How to Make Selections with Photoshop [1/2]

At its most basic, making a selection in Photoshop is simply about choosing the best tool. So if what you’re trying to select is square or rectangular, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool. If it’s non-rectangular but has still got straight edges, use the Polygonal Lasoo Tool instead.

Watch the video below to see how simple it is to make a dramatic change to a photo, simply using these selection tools.

Some of Photoshop’s selection tools require you to do all of the work, and some of them try and assist you. The two main tools in this category are the Magic Wand and the Quick Selection Tool. Both of these work well when there is obvious contrast between what you want to select and what you don’t. They both work in similar ways – in the video below you’ll see the strengths of each tool and the sort of images they can help with. 

Next week we'll look at how to create more difficult selections by combining them...