Creating pixel selections
A pixel selection is simply a drawn area on your image (bounded by a flashing dashed line, often called 'marching ants').
A selection is created for various reasons:
- To limit editing (e.g., painting, applying fills, etc.) to within that selection area only.
- To selectively copy pixels.
- As a precursor to creating a mask layer.
- To draw areas for removal (cutout).
Selection boundaries are defined depending on whether individual pixels are included or excluded.
Once your selection has been created, you can invert it so all included pixels are excluded and vice versa.
Selection tools
There are several tools you can use to create pixel selections:
Selection procedures
Alongside the many selection tools available, there are also a variety of procedures you can follow to create a pixel selection from:
About selection modes
When working with selections, you may have access to the following Modes which affect how your selection develops:
- New—cancels all current selections and creates a new selection.
- Add—adds areas to the current selection. If there is no selection in place, a new selection will be created.
- Subtract—removes areas from the current selection.
- Intersect—a new selection area is created from the overlap between the newly added selection area and the current selection.
When you switch to one of the tools listed above, its mode may vary according to the following rules:
- If pixels are selected the tool remembers its last-used mode.
- If pixels are not selected, the tool defaults to New or Add mode.
When defaulting to New/Add mode, the Smart Selection Brush Tool defaults to the former while other selection tools default to the latter.
To select every pixel in the image:
Do one of the following:
- From the Selections menu, choose Select all.
- Hold one finger (or swipe three fingers) down on the screen, then release it and select Select all from the pop-up menu.
To invert, deselect or reselect, use the same procedure as above and decide on the appropriate option.
