Select the Selection Brush tool from the Lasso tool group in the toolbar.
Last updated on
Sep 28, 2026
Learn how to use brush gestures, freehand drawing, or edge-snapping techniques to isolate specific image areas for editing.
Lasso tools let you define selection borders by drawing directly on the canvas. Use these tools when you need flexible, hand-drawn selections that follow irregular shapes or defined edges. For geometric selections, use the Marquee tools. For quick object isolation, try the Object Selection tool.
All lasso tools share common selection mode options in the options bar: New Selection, Add to Selection, Subtract from Selection, and Intersect with Selection. You can also set Feather values to soften selection edges and enable Anti-alias for smoother boundaries.
Practice these selection techniques in your own images to master each lasso tool's unique approach.
Select with the Selection Brush tool
Brush or draw a lasso gesture around the area you want to select—a colored overlay appears over your selection.
Adjust Hardness and Opacity in the options bar to control edge softness and selection transparency.
Toggle between Add and Subtract modes in the options bar to refine the selection.
Select the gear icon in the options bar and choose a different color from the Colors dropdown to change the overlay color if needed.
Note
The Selection Brush displays a colored overlay instead of marching ants. Switch to another selection tool to see the marching ant's border.
Select with the Lasso tool
Select the Lasso Tool and set Feather and selection mode options in the options bar.
Drag to draw a freehand selection border around your subject.
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and select points to draw straight-edged segments, then release to return to freehand drawing.
Release the mouse button to close the selection border automatically.
Tip
Press Delete while holding Alt or Option to erase recently drawn straight segments before closing the selection.
Select with the Polygonal Lasso tool
Select the Polygonal Lasso tool and configure selection options in the options bar.
Select in the image to set the starting point.
Select again to set each endpoint of straight segments—continue selecting to build your selection border.
Hold Shift while selecting to constrain segments to multiples of 45 degrees.
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and drag to temporarily switch to freehand drawing.
Select the starting point when a closed circle appears next to the pointer or double-click to close the border.
Select with the Magnetic Lasso tool
Select the Magnetic Lasso tool and set selection options in the options bar.
Set Width to define how far from the pointer the tool detects edges (press or to adjust width by 1 pixel).
Set Contrast (1–100%) to control edge-detection sensitivity—higher values detect sharper edges.
Set Frequency (0–100) to control how often fastening points anchor the border—higher values add more points.
Enable Stylus Pressure if using a tablet to decrease edge width with increased pressure.
Select in the image to place the first fastening point, then move the pointer along the edge you want to trace.
Select to manually add fastening points if the border doesn't snap to the desired edge.
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and drag to temporarily switch to freehand lasso drawing.
Double-click or select over the starting point to close the border or hold Alt/Option and double-click to close with a straight segment.
Note
The Magnetic Lasso tool is not available for 32-bits-per-channel images. It works best for objects with complex edges against high-contrast backgrounds.
Refine your selection
After creating any lasso selection, select Select > Select and Mask to refine the selection boundary with advanced edge-detection controls.
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