- Photoshop User Guide
- Introduction to Photoshop
- Photoshop and other Adobe products and services
- Photoshop on the iPad (not available in mainland China)
- Photoshop on the iPad | Common questions
- Get to know the workspace
- System requirements | Photoshop on the iPad
- Create, open, and export documents
- Add photos
- Work with layers
- Draw and paint with brushes
- Make selections and add masks
- Retouch your composites
- Work with adjustment layers
- Adjust the tonality of your composite with Curves
- Apply transform operations
- Crop and rotate your composites
- Rotate, pan, zoom, and reset the canvas
- Work with Type layers
- Work with Photoshop and Lightroom
- Get missing fonts in Photoshop on the iPad
- Japanese Text in Photoshop on the iPad
- Manage app settings
- Touch shortcuts and gestures
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Edit your image size
- Livestream as you create in Photoshop on the iPad
- Correct imperfections with the Healing Brush
- Create brushes in Capture and use them in Photoshop on the iPad
- Work with Camera Raw files
- Create and work with Smart Objects
- Adjust exposure in your images with Dodge and Burn
- Auto adjustment commands in Photoshop on the iPad
- Smudge areas in your images with Photoshop on the iPad
- Saturate or desaturate your images using Sponge tool
- Content aware fill for iPad
- Photoshop on the web (not available in mainland China)
- Common questions
- System requirements
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Supported file types
- Introduction to the workspace
- Open and work with cloud documents
- Generative AI features
- Basic concepts of editing
- Quick Actions
- Work with layers
- Retouch images and remove imperfections
- Make quick selections
- Image improvements with Adjustment Layers
- Add a fill layer
- Move, transform, and crop images
- Draw and paint
- Draw and edit Shapes
- Work with Type layers
- Work with anyone on the web
- Manage app settings
- Generate Image
- Generate Background
- Reference Image
- Photoshop (beta) (not available in mainland China)
- Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
- Common questions on generative AI in Photoshop
- Generative Fill in Photoshop on the desktop
- Generate Image with descriptive text prompts
- Generative Expand in Photoshop on the desktop
- Generative Fill in Photoshop on the iPad
- Generative Expand in Photoshop on the iPad
- Generative AI features in Photoshop on the web
- Content authenticity (not available in mainland China)
- Cloud documents (not available in mainland China)
- Photoshop cloud documents | Common questions
- Photoshop cloud documents | Workflow questions
- Manage and work with cloud documents in Photoshop
- Upgrade cloud storage for Photoshop
- Unable to create or save a cloud document
- Solve Photoshop cloud document errors
- Collect cloud document sync logs
- Invite others to edit your cloud documents
- Share files and comment in-app
- Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Preferences
- Learn faster with the Photoshop Discover Panel
- Create documents
- Place files
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Tool galleries
- Performance preferences
- Use tools
- Presets
- Grid and guides
- Touch gestures
- Use the Touch Bar with Photoshop
- Touch capabilities and customizable workspaces
- Technology previews
- Metadata and notes
- Touch capabilities and customizable workspaces
- Place Photoshop images in other applications
- Rulers
- Show or hide non-printing Extras
- Specify columns for an image
- Undo and history
- Panels and menus
- Position elements with snapping
- Position with the Ruler tool
- Web, screen, and app design
- Image and color basics
- How to resize images
- Work with raster and vector images
- Image size and resolution
- Acquire images from cameras and scanners
- Create, open, and import images
- View images
- Invalid JPEG Marker error | Opening images
- Viewing multiple images
- Customize color pickers and swatches
- High dynamic range images
- Match colors in your image
- Convert between color modes
- Color modes
- Erase parts of an image
- Blending modes
- Choose colors
- Customize indexed color tables
- Image information
- Distort filters are unavailable
- About color
- Color and monochrome adjustments using channels
- Choose colors in the Color and Swatches panels
- Sample
- Color mode or Image mode
- Color cast
- Add a conditional mode change to an action
- Add swatches from HTML CSS and SVG
- Bit depth and preferences
- Layers
- Layer basics
- Nondestructive editing
- Create and manage layers and groups
- Select, group, and link layers
- Place images into frames
- Layer opacity and blending
- Mask layers
- Apply Smart Filters
- Layer comps
- Move, stack, and lock layers
- Mask layers with vector masks
- Manage layers and groups
- Layer effects and styles
- Edit layer masks
- Extract assets
- Reveal layers with clipping masks
- Generate image assets from layers
- Work with Smart Objects
- Blending modes
- Combine multiple images into a group portrait
- Combine images with Auto-Blend Layers
- Align and distribute layers
- Copy CSS from layers
- Load selections from a layer or layer mask's boundaries
- Knockout to reveal content from other layers
- Selections
- Get started with selections
- Make selections in your composite
- Select and Mask workspace
- Select with the marquee tools
- Select with the lasso tools
- Adjust pixel selections
- Move, copy, and delete selected pixels
- Create a temporary quick mask
- Select a color range in an image
- Convert between paths and selection borders
- Channel basics
- Save selections and alpha channel masks
- Select the image areas in focus
- Duplicate, split, and merge channels
- Channel calculations
- Get started with selections
- Image adjustments
- Replace object colors
- Perspective warp
- Reduce camera shake blurring
- Healing brush examples
- Export color lookup tables
- Adjust image sharpness and blur
- Understand color adjustments
- Apply a Brightness/Contrast adjustment
- Adjust shadow and highlight detail
- Levels adjustment
- Adjust hue and saturation
- Adjust vibrance
- Adjust color saturation in image areas
- Make quick tonal adjustments
- Apply special color effects to images
- Enhance your image with color balance adjustments
- High dynamic range images
- View histograms and pixel values
- Match colors in your image
- Crop and straighten photos
- Convert a color image to black and white
- Adjustment and fill layers
- Curves adjustment
- Blending modes
- Target images for press
- Adjust color and tone with Levels and Curves eyedroppers
- Adjust HDR exposure and toning
- Dodge or burn image areas
- Make selective color adjustments
- Adobe Camera Raw
- Camera Raw system requirements
- What's new in Camera Raw
- Introduction to Camera Raw
- Create panoramas
- Supported lenses
- Vignette, grain, and dehaze effects in Camera Raw
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Automatic perspective correction in Camera Raw
- Radial Filter in Camera Raw
- Manage Camera Raw settings
- Open, process, and save images in Camera Raw
- Repair images with the Enhanced Spot Removal tool in Camera Raw
- Rotate, crop, and adjust images
- Adjust color rendering in Camera Raw
- Process versions in Camera Raw
- Make local adjustments in Camera Raw
- Image repair and restoration
- Image enhancement and transformation
- Drawing and painting
- Paint symmetrical patterns
- Draw rectangles and modify stroke options
- About drawing
- Draw and edit shapes
- Painting tools
- Create and modify brushes
- Blending modes
- Add color to paths
- Edit paths
- Paint with the Mixer Brush
- Brush presets
- Gradients
- Gradient interpolation
- Fill and stroke selections, layers, and paths
- Draw with the Pen tools
- Create patterns
- Generate a pattern using the Pattern Maker
- Manage paths
- Manage pattern libraries and presets
- Draw or paint with a graphics tablet
- Create textured brushes
- Add dynamic elements to brushes
- Gradient
- Paint stylized strokes with the Art History Brush
- Paint with a pattern
- Sync presets on multiple devices
- Migrate presets, actions, and settings
- Text
- Filters and effects
- Saving and exporting
- Color Management
- Web, screen, and app design
- Video and animation
- Printing
- Automation
- Troubleshooting
Learn how to select pixels in your image in Photoshop.
Topics in this article:
You can move a selection border around an image, hide a selection border, and invert a selection so that the previously unselected part of the image is selected. To move the selection itself and not the selection border, use the Move tool. To learn more, see Move a selection.
Move a selection border
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Using any selection tool, select New Selection from the options bar, and position the pointer inside the selection border. The pointer changes to indicate that you can move the selection.
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Drag the border to enclose a different area of the image. You can drag a selection border partly beyond the canvas boundaries. When you drag it back, the original border reappears intact. You can also drag the selection border to another image window.Note:
You can apply geometric transformations to change the shape of a selection border. (See Apply transformations.)
Control the movement of a selection
- To constrain the direction to multiples of 45°, begin dragging, and then hold down Shift as you continue to drag.
- To move the selection in 1‑pixel increments, use an arrow key.
- To move the selection in 10‑pixel increments, hold down Shift, and use an arrow key.
Hide or show selection edges
Do one of the following:
- Choose View > Extras. This command shows or hides selection edges, grids, guides, target paths, slices, annotations, layer borders, count, and Smart Guides.
- Choose View > Show > Selection Edges. This toggles the view of the selection edges and affects the current selection only. The selection edges reappear when you make a different selection.
Select the unselected parts of an image
You can use this option to select an object placed against a solid-colored background. Select the background using the Magic Wand tool and then invert the selection.
Choose Select > Inverse.
You can use the selection tools to add to or subtract from existing pixel selections.
Before manually adding to or subtracting from a selection, you may want to set the feather and anti-aliasing values in the options bar to the same settings used in the original selection.
Add to a selection or select an additional area
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Make a selection.
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Using any selection tool, do one of the following:
Select the Add To Selection option in the options bar, and drag to add to the selection.
Hold down Shift, and drag to add to the selection.
A plus sign appears next to the pointer when you’re adding to a selection.
Subtract from a selection
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Make a selection.
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Using any selection tool, do one of the following:
Select the Subtract From Selection option in the options bar, and drag to intersect with other selections.
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and drag to subtract another selection.
A minus sign appears next to the pointer when you’re subtracting from a selection.
Select only an area intersected by other selections
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Make a selection.
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Using any selection tool, do one of the following:
Select the Intersect With Selection option in the options bar, and drag.
Hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS) and drag over the portion of the original selection you want to select.
An “x” appears next to the pointer when you’re selecting an intersected area.
The Select and Mask option improves the quality of selection edges, letting you extract objects with ease. You can also use Select and Mask to refine a layer mask. (See Adjust mask opacity or edges.)
Click Select and Mask in the options bar, or choose Select > Select and Mask.
For details, see Select and Mask.
Also, you can smoothen the hard edges of a selection by anti-aliasing and by feathering.
Anti-aliasing
Smooths the jagged edges of a selection by softening the color transition between edge pixels and background pixels. Because only the edge pixels change, no detail is lost. Anti-aliasing is useful when cutting, copying, and pasting selections to create composite images.
Anti-aliasing is available for the Lasso tool, the Polygonal Lasso tool, the Magnetic Lasso tool, the Elliptical Marquee tool, and the Magic Wand tool. (Select a tool to display its options bar.)
You must specify this option before using these tools. After a selection is made, you cannot add anti-aliasing.
Feathering
Blurs edges by building a transition boundary between the selection and its surrounding pixels. This blurring can cause some loss of detail at the edge of the selection.
You can define feathering for the Marquee tools, the Lasso tool, the Polygonal Lasso tool, or the Magnetic Lasso tool as you use the tool, or you can add feathering to an existing selection.
Feathering effects become apparent only after you move, cut, copy, or fill the selection.
Select pixels using anti-aliasing
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Select the Lasso tool, the Polygonal Lasso tool, the Magnetic Lasso tool, the Elliptical Marquee tool, or the Magic Wand tool.
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Select Anti-aliased in the options bar.
Define a feathered edge for a selection tool
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Select any of the lasso or marquee tools.
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Enter a Feather value in the options bar. This value defines the width of the feathered edge and can range from 0 to 250 pixels.
Define a feathered edge for an existing selection
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Choose Select > Modify > Feather.
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Enter a value for the Feather Radius, and click OK.Note:
A small selection made with a large feather radius may be so faint that its edges are invisible and thus not selectable. If you see the message “No pixels are more than 50% selected,” either decrease the feather radius or increase the size of the selection. Or click OK to accept the mask at its current setting and create a selection in which you cannot see the edges.
A. Selection with no feather, same selection filled with pattern B. Selection with feather, same selection filled with pattern
The Border command lets you select a width of pixels inside and outside an existing selection border. This can be useful when you need to select a border or band of pixels around an image area, rather than the area itself, for example to clean up a halo effect around a pasted object.
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Use a selection tool to make a selection.
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Choose Select > Modify > Border.
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Enter a value between 1 and 200 pixels for the border width of the new selection, and click OK.
The new selection frames the original selected area, and is centered on the original selection border. For example, a border width of 20 pixels creates a new, soft-edged selection that extends 10 pixels inside the original selection border and 10 pixels outside it.
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Use a selection tool to make a selection.
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Choose Select > Modify > Expand or Contract.
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For Expand By or Contract By, enter a pixel value between 1 and 100, and click OK.
The border is increased or decreased by the specified number of pixels. (Any portion of the selection border running along the canvas’s edge is unaffected by the Expand command.)
Do one of the following:
- Choose Select > Grow to include all adjacent pixels falling within the tolerance range specified in the Magic Wand options.
- Choose Select > Similar to include pixels throughout the image, not just adjacent ones, falling within the tolerance range.
To increase the selection in increments, choose either command more than once.
You cannot use the Grow and Similar commands on Bitmap mode images or 32‑bits-per-channel images.
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Choose Select > Modify > Smooth.
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For Sample Radius, enter a pixel value between 1 and 100, and click OK.
For each pixel in the selection, Photoshop examines the pixels around it, to the distance you specify in the radius setting. If more than half of these surrounding pixels are selected, the pixel remains in the selection, and the unselected pixels around it are added to the selection. If less than half the surrounding pixels are selected, the pixel is removed from the selection. The overall effect is to reduce patchiness and smooth sharp corners and jagged lines in the selection.
When you move or paste an anti-aliased selection, some of the pixels surrounding the selection border are included with the selection. This can result in a fringe or halo around the edges of the pasted selection. These Layer > Matting commands let you edit unwanted edge pixels:
Color Decontaminate replaces background colors in fringe pixels with the color of fully selected pixels nearby.
Defringe replaces the color of fringe pixels with the color of pixels farther in from the edge of the selection that lack the background color.
Remove Black Matte and Remove White Matte are useful when a selection is anti‑aliased against a white or black background and you want to paste it onto a different background. For example, anti‑aliased black text on a white background has gray pixels at the edges, which are visible against a colored background.
You can also remove fringe areas by using the Advanced Blending sliders in the Layer Styles dialog box to remove, or make transparent, areas from the layer. In this case, you would make the black or white areas transparent. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the sliders to separate them; separating the sliders allows you to remove fringe pixels and retain a smooth edge.
Decrease fringe on a selection
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Choose Layer > Matting > Defringe.
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Enter a value in the Width box to specify the area in which to search for replacement pixels. In most cases, a distance of 1 or 2 pixels is enough.
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Click OK.