Getting started: Automatic selection tools

You can use this tutorial with Adobe® Photoshop® Elements versions 7 and 8.

Learn about the automatic selection tools in Adobe® Photoshop® Elements. These tools, such as the Magic Wand tool, select areas of an image based on color and tone.

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Requirements

To complete this tutorial, install the following software:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 or later

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Using the Magic Wand tool

Let's say you want to select and adjust the color of the sky in an image without selecting the cliffs in the foreground. One way to do select the sky is to use the Magic Wand tool. The Magic Wand tool looks at the color and tone in the photo where you click. Then, it selects a range of similar color and tone. For example, clicking in the sky of a photo selects similar parts of the image. With a little luck, it also selects the rest of the sky and not the other parts of the photo.

1. Start Photoshop Elements.
2. Open a photo in the Editor workspace, and make sure Full Edit is selected.
3. In the toolbox, select the Magic Wand tool.
4. In the Options bar, change the tool tolerance to 23. A lower tolerance helps demonstrate the behavior of the tool. You will raise the tolerance later.
5. Position the pointer over the area of the image you want to select, and click.

   Depending on you select, the Magic Wand tool may not do a good job, as shown in Figure 1. It is hard to predict exactly what the Magic Wand will select. In this example, the intention was to select the entire sky area. One way to fix this problem is to modify the tool settings in the Options bar.

   

   Figure 1: Unsuccessful Magic Wand tool selection

6. Press Ctrl+D to deselect.
7. In the Options bar for the Magic Wand, deselect Contiguous.

   Contiguous means adjacent to or touching. With Contiguous selected, the Magic Wand only selects pixels that are next to one another. With contiguous deselected, there is a better chance of selecting various areas of the sky.

8. Click the area of the photo you want to select. With contiguous deselected, more of the photo is selected, as shown in Figure 2.

   

   Figure 2: Magic Wand tool selection with the Contiguous option deselected

   You can also try adjusting the tolerance of the tool. The tolerance determines the range of pixels that the Magic Wand selects.

9. Press Ctrl+D to deselect.
10. In the Options bar for the Magic Wand tool, change the Tolerance setting to 50.
11. Click the area of the photo you want to select. With contiguous deselected and the increase in tolerance, the Magic Wand tool selects a greater range of pixels. See Figure 3.

    

    Figure 3: Magic Wand tool selection with the tolerance increased

12. Press Ctrl+D to deselect.

    As you can see there is much guesswork involved in using the Magic Wand tool. You can experiment with the tool settings until you get the results you want. Another option is to try a different tool, such as the Quick Selection tool.

Using the Quick Selection tool

The Quick Selection tool also looks at color and tone similar to the area on which you click. But the way you use it is different from the Magic Wand.

1. In the toolbox, select the Quick Selection tool.
2. In the Options bar, change the size of the brush tip to fit within the area you want to select.
3. Drag an area of the photo.

   As you drag, the Quick Selection tool tries to anticipate what you are trying to select, based on color and tone.

   The example in Figure 4 shows an attempt at selecting the red table between the dogs front legs. But the Quick Selection tool selected part of the dogs legs.

   

   Figure 4: Over selection made by the quick selection tool

   If the tool goes too far and selects more than you want, you can use the Options bar to modify the selection.

4. In the Options bar, click the Subtract From Selection option (minus sign). Then, drag over the part of the photo you want to remove from the selection.

   The Subtract From Selection option deletes parts of the selection.

5. In the Options bar, click the Add To Selection option (plus sign). Then, drag over any part of the photo you want to add to the selection.

   You may need to make several attempts at selecting. Try using different combinations of brush tips and then adding and subtracting from the selection until you get the result you want.

Viewing and refining a selection

It can be difficult to tell exactly what you have selected by looking at the selection marquee alone. Sometimes it may look like you have a good selection. But when you apply changes to the selected area, you discover that your selection had rough edges or you selected the wrong parts of the photo.

Before applying changes to a selection, it is a good idea to preview the selection. Temporarily fill the selected area with a solid color, or view a selection mask to see exactly what is and is not selected.

1. Make sure that a portion of the photo is still selected.
2. Choose Edit > Fill Selection.
3. The Fill Layer dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 5.

   

   Figure 5: Fill Layer dialog box

4. Open the Use pop-up menu, select White, and click OK.
5. Press Ctrl+H to temporarily hide the selection marquee.

   The white fill shows the current selection better than the marquee. If the edges of the selection are rough, as shown in Figure 6, you can refine the selection using the Options bar.

   

   Figure 6: Previewing a selection by filling the selection area

6. Press Ctrl+Z to undo the white fill.
7. Press Ctrl+H to unhide the selection marquee.

   You can control the edges of the selection by accessing the Refine Edge dialog box, which is available for any of the selection tools.

8. In the Options bar, click Refine Edge. The Refine Edge dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 7.

   

   Figure 7: Refine Edge dialog box

9. Click the Custom Overlay Color button (red button).

   A red mask is applied to the layer, as shown in Figure 8. All but the selected area is masked. The mask shows an interpretation of what the edge of that selection looks like.

   

   Figure 8: Custom overlay color

10. In the Refine Edge dialog box, move the Feather control to the right.

    Feathering blurs the edge of a selection, making it softer. As you drag the feather control to the right, you can see the edge of the selection get softer. Applying a small amount of feather can smooth the jagged edge of a selection.

11. To smooth the selection even further, use the Smooth control.

    Note: The Contract and Expand controls make a selection either smaller or larger.

12. Adjust the selection as desired, and then click OK to accept the changes.

    Note:You can test the selection again by temporarily filling the selection.

    Assuming that you made good choices in the Refine Edge dialog box, the selection has a softer, more realistic looking edge.

13. Press Ctrl+D to deselect.

Where to go from here

If you enjoyed this tutorial, check out these other resources to help get you started using Photoshop Elements.

• Photoshop Elements Essentials for Windows tutorials on lynda.com
• Photoshop Elements shows on Adobe TV
• Photoshop Elements Help and Support
• Using the new Smart Brush tool

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