Part 3. Selection Techniques

Task

1. How to Select Geometric Areas

2. How to Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool

3. How to Select by Color Range

4. How to Use Quick Mask

5. How to Select Areas Using Paths

6. How to Modify Selections

7. How to Save and Load Selections

There are times when you need to change just a portion of an image rather than make global changes. To do this effectively, you'll usually select just the portion of the image you want to change, isolating it from the rest of the image. Then you can use all of Photoshop's editing tools to change just the selected area, leaving the remaining image unchanged.

As you select objects or areas in an image, take the time to select those areas as accurately as possible. Selections that include fringe elements from the background or that have poorly defined edges can destroy the realism and professional look of an image.

Photoshop goes to great lengths to provide a wide array of selection tools. The tasks in this part provide a solid overview of the different kinds of selections you can make in Photoshop, as well as how to modify, combine, and save selections after you've made them. The Photoshop selection tools let you isolate just about any kind of image area. It's well worth your time to learn as much as you can about image selections.