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Look Ma, TWINS!! (Using the SmartSelect Tool)

This tutorial introduces the SmartSelect tool. This tool works by finding the edges of the image being selected, which is especially handy when you want to select an image that stands out from a colorful background.

 
1. In Browse or Photo Mode, open an image or photo in the workspace.  
 
2. Select Edit > Selection > SmartSelect on the Menu Command bar.  

 

 

 

3. Create a starting selection point on the image by clicking on the desired area. (A red ball will appear.) The starting point can be positioned wherever you wish. You just have to be comfortable working your way around the image from the starting point.

Note: If you want to create a new starting point, just press Esc to erase the selection trail that you made and then click on the new desired area to create a new starting point.

 
 

4. Click the next selection point on the image. If you feel that the selection marquee is not "snapping" well enough to the edges of the image, adjust the Tolerance option. For this tutorial, the Tolerance value is 4.

Tip: When making the selection points, it's better to make them closer to each other to make the selection more accurate.

 

 

 

5. Continue clicking to create the selection points until you have selected the entire image.

Note: If you happen to make a selection "error" just click on Remove Last Selection Point in the Options panel. (Shortcut: Pressing the Backspace key also can remove the last selection point.) Remember that this will ONLY take you back to the previous selection point.

 

6. Once you've completed the selection, click on the red ball. The red ball now becomes a green ball.

Note: In the green ball state, you can still make adjustments to the selection. In case there are some portions of the image that you missed, you can still correct them. Put the pointer over one of the edges in the selection marquee. When the edge turns red or green drag it to "extend" your selection.

 

 

 
7. Click on the green ball once you've made all the necessary adjustments. This makes the selection complete. Now you can drag the selection to duplicate the image, add it to another image or drag it to the Thumbnail Strip to create a new image.  

 

 

Look Ma, TWINS!!

 
 
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