Julieanne Kost's Blog

Option (Mac)/ Alt (Win) -click on the Quick Mask icon to invert the selection when entering Quick Mask mode.

Double click on the quick mask icon to access the Quick Mask Options dialog box to change color, transparency and opacity options.

To select similar colors throughout the image with the Magic Want tool (as opposed to being restricted to those similar pixels that are touching) uncheck the “Contiguous” option in the Options bar.

Also, while using the Magic Wand tool, tapping the return/enter key will automatically highlight the Tolerance option for the tool in the Options bar and allow you to enter a numeric value.

Both the Quick Selection and Magic Wand tools make selections based on the color sampled. When using the Quick Selection tool, checking Auto-Enhance can help reduce rough edges of the selection in transitional areas. For more control after making a selection, (when using either Quick Selection or the Magic Wand tool), select Refine Edge from the Options bar and use the dialog box to further fine tune your selection.

Both tools will also sample similar colors on multiple layers – simply check the “Sample All Layers” feature in the Options bar.

When using either the magnetic Lasso or the Magnetic Pen, the following shortcuts can help to quickly change tool options:

[ or ] decreases/increases the lasso width
[ or ] + Shift goes to the minimum/maximum lasso width
‘,’ (comma) or ‘.’ (period) decreases/increases the edge contrast
‘,’ (comma) or ‘.’ (period) + Shift goes to the minimum/maximum edge contrast
‘;’ (semicolon) or ”’ (apostrophe) decreases/increases the frequency
‘;’ (semicolon) or ”’ (apostrophe) + Shift goes to the minimum/maximum frequency

While using the Lasso tool, tapping the return/enter key will automatically highlight the Feather amount in the Options bar. This feather is applied to the NEXT selection that you draw with the Lasso tool.

Holding the Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) key while dragging the Lasso tool will toggle to the Polygonal Lasso tool and vice versa. When starting with the Lasso tool, this previous shortcut might take a few tries to master as you have to be careful to release the Option key (to return from the Polygonal Lasso tool to the regular Lasso) while holding the mouse down.
In addition, holding the Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) key while dragging the Magnetic Lasso will toggle to the regular Lasso if you drag with the cursor and the Polygonal Lasso if you click with the cursor.

After drawing a path with the Pen tool, Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + Return (Mac) / Enter (Win) crates a selection from the path. Note: this shortcut works with any selected path (shape layer, vector mask etc.).

To auto select a layer, with the Move tool selected, check the Auto-Selection option in the Options bar. Choose between Auto-Select Layers or Group. Or, to temporarily invoke the Auto-Select functionality, with the Move tool selected, Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -click on part of the layer’s content. To select more than one layer, Shift-click on the layer’s content in the image area. Shift clicking on an already selected object deselects it.

With the Auto-Select feature invoked, you can also click-drag over objects in the image area, to select their corresponding layers in the Layers panel. This method works well if you have multiple objects (layers) and a Background. Otherwise, because you have the Auto Select feature turned on, clicking in the image area will auto-select the first layer that you click on and begin to move it instead of selecting additional objects (layers). Because a Background is locked by default, it is impossible to select and therefore skipped by the Auto Select Feature. Hint: if you have layers that you do not want to auto select, lock them.

Cmd + Opt (Mac) / Ctrl + Alt (Win) + 2 loads the luminosity of an image as a selection. This can then be used for a variety of manipulations such as adjusting color or building density.

After saving selections as channels, those channels can be loaded back into a selection with the following shortcuts:
• Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -click on the icon for a channel to load the channel as a selection.
• Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + Shift to add additional channels to the selection.
• Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) to subtract another channel from the selection.
• Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) + Shift to create the intersection of two channels.

After making complex selections, it is possible to save them for use again later but choosing Select / Save Selection. This saves the selection as an alpha channel. Alpha Channels can be saved in several file formats including Photoshop and TIFF (they can not be saved as part of a JPEG file however).

• Command (Mac) / Control (Win) -click on the icon for a layer on the Layer’s panel.
• Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + Shift to add additional layers to the selection.
• Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) to subtract another layer from the selection.
• Option-Command (Mac) / Alt-Control (Win) + Shift to create the intersection of two layers.

Quickly select all of your Type layers by targeting one in the Layers panel and then choose Select > Similar Layers. This also works with Adjustment layers, Fill layers, Smart Objects etc.

• Holding the Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) key while dragging with the Marquee tools creates a selection from the center.
• Holding the Shift key will constrain the Marquee to a square or circle.
• After starting to draw a selection, holding the spacebar (while still holding the mouse down) allows the repositioning of the origin of the selection. Releasing the spacebar (while still holding the mouse down) allows continuation of drawing of the selection.