One of the simplest tools in photoshop is the selection brush. Photoshop selects the portion of the image you are aiming for, however it sometimes includes the background or part of the image you don’t want. This tool is good for beginners as it is accessible, someone with no prior experience can easily crop images within seconds. The downside to this is that it isn't always accurate, you may be left with a border around the image or extra sections you do not want. Photoshop attempts to combat this by allowing you to select the size of the selection brush, you can also select the hardness of the brush. The harder the brush, the crisper the line. By combining this with the zoom function (‘ctrl’ and ‘mouse wheel’/’ctrl’ and ‘plus’) we can achieve greater precision.
However precise you or the tools are, mistakes can be made. If part of the image is selected in error, click the brush with the minus next to in the top left corner of the screen. With this enabled any selected portion of the image will be de-selected when clicked on. To de-select everything press ‘ctrl’ and ‘D’.
Pros:
- Easy to use, accessible
- Zooming, brush size and hardness allow for increased precision
- Remove selection tool is useful for errors Cons:
- Although precision can be increased, there are more effective/efficient tools.
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Cons:
- Although precision can be increased, there are more
effective/efficient tools.
Refine edge
After an image has been selected, click refine edge at the top of the screen to open the refine edge dialog. From here you will see your selection is now standalone, and can be projected against various backgrounds allowing for more precision when using the tools. In particular, the black and white background is useful for selections where alterations or definition to the edge are required, such as hair, fur or whiskers. Refine radius allows for more precision against the edge of your image. You can click the brush on the left and draw around the edge of the image if you didn't get the definition you required. Photoshop will try to refine your selection, to undo this press ‘alt’ and paint over the area again.
- Smooth will even out any jagged edges.
- Feather has the same effect but softens the edge instead.
- Contrast sharpens and removes fuzzy portions.
- Shift edge alters the selection boundary, either increasing or decreasing it.
Output in whichever format you choose, however a new layer with a new mask is most advisable. This is non destructive editing therefore allowing you to maintain the original image whilst being able to make changes to your selection. Ensuring show transforming tools is ticked, you can now position and resize your selection as desired.
Pros:
- Increases precision when dealing with intricate edges
- Make edges smoother - Maintain integrity of original image
- Backgrounds allow you to ensure your selection is as precise as possible.
Cons:
- There are no adamant rules for slider values, users may feel overwhelmed - Requires experimentation for each image
Please view my accompanying video guide
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