The basics

110 ADVANCED PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 5.0 FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
IMAGE CHANGES –
BEYOND THE BASICS
6.05 Modifying selections
Suitable for Elements – 5.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, 1.0 | Diffi culty level – Intermediate | Resources – Web image 6.04
Related techniques – 6.01, 6.02, 6.04 | Tools used – Selection tools | Menus used – Select
Apart from adding to and subtracting from selections, Photoshop Elements also offers several
other ways to modify your selections. Nested under the Select menu, most of these options
change the positioning or character of the selection’s edge. They can provide quick ways to
adjust your selections.
• Select > Feather adjusts the smoothness of the transition between selected and non-selected
areas. Low values are used for sharp-edged selections and higher values for softer ones.
• Select > Modify > Border creates a border of a specifi c pixel width at the selection’s edge.
Add color to this border using the Edit>Fill command. This option only creates soft edge
borders. Use Edit>Stroke to create hard-edged lines around a selection.
• Select > Modify > Smooth searches for unselected
pixels within the nominated radius. If these areas are
surrounded by selected pixels then they will be included
in the selection; if the surrounding areas are not selected
then they will be removed from the selection.
• Select > Modify > Expand increases the size of the
selection evenly by the pixel amount selected.
• Select > Modify > Contract decreases the selection size
by the pixel amount selected.
• Select > Grow selects pixels adjacent to the selection
that are within the tolerance range of the Magic Wand
settings.
• Select > Similar chooses all pixels throughout the picture
that fall within the Magic Wand tolerance settings.
Border >> This option creates a softedged
border, a specifi c number of
pixels wide.
Book resources at: www.adv-elements.com
Smooth >> Use this option to include
random unselected pixels in an
otherwise selected area.
Feather >> Use this option to create
graduated edges to your selections.
Expand >> Increase a selection’s size
by a given number of pixels with this
command.