink it. You
can also put your cursor over the word “Size” and scrub to the left or right to make the
brush smaller or larger, respectively. (Don't know how to scrub? For more on this nifty
feature, see
Locking Layers
.
)
TIP
The bracket-key shortcuts work with any brush, not just the Selection Brush.
▪
Refine Edge
. You can use Refine Edge to adjust the edges of your selection as explained
in the previous section.
▪
Hardness
. This setting controls the sharpness of the brush cursor's edge, which affects
your selection (see
Figure 5-10
).
