Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
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If you need to draw a straight line for part of your selection, hold down Alt/Option and
click the points where you want the line to start and end. So if you're selecting an arched
Palladian window, for instance, once you get around the curve at the top and reach the
straight side, press Alt/Option and click at the bottom of the side to get the whole side all
in one go. You need to have already clicked in your image with the tool at least once be-
fore you press this key, though, or this trick won't work.
Once you've created a selection, you can click the Refine Edge button in the Tool Options
area to adjust and feather the edges. If you decide you don't want your selection anymore,
press Esc or Ctrl+D/
⌘
-D to get rid of it.
The Magnetic Lasso
The Magnetic Lasso is a very handy tool, especially if you were the kind of kid who could
never color inside the lines or neatly cut out paper chains. This tool snaps to the outline of
any clearly defined object you're trying to select, so you don't have to follow the edge ex-
actly.
As you might guess, the Magnetic Lasso works best on objects with well-defined edges, so
you won't get much out of it if your subject is a furry animal, for instance. This tool also
likes a good, strong contrast between the object and the background.
To use this tool, click to start a selection, and then move your cursor around the perimeter of
what you want to select. (Just as with the basic Lasso tool, you can change the cursor's shape
by pressing the Caps Lock key.) Then double-click back where you began to finish your se-
lection. The Tool Options settings let you adjust how many
anchor points
the Magnetic
Lasso puts down as you move your mouse and how sensitive it is to the edge you're tracing,
as shown in
Figure 5-14
.
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You can Ctrl-click/
⌘
-click at any point, and the Magnetic Lasso will immediately close
up whatever area you've surrounded by drawing a straight line from the last anchor point
to where you started.
