Select the Magic Wand tool from the toolbar.
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Select areas by color with the Magic Wand tool
Last updated on
Oct 27, 2025
Use the Magic Wand tool to select areas of similar color without tracing edges in Photoshop.
In the Options bar, choose one of the following selection modes:
- Add to selection
- Subtract from selection
- Intersect with selection
Adjust the following settings in the options bar:
- Sample Size: Define how much of the image is sampled to influence selection sensitivity.
- Tolerance: Set the range of the selected color values from 0 (narrow) to 255 (broad).
- Anti-alias: Enable to create smoother edges.
- Contiguous: Enable to select only adjacent areas of similar color.
- Sample All Layers: Enable to base the selection on all visible layers.
Select the color area in your image to make a selection based on the defined settings.
Select Select and Mask to further refine or preview the selection as a mask.
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