Smart Selection Brush Tool Painting pixel selections

Using the Smart Selection Brush Tool you can define a selection by painting on your page.

Default Selection Brush 'expansion' behaviour

By default the Smart Selection Brush Tool is set to intelligently expand the selection to include high contrast edges within the design, even if these are not directly painted.

Before
After
Before and after selection painted.

The number of pixels selected is determined by the size (width) of the brush in two ways:

Alternative 'non-expansion' behaviour

As an alternative to the expansion method detailed above, the Smart Selection Brush Tool also has a non-expansion method of selection. This method will only select pixels which are under the brush when the stroke is painted.

Non-expansion
Expansion
Difference in selection method between non-expansion (before) and expansion (after).

Selection edge fidelity

Pixels along the edge of a selection made using the Selection Brush Tool are fully opaque by default, which may result in a ragged edge when the selection is, for example, used as a mask or to composite a cut-out against a new background.

If the area being selected has a relatively simple edge, turn on Soft edges on the context toolbar and then make your selection. The tool will antialias the selection's edge; some pixels will be semi-transparent, giving an appearance that is less sharp yet often more desirable.

Soft edges comparison
Edge fidelity of a selection made with the Soft edges option disabled (left) and enabled (right).

For complex edges, such as finely detailed hair or fur, better results can be achieved using the tool's Refine option.

Smart Selection Brush Tool To create a pixel selection:
  1. From the Selections Persona, select Smart Selection Brush Tool.
  2. Adjust the context toolbar settings. (See Smart Selection Brush Tool for details.)
  3. Drag on your page.
Smart Selection Brush Tool To change selection criteria:

With the Smart Selection Brush Tool selected, do any of the following:

Smart Selection Brush Tool To set 'non-expansion' method:

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