Photoshop cs5 by steve Johnson part 15 pps

ptg
90 Chapter 4
To say that Photoshop helps you make selections easily would be an
understatement. Not only can you modify selections in any number of
ways, Photoshop gives you the option to change your mind by adding
and subtracting to an existing selection or even using the selection
tools to crop the image. Since most selections are not perfect the first
time around, knowing how to modify a selection marquee gives you the
control you need to make perfect selections. Adding to and subtracting
from an image is accomplished by simple keyboard shortcuts, or by
making choices from the Options bar. Either way, you can create com-
plex selections with ease.
Adding and
Subtracting a
Selection
Add to an Existing Selection
Create a selection using any of the
selection tools.
Add to the selection by holding
down the Shift key, and then use a
selection tool to add to the existing
selection (the selected areas do
not need to be contiguous).
Release the mouse and the Shift
key to complete the addition.
Subtract from an Existing
Selection
Create a selection using any of the
selection tools.
Subtract from the selection by
holding down the Alt (Win) or

Option (Mac) key.
Create a selection that intersects
with the existing selection.
Release the mouse and the keys to
complete the subtraction.
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Two se parate selections
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Cropping a document brings focus to the information contained within
the image. For example, you take a photograph of an insect on a flower.
To increase the focus on the insect, then crop out the flower. Cropping
eliminates distractions, which would otherwise take away from the mes-
sage of the image. With the Crop tool, you can select the cropping area,
and then adjust it using a cropping shield and guide overlay (New!).
Chapter 4 Mastering the Art of Selection 91
Cropping a Selection
Crop a Selection
Select the Crop tool on the
toolbox.

Drag a selection around the area
of the image you want to crop.
◆ To adjust the selection, drag a
selection handle.
Click the Crop Guide Overlay list
arrow on the Control panel, and
then select an option: None, Rule
of Thirds, or Grid.
To display a shield in the cropped
area, select the Shield check box
on the Control panel.
◆ Color. Select a shield color.
◆ Opacity. Specify a shield
transparency percentage.
Click the Commit or Cancel button
to keep or cancel the change.
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Did You Know?
You can crop an existing selection.
Create a selection using any of the
selection tools, click the Image menu,
and then click Crop.
Once a selection is made, it's possible
to modify the selection using standard
transform tools.
To tran sform a sele c-

tion, click the Select menu, and then
click Transform Selection. You can
expand, contract, and even rotate the
selection marquee. To exit Transform
Selection, simply double-click in the
selection marquee, or press the Enter
(Win) or Return (Mac) key.
Cropping an Image with a User-Defined Shape
You can crop an image using a user-defined shape, such as a heart.
Select the Custom Shape tool on the toolbox, and then select a shape
on the Options bar. Create a new layer directly above the image layer,
and draw the cropping shape. Select the Shape layers button on the
Options bar. Select the Move tool and place the shape directly over
the area you want to crop. In the Layers panel, drag the shape layer
directly under the image layer (shape disappears), and then point to
the line separating the image layer from the shape layer. Hold down
the Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) key, and then click to create a clipping
group and crop to the shape. To make the crop permanent, hide all
layers except the shape and image layers, click the Options button on
the Layers panel, and then click Merge Visible.
For Your Information
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From the Library of Wow! eBook
ptg
92 Chapter 4
Photoshop's primary method of creating selections is through the use
of tools from the toolbox, such as the Marquee, Lasso, and Magic
Wand, and while they create impressive and complex selections,
Photoshop has other ways to capture that tricky selection using the

Channels panel. The Channels panel primarily holds color information,
but that's not all it can hold. You can use the Channels panel to create
and store complex selections. Photoshop holds selection information
using black (masked), white (selected), and shades of gray (percent-
ages of selection). In addition, channels can be saved with the image
file.
Using Channels to
Create and Store
Selections
Create Selections with Channels
Select the Channels panel.
Click the individual color channels.
Look for a channel that represents
a brightness difference between
what you want to select and what
you want to mask.
Make a copy of the channel by
dragging it down over the New
Channel button on the Channels
panel.
Select the new channel.
Click the Image menu, point to
Adjustments, and then click
Threshold.
Drag the Threshold slider left or
right until the visible image
represents a black and white mask
of your selection.
Click OK.
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Did You Know?
Selection masks created from color
channels will not always be perfect.
For example, you may see unwanted
spots of white or black. When that
happens, do the best you can using the
Threshold command, and then paint
with white or black to clean up the
mask.
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From the Library of Wow! eBook
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Chapter 4 Mastering the Art of Selection 93
Apply Selection Masks to
an Image
Click the Select menu, and then
click Load Selection.
Click the Channel list arrow, and
then select the newly created

channel.
Click OK.
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Selection
See Also
See “Creating Channel Masks from
Selections” on page 255 for more infor-
mation on using channel masks as
selections.
From the Library of Wow! eBook
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94 Chapter 4
Selections can be as simple as dragging a circle or square with one of
the marquee tools or as complicated as a freeform selection. Whatever
the case, Photoshop allows you to enhance any selection with its use-
ful modification tools. After creating a selection, you can modify it with
the various options that Photoshop offers in order to make complex
selections easier to use.
Modifying an Existing
Selection
Modify an Existing Selection
Create a selection, click the Select
menu, and then select an option:
◆ All. Selects all pixels within the
active document.
◆ Deselect or Reselect. Removes

the active selection or recreates
the last active selection.
◆ Inverse. Lets you reverse the
previous selection.
◆ All Layers. Lets you select all the
layers in the Layers panel
(excluding the Background).
◆ Deselect Layers. Deselects all
layers in the Layers panel.
◆ Similar Layers. Selects similar
layers such as: all type layers, or
all shape layers.
◆ Color Range. Creates a selection
based on a range of colors within
the active document.
◆ Redefine Edge. Creates a
selection from a complex image.
◆ Modify. Lets you modify the
border, Expand, Contract, or
Smooth the selection in the
active document.
◆ Grow. Lets you increase a
selection by adding pixels.
◆ Similar. Lets you increase a
selection by adding non-
contiguous pixels.
◆ Transform Selection. Creates a
bounding box around the active
selection that you can modify.
◆ Edit in Quick Mask Mode. View

your selection in Quick Mask
Mode.
◆ Load or Save Selection. Lets you
load or save a previously saved
channel mask selection.
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Selection
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Available selection options
From the Library of Wow! eBook
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Chapter 4 Mastering the Art of Selection 95
After you make a selection in a Photoshop document, you can copy or
cut it to the Clipboard where you can paste it to another place in your
active document or in another document. Using the Copy or Cut and
Paste commands have been around for a long time, however, Photoshop
has added some variation to it. You can use the Paste Special menu to
provide more direction to the paste location by using the Paste In Place
(New!), Paste Into, and Paste Outside (New!) commands. If the con-
tent of the Clipboard doesn’t contain pixels from a Photoshop document,
the special paste commands work just like the Paste command.
Copying and Pasting a
Selection
Copy or Cut and Paste
Select an area of an image using
any of the selection tools in a
Photoshop document.
Click the Edit menu, and then click
Copy (active layer), or Copy
Merged (all layers), or Cut (move).

Use any of the following paste
commands:
◆ Paste. Pastes the selection as a
new layer. Click the Edit menu,
and then click Paste.
◆ Paste In Place. Pastes selection
into the same relative location
between source and destination
documents. Click the Edit menu,
point to Paste Special, and then
click Paste In Place (New!).
TIMESAVER
Press Shift+Ctrl+V
(Win) or Shift+
A
+V (Mac).
◆ Paste Into or Paste Outside.
Pastes the selection inside or
outside (New!) a selection.
This adds a layer and layer
mask. The selection is
unmasked (white), while the
rest of the layer is masked
(black). Select a destination,
click the Edit menu, point to
Paste Special, and then click
Paste Into or Paste Outside.
TIMESAVER
For Paste Into,
press Alt+Shift+Ctrl+V (Win) or

Option+Shift+
A
+V (Mac).
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Background layer
Paste Into layer
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Paste Into
From the Library of Wow! eBook