Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 5-12. Top: With the Contiguous checkbox turned on, the Magic Wand only selects the red
part of the flower you click with it. Bottom: By turning this setting off, you can select all the areas
that are that shade of red with just one click. Then you can use the Selection Brush (page 162) to
quickly clean up the selection.
The following sections cover each lasso tool in detail. All three let you apply feathering and
anti-aliasing as you make a selection (see the box on
Feathering and Anti-Aliasing
)
, and the
basic Lasso and Polygonal Lasso give you access to Refine Edge (
Refining Selection Edges
)
right in their Tool Options settings.
The Basic Lasso Tool
The basic Lasso tool is useful for making rough selections that you plan to clean up later. For
instance, use the Lasso to drag quickly around what you want to select, and then use the
Refine Selection Brush (
Reshaping Selections
) to create a more refined selection.
To use this tool, simply activate it (your cursor changes to the lasso shape shown in
Fig-
ure 5-13
), and then click your photo and drag around the outline of what you want to select.
When the end of your outline gets back around and joins up with the beginning, you've got a
selection. (If the start and end points don't meet up, then when you let go of your mouse,
Elements connects them with a straight line.) The only settings for this tool are Feather and
Anti-Aliasing, explained in the box on
Feathering and Anti-Aliasing
.
