Photoshop Elements Selection tools

[ScoutR]

Hello Elements users

I am working on an exercise I received recently, and am having a terrible time with the selection tools.

Could someone tell me which is the best selection tool to use to select a large area. I have been using the Quick Select tool, and it does what I want for awhile and then just goes off on its own and does not follow what I am trying to select.

By the way, this is my first attempt at trying this, so just some very basic tips to get me going will help a lot.

Thanks
Wendy

[Dave Humphries]

This should be interesting, as I struggle with selections too.

Hi Wendy,

Thanks for asking

I never know which to use!
and I can never get the lasso tools to join up again
So it's not just you

My most recent experience was on the bird the other day, which helped; I used the Quick Selection Tool, it seemed easier to select the snowy bits and modify the edges with the + and - bits until I had everything I didn't want selected, then I inverted to get the bird and used the Refine Edge dialog to smooth, expand and feather the edges.

Cheers,

[ScoutR]

Thanks Dave: The bird is what I'm working on. I Was doing fine and learning a lot until I got to the selection tool.
Thanks for your suggestions, I will keep muddling along until I figure it out. Knowing that it's not the simplest thing to do helps. I thought it was just me doing something wrong or selecting the wrong tool.

Unfortunatley my holidays are over, so I won't have so much time, but I'll get back to it as soon as possible.

Thanks again
Wendy

[Geoff F]

It's not just Elements or you; I use a different programme and have never had much success with their auto selection or extraction tools, despite using various threshold settings. These articles might help http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/s...lections-1.htm there are 5 items on selections and masks. (Thanks are due to Colin for originally pointing me towards this useful site).

Personally I prefer to mostly use the hand drawing tool (can't remember what it is called in Elements) or apply a selection using the paint to select option with plenty of zoom and changing brush sizes to suit.

One auto selection tip that sometimes works for me is to create a duplicate layer then considerably increase the contrast, and sometimes colours, on that layer to make the edges easier to follow. When the selection is complete, delete the layer and let the selection lines drop onto the required part of the original image.

[ScoutR]

Thanks Geoff: I've bookmarked the site you mentioned and I'll check it out.

One auto selection tip that sometimes works for me is to create a duplicate layer then considerably increase the contrast, and sometimes colours, on that layer to make the edges easier to follow. When the selection is complete, delete the layer and let the selection lines drop onto the required part of the original image.

That makes sense, and if all else fails I will give it a try. It will be awhile before I have a chance to get back to it , but the above tip sounds like it could make a big difference.

Thanks again
Wendy

[Dave Humphries]

Thanks Geoff: I've bookmarked the site you mentioned and I'll check it out.

That makes sense, and if all else fails I will give it a try. It will be awhile before I have a chance to get back to it , but the above tip sounds like it could make a big difference.

Thanks again
Wendy

What Wendy said

I mean "seconded" thanks Geoff!

Cheers,

[Jim B.]

Great tip,Geoff,Thanks!

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Hi,
First choice is the number of px.If selected area is small the nr of px must be small.The soft tells you if the nr of px is too much.If You will practice you will learn how much.
Second problem is that you must work at big zoom 200-300%and sometimes bigger.The practice will tell you how much.
The third is which of lasso tools is the best choice.I work with three of them:
-from lasso tool square, I select "lasso tool" or "polygonal lasso tool";
-from selection bruh tool square, I select the second- "selection brush tool"- because this tool
gives a great precision(when you press "Alt" you decrease the selected area)
In very short that is the problem.I think that is much more easily than in dark room was.
Success is easily to achive!
Radu Dinu