For some projects, the best way to make a selection - may be to use the simplest tools.
The manual selection tools such as the Rectangular - and the Elliptical Marquees and the Lasso Tools may not have - all the fancy bells and whistles of the other selection tools, but for some types of selections, - you don't need those extra features.
Hi, I'm Seán Duggan, a photographer and Photoshop author.
Let's take some - of those basic selection tools for a spin and see how they work.
In this simple illustration, we'll use some - of the basic selection tools to apply an adjustment, as well as add some additional elements - to the scene.
Let's begin with the adjustment.
The pyramids are looking a bit dull - in the original image, so we'll select them - and increase the color saturation.
In the Toolbar, I'll click and hold on the icon - for the Lasso Tool to show the flyout menu and I'll choose the Polygonal Lasso, which is useful - for making straight sided selections.
I'll start the selection on the left side, where the ground - meets the edge of the image.
I'll click there and then release the mouse button.
And you can see that the lasso line is connected to the point - where I clicked a bit like a thread.
I'll move the cursor - to the side of the pyramid and I'll click and release again - to create a new corner point.
Then I'll move the line - up to the top of the pyramid and click again.
So the way that this tool works - is that every time you click, you create a new corner point - and there are straight line segments between them.
I'll move the cursor down to the point - between these two pyramids, click again, move up to the top of this pyramid, - click, and so on.
When I get to the right side, I'll extend the cursor out - beyond the edge of the image and I'll click and then I'll click several times - around the image and then down below the image to circle back - to the point where I started.
And when I get close to that point, you'll see a little circle appear - next to the Tool Cursor icon.
And this tells me I can click - to close the selection.
Now I'll go to the Layers panel and click - on the Add New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the panel and I'll choose Hue/Saturation...
In the Properties panel, I'll move the Saturation slider - to the right, maybe to about +32 to boost the saturation of the pyramids.
Next, we'll use a selection - to add the sun.
In the Toolbar, I'll click and hold on the icon - for the Rectangular Marquee Tool and I'll choose the Elliptical Marquee - in the Tool flyout menu.
I'll position the cursor in the sky - on the right side of the image, and I'll click and begin dragging - to start the selection.
If you hold down the Option or Alt key, - the selection will be drawn from the center outward - from the point where you clicked.
And if you want to constrain the selection - to a circle, hold down the Shift key.
That size looks about right.
I'll release the mouse - and then the two modifier keys.
If you need to reposition a selection - after you've drawn it, you can click inside it - with the Selection Tool and move it around.
I'll click the Add New Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers panel, and I'll choose Solid Color...
In the Vertical Spectrum bar, - I'll choose a yellow color and then in the large color box, - I'll use the Color Selector to choose a bright yellow, and I'll click OK.
Now let's add some clouds.
I'll stay - with the Elliptical Marquee Tool for this and I'll drag - a horizontally shaped ellipse above the tallest pyramid.
Then I'll go to the Options bar - for this tool and I'll click on the second icon - in this group, which is Add to selection.
Then I'll just add - additional elliptical shapes onto this to create an overall shape - that resembles a cloud, something like that.
I'll add another cloud a little bit further down - to the left of the pyramid, and this one - I'll make smaller and narrower to suggest that maybe - it's a little bit farther away in the background.
Something like that.
And once again, - I'll go to the Layers panel.
Click the Add New Adjustment Layer icon, and we'll go back to Solid Color... and I'll use the Color Selector - in the large box to drag it to the upper left corner - and make white the new fill color.
And I'll click OK.
To finish up, I'll add a border around the image.
I'll go to the Select menu and I'll choose All.
The keyboard shortcut for that - is Command or Control A.
This creates a selection - around the entire canvas.
In the Toolbar, I'll click and hold on the icon - for the Elliptical Tool and choose the Rectangular Marquee.
In the Options bar for this tool, I'll click on the third icon - in this group, which is Subtract from selection.
Then I'll position the cursor - in the upper left just a little way - inside the current selection and I'll click and drag to define the selection - that will subtract the center part of that current selection.
And now I have a selection - that I can use to create the border.
I'll go to the Color panel - in the upper right and I'll choose a blue color, and I want it to be a nice dark blue.
So I'll fine tune it here - inside this larger color field.
Something like that looks good.
And you can see - that that has placed this color into the Foreground Color swatch - at the bottom of the Toolbar.
I'll go to the Add Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers panel, - and I'll choose Solid Color... again.
It uses the foreground color - as the new fill, so I can just click OK, and now I'm done.
So that's an introduction - to using the Marquee and the Lasso Tools to make simple selections in Photoshop. -
