
Grab your Lasso tool and set to an appropriate feather. One way to use Photoshop's Lasso tool is to add a pop of color to a small area of your image. Lets look at a couple of these in more detail: Lasso Tool Example #1 Adding Color Pop to a Small Area

There are just too many to list, but here are some of my favorites: You can use the lasso tool to do so many things. You can use a white brush or black brush on other areas of the image.Another way to think of this is that WHITE allows the adjustment you made to show through. Any change you make with that adjustment layer will ONLY show through the selection area.Notice it automatically makes a layer with a BLACK mask, and the area you selected is in white.You can choose an adjustment layer by clicking the circle that is half black/half white. Choose an adjustment layer of your choice.If you want to try this on your own, follow these steps: However, you can utilize your brush and draw out the change in other areas if you need to. With adjustment layers, you will notice that the adjustment creates a black mask, and ONLY the area selected will show the change. Making Your AdjustmentĪfter you set the feather, and make your selection, then you can create your adjustment/filter. Reminder: Don't forget to set your feather BEFORE you make your selection. Anything you select with this icon selected will be removed from your previous selection.

To SUBTRACT from your selection, activate the Lasso Tool and then choose the icon that looks like one solid square and one transparent square. This will allow you to choose multiple areas in the image to be selected at the same time. To ADD to your selection, activate the Lasso Tool and then choose icon that looks like a two squares merged together. If you did not get all of the area you wanted initially, or there are multiple areas that are not connected, you can easily add to and/or make adjustments to your selection with the "Add to" or "Subtract From" options available with the Lasso Tool. I don't know about you, but I often don't get my selections "right" the first time so this little tip helps me quite often.
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How to Add to or Choose Multiple Areas with the Lasso Tool Just remember that the feather setting is an important part of making a selection in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Or, if your feather is too large, the edit may only be applied to a very small part of your selection and with too much blending. If you are not paying attention to the feather, your edited area will probably stand out, with a defined start and stop. In general, smaller file size = smaller feathers (make all of the above smaller for a 72 dpi image).Small area selected = small feather (if you are selecting eyes as your area, your feather might be 10 px).Medium area selected = medium feather (if the selected area encompasses less than half the image, your feather might be 30 px).Large area selected = big feather (if the selected area encompasses a majority of the image, your feather might be 80 or 100 px).You will need to set the feather setting FIRST, before making the selection! This will blend the changes you apply to the selection into the pixels around them.įor instance, if you want to select a person’s face so you can brighten it, or there is a color cast on the face/neck that you want to fix, you will definitely want to feather your selection. When using any of the selection tools on a portrait, it is important to know that you must “feather” or “refine” the edge. You click the tool, then draw around the area you want selected. After you let up, you will see moving dotted lines, or “marching ants.” Lassoing an area is pretty straight forward.

To use the lasso, simply press the ‘L’ key ( Photoshop shortcut) on your keyboard, move your mouse to an area on the image, then trace around the area you want to alter. Remember the basic rule of selection tools - you are selecting an area you want changed and (usually) the area INSIDE your selection will be the area changed. The Photoshop lasso tool is also my favorite selection too!

The lasso tool is one of several selection tools used in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements and is great to use when you need to select of a particular area of your image.
