8 Important Things to Identify Which Selection Tool to Use for the Task at Hand

Identify Which Selection Tool to Use for the Task at Hand As you edit images for print design, you are often faced with various selection tasks—everything from selecting an object and removing it from its background, to selecting and editing a small part of a much larger image. Some selections are easier to make than others. Using what you learned about all of the selection-making tools in Photoshop CS3, identify which tool is best for the selection task at hand.
1. Determine the type of selection you need to make (for example, a background or foreground object, a detailed or solid-color area, a high-contrast or low-contrast image). Based on what you now know about all of the selection tools available in Photoshop, identify which tool is best for the selection task at hand.
2. Add to and Subtract from a Selection Path In many instances, it can be too difficult to select an entire object or region of a photo by using just one method or tool. In fact, good selections are often made in steps. This requires making your initial selection and then altering it by using additional tools, commands, and key modifiers.
3. Open an image and make a selection with any of the selection tools except for the Magic Eraser, Background Eraser, or Extract filter. Locate some areas of the image that you would like to add to or subtract from the selection.
4. Apply a Feathered (Soft) Edge to a Selection Another way to modify selections is to alter the edge of the selection path. Photoshop contains a Feather command for softening edges.
5. By definition, a feathered edge is one that has a soft blur applied to it. Open an image, make a selection by using any of the selection tools except for the Magic Eraser, Background Eraser, or Extract filter, and apply a soft edge to the image. Use either the preor post-feathering methods.
6. Save and Load Selections With Photoshop, you can also save and load your selection as an alpha channel or as a path. This can be especially useful when making detailed selections that you might want to use again.
7. Open an image and make a complicated selection by using any of the selection tools except for the Magic Eraser, Background Eraser, or Extract filter. Save the selection by using either method.
8. Identify When to Use the Extract Filter There is more than one way to extract an image from its background in Photoshop. You can use the Magic Eraser to remove simple, solid-color backgrounds or use the Background Eraser to remove detailed backgrounds. But for moreadvanced extractions, you should use the Extract filter.
9. Open a photo containing an image that you would like to extract from its background. Be sure to choose an image with loss of edge detail, such as a head shot containing fly-away hair. Remove the image from its background by using the Extract filter.