How To Use Adobe Photoshop CS2

Part 3. Selection Techniques

Task

1 How to Select Geometric Areas 80

2 How to Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool 82

3 How to Select by Color Range 84

4 How to Use Quick Mask 86

5 How to Convert Selections to Paths 88

6 How to Modify Selections 90

7 How to Save and Load Selections 94

Sometimes 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 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 various 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 almost any kind of image area. It's well worth your time to learn as much as you can about image selections. •