Here goes advanced selection steps...
Tutorial : How To Do A Precise Selection!
Filed under: Co-Writer, How To, Photography, Tutorials | Author: ZuL. | Article posted on March 10, 2008
Apologies to those who have been waiting for my new tutorial which never seemed to be published. I know, and am deeply honoured, that there are many who look forward to it, and I humbly thank them, and you, for all the support that all of you have given me.
That said, let’s get on with today’s tutorial!
This time around, I will show you how to do a precise selection in Photoshop, and then some of the cool things that you can achieve, once you’ve mastered it. Precise selection? That isn’t very descriptive, is it? Doesn’t sound cool, but here are 2 teaser images to encourage you to read on.
To do a precise selection in Photoshop is not all that difficult. It might be tedious, but it’s not difficult at all. There are several ways to achieve this, and in this tutorial, I will guide you through two methods. I will be using the photograph below for examples. Feel free to use your own, or, if you like, use the same image.
Control + / Command + to zoom in, Control - / Command -to zoom out.
This is what it should remotely look like when you’re done painting all the details in. If you managed to brush in everything perfectly, I applaud you! It’s not that easy! Normally I would paint in the reflection as well, but since using this method is not the focus of this tutorial, I didn’t.
Note : You can also use the Quick Mask method, by pressing Q to enter Quick Mask mode, in place of Step 1. Then brush in the item you want, and then press Q again to exit the Quick Mask mode which will automatically select your brushed area.
End of First Method of precise selection using a Brush tool.
I suggest reading a bit on the Pen tool from the Help section, or just playing with the tool for a while. If you want to skip doing that, you can still follow this tutorial.
Otherwise, use the Pen tool and click on the edge of the item you want to select to create what is called an Anchor Point. Trace out the item’s outline using the Pen tool using as many Anchor Points as you want/need. Every single click creates a new Anchor Point.
As with the previous method, feel free to zoom in as much as you need. It will make the tracing out easier.
Note : Should you click on a wrong place, press the Delete button to clear the last Anchor Point you created. Be careful, though. Pressing the Delete button a second time will delete the rest of the path (the lines and Anchor Points that are created are called Paths) that is left, which you might want. If you want to delete off the next Anchor Point, click on it first before pressing the Delete button.
To save the path that you have worked so hard to create, go to the Paths tab (Windows > Paths, if you don’t see it), and double-click on the Work Path layer. Enter a name for it, if you like, and click Ok to save it. Now that path is accessible via Paths tab everytime you open the document you’re working on. Each newly-created path needs to be saved like this.
Click Ok and you will get your selection. Click on the Layer Mask and click on Edit > Fill > Use > Black (shortcut : Alt Backspace if black is your Foreground colour, Control Backspace if black is your Background colour) to mask the selection.
Note : An easier tool to try that is somewhat similar to the Pen tool is the Magnetic Lasso tool (right-click the Lasso tool button). It gives less control compared to the Pen tool, but it is quite good for beginners. If you feel like the Pen tool is a bit too frustrating for you, try the Magnetic Lasso tool instead, and forge on!
End of Second Method of precise selection using a Pen tool.
So, now that you know both methods, the best way to get a really precise selection is to use a mixture of both. I would start with the Pen tool (method 2) first, and then clean up any stray edges with the Brush tool (method 1). Alright, let’s see what you can do with this new trick!
Example 1
This is what came out of this tutorial example, of course.
To do this :
Example 2
If you’ve visited my blog before, you’ve seen this image! It was done using the steps in this tutorial!
Example 3
You can also completely remove an aspect of an image, and replace it with something else entirely.
Example 4
And of course, this will help you create slightly more advanced clones!
By uguduwa
By uguduwa





Tutorial : How To Do A Precise Selection!
Apologies to those who have been waiting for my new tutorial which never seemed to be published. I know, and am deeply honoured, that there are many who look forward to it, and I humbly thank them, and you, for all the support that all of you have given me.
That said, let’s get on with today’s tutorial!
This time around, I will show you how to do a precise selection in Photoshop, and then some of the cool things that you can achieve, once you’ve mastered it. Precise selection? That isn’t very descriptive, is it? Doesn’t sound cool, but here are 2 teaser images to encourage you to read on.
To do a precise selection in Photoshop is not all that difficult. It might be tedious, but it’s not difficult at all. There are several ways to achieve this, and in this tutorial, I will guide you through two methods. I will be using the photograph below for examples. Feel free to use your own, or, if you like, use the same image.
- First Method : Mask & Brush
- Step 1 :
- Step 2 :
Control + / Command + to zoom in, Control - / Command -to zoom out.
- Step 3 :
This is what it should remotely look like when you’re done painting all the details in. If you managed to brush in everything perfectly, I applaud you! It’s not that easy! Normally I would paint in the reflection as well, but since using this method is not the focus of this tutorial, I didn’t.
- Step 4 :
Note : You can also use the Quick Mask method, by pressing Q to enter Quick Mask mode, in place of Step 1. Then brush in the item you want, and then press Q again to exit the Quick Mask mode which will automatically select your brushed area.
End of First Method of precise selection using a Brush tool.
- Second Method : Mask & Pen
- Step 1 :
- Step 2 :
- Step 3 :
Otherwise, use the Pen tool and click on the edge of the item you want to select to create what is called an Anchor Point. Trace out the item’s outline using the Pen tool using as many Anchor Points as you want/need. Every single click creates a new Anchor Point.
As with the previous method, feel free to zoom in as much as you need. It will make the tracing out easier.
Note : Should you click on a wrong place, press the Delete button to clear the last Anchor Point you created. Be careful, though. Pressing the Delete button a second time will delete the rest of the path (the lines and Anchor Points that are created are called Paths) that is left, which you might want. If you want to delete off the next Anchor Point, click on it first before pressing the Delete button.
- Step 4 :
- Step 5 :
Note : An easier tool to try that is somewhat similar to the Pen tool is the Magnetic Lasso tool (right-click the Lasso tool button). It gives less control compared to the Pen tool, but it is quite good for beginners. If you feel like the Pen tool is a bit too frustrating for you, try the Magnetic Lasso tool instead, and forge on!
End of Second Method of precise selection using a Pen tool.
So, now that you know both methods, the best way to get a really precise selection is to use a mixture of both. I would start with the Pen tool (method 2) first, and then clean up any stray edges with the Brush tool (method 1). Alright, let’s see what you can do with this new trick!
Example 1
This is what came out of this tutorial example, of course.
- Step 1 :
- Step 2 :
- Step 3 :
- Step 4 :
Example 2
Example 3
You can also completely remove an aspect of an image, and replace it with something else entirely.
Example 4
By uguduwa
By uguduwa




