Selecting by Drawing a Path

If you're trying to make a selection with smooth curves, but it isn't a circle or ellipse, drawing it with the lasso tool can be frustrating and tedious. The pen tool is the most precise way to create freeform curves, but it takes time to learn as well. If you're proficient using the pen tool, you may find it easier to draw a path with the pen tool first. Then convert the path to a selection by Command/Ctrl+clicking the path in the Paths palette (Figure 9.6).

Figure 9.6. From left to right: A Pen tool path drawn around the subject, Command/Ctrl+clicking the path in the Paths palette, and the resulting selection.

You can create a selection from an Adobe Illustrator path by copying and pasting the path into Photoshop.