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How to use the Refine Edge tool in Adobe Photoshop.

Discover how to make precise selections for realistic composites.

Refine Edge tool being used to adjust a picture of a person wearing a yellow jacket.

What does it mean to refine an edge?

Sometimes photo editing calls for extreme precision. Maybe you’re trying to select a tree you want to remove from the background of a wedding photo or copy your kids from a family picture to paste into a photo collage. The Refine Edge tool can help you accurately select every tree branch and strand of hair without including anything from the background. Read on to see how you can use the Refine Edge tool to select complex edges with ease.

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A picture of a person that has been adjusted using the Refine Edge tool.

The right tool for rough edges.

The Refine Edge tool combines the accuracy of the Pen tool with the convenience of the Quick Selection tool, so you can make exact selections of ragged edges quickly.

Brush it on.

Adjust the settings, then run the Refine Edge tool over the complex edges of your image like a brush to select and mask leftover bits of background image.

Refine Edge tool being used on strands of hair.

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How to refine an edge.

See how you can use the Refine Edge brush tool to make complicated selections in just a few strokes.

Duplicate it:
Right-click the background layer and select Duplicate Layer to create a backup of your original image, just in case you make any changes you don’t like.
Select it:
Use the Select Object tool, Lasso tool, Magic Wand tool or Quick Selection tool to select the area around the object you want to work with. A row of black, animated dashed lines — sometimes called “marching ants” — will surround what you’ve chosen. Hold the Alt key (on Windows) or Command key (on Mac) and click any areas you want to remove from the selection.
Set it:
Click the Select and Mask option in the top menu. This will open the Properties tab and allow you to adjust the Refine Edge tool settings to control how your edges get cleaned up. Make sure you’ve selected the Refine Edge tool in the new sidebar. Accordion below provides an overview of your settings.
Refine it:
Run the Refine Edge tool over the edges you want to clean up. Always click inside your selection and then draw the brush outward. That way the tool can better spot the differences between the subject and the background.
Output it:
When you’re finished, return to the Properties tab and find the Output To option at the bottom of the panel. Choose an option from the drop-down menu to determine what to do with your finished selection. For example, if you want to take your selection and add a new background to it, you could choose to output as a new document. To continue editing the selection in the existing document, choose New Layer with Layer Mask.