Selection Brush and Lasso tools

Select Selection Brush Tool from the Lasso tool group in the toolbar.

Brush a lasso on the canvas to create an overlay over your desired selection.

(Optional) Change the overlay color from the Color dropdown under the gear icon in the options bar.

Change the Hardness and Opacity of the brush as required.

Toggle between Add brush and Subtract brush to refine your selection. 

Select Lasso tool and and enter a Feather value in the options bar to define the width of the feathering. Notice the Anti-alias box is selected by default.

See Soften the edges of selections to know more about feathering and anti-aliasing. 

To add to, subtract from, or intersect with an existing selection, select the correct option in the options bar.

• Drag to draw a freehand selection border.

• To switch between freehand and straight-edged segments, select Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS), and select where segments should begin and end. To erase recently drawn straight segments, hold down the Delete key.

(Optional) Select Select and Mask to further adjust the selection boundary. 

Select Polygonal Lasso tool and then the selection options from the options bar.

(Optional) Set feathering and anti-aliasing in the options bar. See Soften the edges of selections.

Select in the image to set the starting point.

• To draw a straight segment, select and position the pointer where you want the first straight segment to end. Continue selecting to set endpoints for subsequent segments.

• To draw a straight line at a multiple of 45°, hold down Shift as you move to select the next segment.

• To draw a freehand segment, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag. When you finish, release Alt or Option and the mouse button.

• To erase recently drawn straight segments, press the Delete key.

• Select and position the Polygonal Lasso tool pointer over the starting point (a closed circle appears next to the pointer).

• If the pointer is not over the starting point, double-click the Polygonal Lasso tool pointer, or Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS).

(Optional) Select Select and Mask to further adjust the selection boundary.

(Optional) Set feathering and anti-aliasing in the options bar. See Soften the edges of selections.

To specify a detection width, enter a pixel value for Width. The Magnetic Lasso tool detects edges only within the specified distance from the pointer.

To specify the lasso’s sensitivity to edges in the image, enter a value between 1% and 100% for Contrast. A higher value detects only edges that contrast sharply with their surroundings; a lower value detects lower-contrast edges.

To specify the rate at which the lasso sets fastening points, enter a value between 0 and 100 for Frequency. A higher value anchors the selection border in place more quickly.

If you are working with a stylus tablet, select or deselect the Stylus Pressure option. When the option is selected, an increase in stylus pressure decreases the edge width.

Select in the image to set the first fastening point. Fastening points anchor the selection border in place.

Release the mouse button or keep it pressed, and then move the pointer along the edge you want to trace.

The most recent segment of the selection border remains active. As you move the pointer, the active segment snaps to the strongest edge in the image, based on the detection width set in the options bar. Periodically, the Magnetic Lasso tool adds fastening points to the selection border to anchor previous segments.

If the border doesn’t snap to the desired edge, select once to add a fastening point manually. Continue to trace the edge, and add fastening points as needed.

• To activate the Lasso tool, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag while pressing the mouse button.

• Select to activate the Polygonal Lasso tool, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS).

• To close the border with a magnetic segment, double-click, or press Enter or Return. (To manually close the border, select and drag over the starting point.)

• To close the border with a straight segment, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and double-click.

(Optional) Select Select and Mask to further adjust the selection boundary.