Photoshop is an industry-standard for editing images because of a reason. The reason is that it gives you a plethora of advanced tools so that you can work in any case. Similarly, there are many selection tools in Photoshop, each having its specific use. 

You can find these tools in the toolbar. The great thing is that when you select a tool, you get a lot of other options as well, to modify it. These options define how the new selection tool will stack up on the already applied selection tools.

Keep reading if you want to learn more about selection tools in Photoshop. 

Marquee Tools

Let us start with the Marquee tools. In order to make a selection, these tools allow you to drag a shape over the area. It comes in four different shapes; rectangular, elliptical, single row, and single column shape. You can either use a predefined size for the shape or drag it from a corner to make your size. 

Lasso Tools

As the name suggests, these tools give you free hand while drawing over any area. This also means that the resulting selection might not be very precise. It comes in two other forms besides the normal one.

Polygonal Lasso - Selection Tools in Photoshop

Again, as evident by the name, this tool lets you create shapes with more lines than a rectangle or a square. The working is also pretty simple, you start with one side and drag it as much as you much. If you want to turn a corner, you need to simply click once and a new line will emerge. The Shift key can be used to change from either a Horizontal or Vertical direction.

Magnetic Lasso

As you know, all selection tools in Photoshop have their strengths. Magnetic Lasso is particularly useful when you are dealing with an object with many curves. Fundamentally, it works just like a lasso but with more precision. You start from an edge and then start drawing around the curve. The tool automatically identifies the edges and magnetically attaches on to them making a clean selection. As you keep drawing, pins start to appear where the tool has attached to the edge. Circle back to either the original point or double click to end the selection.

Object Selection

Again, this tool works similarly to the Magnetic Lasso. You basically make a selection and it refines it. The only difference between the two is that this is a relatively new tool, so Adobe has worked to make sure that the refinements are more accurate on this one. After you have made the selection, the tool intelligently determines the edges of the object inside it and forms a clean selection.

Quick Selection - Selection Tools in Photoshop

This is one of the most convenient selection tools in Photoshop. You simply click over an area of an object and the tool automatically determines the size of the object based on similar pixels and color tones. There is a ‘+ sign’ to add another area of the object in that selection and a ‘– sign’ to erase a part.
Object selected with selection tools in photoshop

Magic Wand

Now, this tool is magic as it allows you to select colors in an image. You simply click on a color and the tool selects all areas containing that color. You can use low Tolerance to make a precise color selection or a high Tolerance in order to select similar colors. If you checked the Contiguous box, the tool only selects areas near the chosen color and if unchecked, then that color is selected from the whole image.

Select Color Range

You might have guessed that it works similarly like the Magic Wand. The only difference is that you select the entire image and then the tool shows you the color range in a top-down menu. You can easily select the range from there.

Select Sky - Selection Tools in Photoshop

Select Sky is one of the best selection tools in Photoshop. This Sky Replacement Tool is a very recent addition to Photoshop and made the lives of photographers so much easier. You simply go in the Select menu and then choose Sky. The tool automatically selects the sky despite any objects or interferences in it.

Select Focus Area

This is one of the most specific selection tools in Photoshop as it allows you to select in-focus areas of the image. You can even adjust the selection by either relaxing the focus parameters or by making it more precise. The best part is that you can preview the output to make the selection cleaner.

Select Subject

The fundamental principle behind this tool is the same as Object Selection. The only difference is that it is more automatic and easier to use. You simply select the tool and then it analyses the image for subjects and selects them. The only thing is that you need to use another tool to make the selection cleaner.

Conclusion - Selection Tools in Photoshop

All of the selection tools in Photoshop are great. The difference comes in their use, either they make quick selections for your convenience or make precise selections. Now that you know how all these selection tools function, it will be easier to choose one for your next project. 

If the “Selection Tools in Photoshop” article has helped you, then Like and Share it with your friends!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Have a nice photoshoot! 

Lightroom and Photoshop Tutorials

Photoshop Course
Lightroom Course
Lens Flare Effect
Lightroom & Photoshop Course