Adobe photoshop elements User Manual

Page of 296
CHAPTER 5
106
Selecting
7
Close the selection border:
To close the border with a freehand magnetic 
segment, double-click, press Enter or Return, or 
click anywhere outside the document window.
To close the border with a straight segment, hold 
down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and 
double-click.
To close the border, drag back over the starting 
point and click.
To close the border, click anywhere outside the 
active window.
Setting options for the lasso, polygonal 
lasso, and magnetic lasso tools
The lasso tool options let you customize how the 
different lasso tools detect and select edges.
To set options for the lasso tools:
1
If needed, select the tool.
2
 In the options bar, specify whether to create a 
new selection ( ), add to an existing selection ( ), 
subtract from a selection ( ), or select an area 
intersected by other selections ( ).
3
Specify feather and anti-aliasing options. 
4
For the magnetic lasso tool, set any of these 
options:
To specify a detection width, enter a pixel value 
between 1 and 40 for Width. The magnetic lasso 
detects edges only within the specified distance 
from the pointer.
To specify the lasso’s sensitivity to edges in the 
image, enter a value between 1% and 100% for 
Edge Contrast. A higher value detects only edges 
that contrast sharply with their surroundings; 
a lower value detects lower-contrast edges.
To specify the rate at which the lasso sets 
fastening points, enter a value between 0 and 100 
for Frequency. A higher value anchors the 
selection border in place more quickly. 
On an image with well-defined edges, try a higher 
width and higher edge contrast, and trace the 
border roughly. On an image with softer edges, 
try a lower width and lower edge contrast, 
and trace the border more precisely.
To change the lasso cursor to indicate the lasso 
Width value in the options bar, press the Caps 
Lock key on the keyboard. Change the cursor 
while the tool is selected but not in use.
If you are working with a stylus tablet, select or 
deselect the Stylus Pressure option. When the 
option is selected, an increase in stylus pressure 
will cause the edge width to decrease. 
While creating a selection, you can press ] to 
increase the magnetic lasso edge width by 
1 pixel; press [ to decrease the width by 1 pixel. 
Using the magic wand tool
The magic wand tool lets you select a consistently 
colored area (for example, a red flower) without 
having to trace its outline. You specify the color 
range, or tolerance, for the magic wand tool’s 
selection.
Note: You cannot use the magic wand tool on an 
image in Bitmap mode.