Quick Selection Tool in Photoshop

The Quick Selection Tool is a selection tool that lets you select an area by brushing over it.

Photoshop analyzes the image as you paint and attempts to detect the edges of the selected area.

The Quick Selection Tool is available in the Photoshop Toolbar.

Depending on the Photoshop version and workspace, it may be grouped with other selection tools.

The keyboard shortcut for the Quick Selection Tool is:

W

The W shortcut may also be used for other tools in the same tool group, so press W repeatedly if necessary to reach the required tool.

Instead of drawing a complete selection boundary manually, you paint over the area that you want to select.

Photoshop analyzes nearby pixels and tries to expand the selection according to the image edges.

1. Open an image in Photoshop.
2. Select the Quick Selection Tool.
3. Move the cursor over the area you want to select.
4. Click and drag over the subject.
5. Continue painting until the required area is selected.
6. Review the selection boundary.

The Quick Selection Tool behaves similarly to a brush.

Paint over the object you want to select. Photoshop attempts to recognize the edges and expand the selection.

You do not need to manually trace every edge.

Brush size determines how large an area is affected when you paint with the Quick Selection Tool.

• Large brush – useful for large areas
• Small brush – useful for detailed areas

Adjust the brush size according to the area you are selecting.

A large brush can help you quickly select large portions of a subject.

However, if the brush is too large, it may select unwanted areas near the subject.

A smaller brush provides more control when working near detailed edges.

It is useful around areas such as hair, fingers, small objects, and narrow spaces.

The Add to Selection option allows you to include additional areas in the current selection.

This is useful when the first selection does not include the complete object.

Subtract from Selection allows you to remove unwanted areas from the current selection.

This is important when Photoshop accidentally selects part of the background.

The Quick Selection Tool provides selection modes that help you control how new areas interact with the current selection.

• New Selection
• Add to Selection
• Subtract from Selection

Photoshop versions that provide an Auto-Enhance option can use additional processing to improve the appearance of selection edges.

The result can depend on the image and the selected subject.

The Object Selection Tool and Quick Selection Tool can both help create selections quickly, but they work differently.

• Object Selection: You indicate an object or area and Photoshop attempts to identify the object.
• Quick Selection: You paint over the desired area and Photoshop expands the selection.

The Lasso Tool requires you to manually draw a selection around an area.

The Quick Selection Tool uses brush-like painting and image analysis to help create the selection.

The Quick Selection Tool can be useful for selecting a person from a photograph.

Paint over the person's main areas and continue adding areas until the complete subject is selected.

Product images with clear edges can often be selected quickly using the Quick Selection Tool.

This is useful for advertisements, online stores, posters, and promotional graphics.

The Quick Selection Tool can also be used to select a background when the background has clear visual differences from the subject.

You can then edit, replace, hide, or remove the selected area using an appropriate workflow.

A common workflow is to select the subject first and then use the selection to create a mask.

The original subject can then be placed over a different background.

A Quick Selection can be converted into a layer mask.

This is a useful non-destructive editing technique because you can modify the mask later instead of permanently deleting image pixels.

After creating a selection, you can copy the selected content and place it on another layer or document.

For example, select a person from one photograph and place the selected subject into another design.

For better results:

1. Use a suitable brush size.
2. Paint carefully near edges.
3. Zoom into difficult areas.
4. Add missing areas.
5. Subtract unwanted areas.
6. Review the complete selection before editing.

The Quick Selection Tool may produce less accurate results when:

• The subject and background have similar colors.
• The image has very low contrast.
• Objects overlap heavily.
• The image contains complicated details.
• The edges are very soft or unclear.
• The image quality is poor.

• Using a very large brush near detailed edges
• Not checking the entire selection
• Forgetting to subtract unwanted areas
• Forgetting to add missing parts
• Working without zooming into difficult areas
• Permanently deleting pixels without keeping a backup

1. Start with a moderate brush size.
2. Paint over the main part of the subject.
3. Use a smaller brush around detailed edges.
4. Zoom in when necessary.
5. Use Add to Selection for missing areas.
6. Use Subtract from Selection for unwanted areas.
7. Review the final selection before applying an edit.

Try the following exercise:

1. Open a photograph containing a clear object.
2. Select the Quick Selection Tool.
3. Start with a medium-sized brush.
4. Paint over the object.
5. Continue until most of the object is selected.
6. Reduce the brush size near detailed edges.
7. Add missing areas.
8. Subtract unwanted background areas.
9. Zoom in and inspect the selection.
10. Press Ctrl + D when you finish practicing.

Suppose you have a photograph of a shoe and want to place the shoe on a different background.

1. Open the shoe photograph.
2. Select the Quick Selection Tool.
3. Paint over the shoe.
4. Continue painting until the entire shoe is selected.
5. Use a smaller brush around the edges.
6. Remove any selected background.
7. Review the selection carefully.
8. Create a layer mask or copy the selected shoe.
9. Place it on a new background.

A simple Quick Selection workflow is:

1. Open the image.
2. Select the Quick Selection Tool.
3. Choose an appropriate brush size.
4. Paint over the required object or area.
5. Allow Photoshop to expand the selection.
6. Add missing portions.
7. Subtract unwanted portions.
8. Zoom in and inspect the edges.
9. Use the selection for your editing task.
10. Deselect after completing the work.

The Quick Selection Tool can be useful in many Photoshop projects, including:

• Background replacement
• Product advertisements
• Social media posts
• Photo manipulation
• Poster design
• Photo collages
• YouTube thumbnails
• Promotional graphics

The Quick Selection Tool allows you to create selections by painting over an area. Photoshop analyzes the image and tries to follow the edges of the selected subject.

Brush size, Add to Selection, and Subtract from Selection are important features for creating accurate selections.

The tool is useful for selecting people, products, objects, backgrounds, and subjects for photo editing projects.

In the next lesson, we will learn about the Magic Wand Tool.