Julieanne Kost's Blog

To load the transparency of a layer or the contents of a Layer Mask as a selection, Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -click on a layer or layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel. You can then add, subtract or intersect the transparency mask of that layer (or any other layer) to that initial selection by right mouse clicking on the layer thumbnail, or with the following shortcuts:

• Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + Shift to add additional layer and or layer mask to the selection.

• Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) to subtract another layer and or layer mask from the selection.

• Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) + Shift to create the intersection of two layers and or layer masks.

In Photoshop CS6, the Marquee, Lasso, and Properties panel support more accurate feather values – including support for multiple decimal place values just like the feather dialog box (Select > Modify > Feather).

When adding a mask to a layer in Photoshop, instead of guessing at the size of a feather that should be applied (because we know that the feather amount will vary depending on the resolution of the image and the desired softness of the edge that is being feathered), use the non-destructive Feather option  on the Properties panel. To access the mask properties, click on the mask icon on the Properties Panel. Now, you can add a feather to soften an edge yet, if the image is resized or other adjustments need to be made at a later time, the feather can be appropriately adjusted.

And while you’re in the Properties panel, and the focus is on the mask, be sure to check out the non-destructive Density slider to reduce the opacity (density) of the mask.

Last week, I had a series of 600 images in a time-lapse series of some clouds moving over a mountain, but I only wanted to use 300 of them to turn into a short video clip in Photoshop. My dilemma was that I needed a quick way to select every other image. I adjusted the thumbnail view so that I could see as many thumbnail icons at one time, and made sure that there were an even number showing in the rows. Then I selected the Painter tool, loaded it with the Flag attribute and swiped from top to bottom along every other column. Once I had flagged every other image, I filtered by flag, chose select all, and then put the 300 images into a collection. Voila!

Sometimes it’s easier to make a selection of an object if the contrast between the subject and the background is greater. In order to temporarily add more contrast, try adding an adjustment layer (such as Curves or Levels), and boost the contrast significantly. Then, then make the selection and, when finished, discard the adjustment layer.

To deselect all images and only select the one clicked on, click in the gray slidemount area around the photo’s thumbnail in Grid view. Click here for more information about Mastering the Mysterious Multi Select in Lightroom. This video was first published on 2011-02-08.

If you used the Extract feature in past versions of Photoshop, and are looking for a tutorial on how to move to the  improved technology found in Refine Edge, visit Mark Wheeler’s post here:

Refine Edge = Extract on Steroids

And check out Dr. Russell Brown’s training video too!

Holding the Shift key or turning on the Caps Locks will auto advance to the next image after applying a label, flag or rating.

In this Episode of the Complete Picture (Mastering the Mysterious “Multi-Select” in Lightroom) I will reveal  essential shortcuts and little known features that will make navigating the grid view in Lightroom far more efficient.

Command + Option (Mac) / Control + Alt (Win) + A will select all layers. Note that hidden layers are included in this selection, however the Background is not selected with this shortcut.

Note: to convert the Background into a layer, drag the Lock icon (on the Background layer in the Layers panel) to the trash.

Command Option (Mac) / Control Alt (Win) + R displays the Refine Edge Dialog box.

In addition, each View Mode has it’s own keyboard shortcut:
• Marching Ants = M
• Overlay = V
• On Black = B
• On White = W
• Black and White = K
• On Layers = L
• Reveal Layers = R

Plus, tapping the:
• “F” key will cycle through the view modes (adding the shift key cycles backwards)
• “X” key will temporarily turn off the view mode, displaying the original
• “P” key toggles the Preview on and off
• “J” key toggles the Radius on and off

Use the “Remember Settings” option to change the defaults to your preferred settings.

PSCS5 – In order to preserve object coordinates when pasting from one document to another use Edit > Paste Special > Paste in Place.
Another feature often overlooked is the ability to past content into a selection. To do so, make sure that the document has an active selection, then choose Edit > Paste Special > Paste Into. The content is pasted into the center of the selection and, at the same time, the selection is converted into a layer mask.
Edit > Paste Special > Past Outside also creates a layer mask from the current selection, but inverts the mask as it pastes the content.

Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) + D is the shortcut to add a feather to a selection. But remember, in Photoshop CS4, if you’re adding a soft edge to a mask, I find that using the nondestructive Feather slider in the Masks panel much more flexible.

•Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -click on a layer or layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel to load it as a selection.
• Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + Shift to add additional layer and or layer mask to the selection.
• Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) to subtract another layer and or layer mask from the selection.
• Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) + Shift to create the intersection of two layers and or layer masks.

The next time that you want to transform a path or selection choose Select > Transform Selection (or Select > Transform Path) instead of Edit > Free transform which always transforms the content of the layer.