e - Ken Gilbert

AP’s guide to... Adobe Photoshop Elements 8
EDITING EXISTING SELECTIONS
WITH some complex images, no one when using a new tool. For those who prefer
selection technique will be able to isolate all to use keyboard shortcuts, holding down the
the pixels required; instead, a combination Shift key while using a selection tool will add
of tools is needed to make the fi nal outline. to an existing outline, whereas using the Alt/
To aid with this, Adobe has included several Opt key will subtract from it.
possibilities in the options bar of the various
selection tools.
Using these options it is possible to ‘add
to’ or ‘subtract from’ an existing selection or
even use the ‘intersection’ of two separate
selections as the basis for a third. To do so,
simply choose a different selection option
All this may seem a little complex to
start with, but it is important to persevere,
as good selecting skills are critical for a lot
of advanced editing techniques. Besides,
after some practice, making multi-tool
complex selections will become second
nature to you.
There are three
options available for
editing the shape of
selections: adding to,
subtracting from, or
using the intersection
of two selections
Add to selection Subtract from selection Intersect with selection
SELECTION TOOLS
MARQUEE
TOOLS
By clicking and
dragging the
Rectangular or
Elliptical Marquees,
it is possible to draw
rectangle and ovalshaped
selections.
Holding down the
Shift key while using
these tools will
restrict the selection
to square or circular
shapes, while using
the Alt/Opt key will
draw the selections
from their centres.
LASSO
TOOLS
The normal Lasso
tool works like a
pencil, allowing the
user to draw freehand
shapes for selections.
In contrast, the
Polygonal Lasso
tool draws straight
edge lines between
mouse-click points.
Either of these
features can be used
to outline and select
irregular-shaped
image parts. A third
tool, the Magnetic
Lasso, helps with the
drawing process by
aligning the outline
with the edge of
objects automatically.
It uses contrast in
colour and tone as a
basis for determining
the edge of an object.
SELECTION
BRUSH
This tool lets you
paint a selection
onto your image.
The size, shape and
edge softness of
the selection are
based on the brush
properties that are
currently set. These
can be altered in the
Brush Presets pop-up
palette located in
the options bar. The
Selection Brush tool
is nested in the tool
bar with the Quick
Selection tool.
MAGIC
WAND
The Magic Wand
makes selections
based on colour
and tone. When the
user clicks on an
image with the Magic
Wand tool, Elements
searches the picture
for pixels that have
a similar colour and
tone. With large
images this process
can take a little time,
but the end result
is a selection of all
similar pixels across
the whole picture.
QUICK
SELECTION
The Quick Selection
tool (previously
called the Magic
Selection Brush)
provides Elements
users with a unique
approach to creating
and modifying
selections. As we
have seen, when
using the Selection
Brush the user must
paint over the area
to be encompassed
by the selection.
The accuracy of
this painting step
determines the
accuracy of the
final selection. For
example, painting
over an edge
accidentally will
result in the creation
of a selection that
goes beyond this
picture part.
SELECTION
EDITING SUMMARY
Add to a selection by either holding down
the Shift key while using another selection
tool or clicking the Add to Selection button
in the options bar (see below, far left).
Subtract from a selection by either holding
down the Alt/Opt key while using another
selection tool or by clicking the Subtract
from Selection button in the options bar
(see below left).
Use the intersection of a new and existing
selection to form a third outline by clicking
the Intersect with Selection button in the
options bar before making a new selection
(see below).
SELECTION
SHORTCUT
KEYS
● Ctrl/Cmd+D to deselect or remove
an existing selection
● Ctrl/Cmd+H to hide a selection
● Ctrl/Cmd+A to select all the photo
● Shift+Ctrl/Cmd+I to inverse a
selection
● Alt/Opt+Ctrl/Cmd+D to feather
the edge of a selection
ALSO WHEN CREATING
SELECTIONS YOU CAN
● Hold down the Shift key as you draw
a marquee to constrain the shape to
a square or circle
● Hold down the Alt/Opt key to draw
the marquee from the centre rather
than the edge
● Hold down the Shift key to add
to an existing selection
● Hold down the Alt/Opt key to subtract
from an existing selection
● Hold down the Shift and Alt/Opt
keys to create a new selection from
the intersection of two selections
46 www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 17 April 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778
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