Pixlr Editor/Windows/Selection tools

Selection Tools

The first section at the top of the Tools palette contains five tools called Selection tools. Each tool has its own options bar located just below the main menu bar, which has the tool icon and options available for the chosen tool. The Marquee, Lasso, and Wand tools can all be used to make and modify selections. Selections are identified by moving dashes along the edge of the selection. Selections may be modified using Marquee, Lasso, and Wand tools with the Shift and Control keys depressed. Use the Shift key with the tool to add to the selection. The tool icon will show a small plus sign when the Shift key is in use. Use the Control key with the tool to delete from the selection. The tool icon will show a small minus sign when the Control key is in use. When an area is selected, it is the only area of the image that can be modified using the various main menu options and tools available.

1. Crop tool C

(is the first icon in the left hand corner of the window. It looks like to opposed L's.) To use, drag the cross icon across the area you wish to retain. When releasing the left button, you will have a nine square grid which you can expand or contract by dragging one of the blue corner squares in or out. You can also move the whole selection by dragging it where you wish it to appear. The pointer will then look like an arrow with small crossed arrows the right, the same as the move tool icon. When you press enter, all areas of the image not selected will be deleted.

The Crop tool option bar from left to right is Crop icon, Constraint, Width, and Height. The Constraint drop down arrow allows 3 options: 1. No restriction - which places no limits on the area selected as long as it is rectangular. 2. Aspect ratio - which limits area selected to that specified in the Width and Height boxes. It defaults to a 1 to 1 ratio which is a square. 3. Output size - which limits the number of pixels that can be selected.

2. Move tool V

(is on the first row and looks like an arrow with small crossed arrows the right.) To use the Move tool, you must first have an area selected. You can use the Move tool to relocate the selection anywhere on the image. If you only have one layer, the area underneath what you move will appear white after you have moved the selection.

The Move tool option bar has no additional options.

3. Marquee tool M

(is on the second row and looks like a dashed square with extra dashes to the lower right.) It defaults to the rectangular marquee tool where you select a rectangular area by dragging the pointer, a cross diagonally from left to right and down.

The Marquee tool option bar from left to right is Marquee tool icon, Rectangular Marquee, Elliptical Marquee, Constraint, Width, Height, Feather, and Anti-alias. The Rectangular Marquee which is the default selects a rectangular area as shown above. The Elliptical Marquee selects an elliptical area by dragging the pointer, (a cross with the elliptical icon to the right), diagonally from left to right. The Constraint drop down arrow allows 3 options: 1. No restriction - which places no limits on the area selected as long as it is rectangular. 2. Aspect ratio - which limits area selected to that specified in the Width and Height boxes. It defaults to a 1 to 1 ratio which is a square with rectangular marquee or a circle if you use the elliptical marquee. 3. Output size - which limits the number of pixels that can be selected. If output size is selected, you merely click where you wish rectangle or ellipse to appear. Feather allows you to change the edge of the selection from sharp to graduated over a range of pixels. Feather helps to blend the selection in with the surrounding area of the image. Anti-alias is checked or unchecked. Anti-alias is used to reduce image noise in the selection.

4. Lasso tool L

(is on the second row to the right and looks like a lariat.) The Lasso tool pointer is the lasso icon and allows you to free hand a selection. Be sure to keep the mouse button depressed until you have closed you selection, i.e., it is located near where you began.

The Lasso tool option bar from left to right is Lasso tool icon, Freehand lasso tool which is the default, Polygonal lasso tool, Feather, and Anti-alias. The Freehand lasso tool is the default and is used as described above. It is particularly useful in modifying previous selections no matter what selection tool was initially used. Use the control and shift keys to refine your selection. If you should inadvertently lose the selection, click on the appropriate line of the History window to return to your previous step. The Polygonal lasso tool uses a connect the points method to create a selection. Click on the first point of the area you wish to select. Then click on the next point you wish to connect. Note, the straight line coming from the first point to the second point. Click on the next point and so on until you wish to complete the selection by clicking on the original point. You have to click right on the first point to complete the selection. Feather allows you to change the edge of the selection from sharp to graduated over a range of pixels. Feather helps to blend the selection in with the surrounding area of the image. Anti-alias is checked or unchecked. Anti-alias is used to reduce image noise in the selection.

5. Wand tool W

(is on the third row and looks like a magic wand.) The wand tool will automatically select similar areas that you click the wand on.

The Wand tool option bar from left to right is Wand tool icon, Tolerance, Anti-Alias, Contiguous. The Tolerance option allows you to define how selective your automatic selection will be. The higher the number the more that is selected. It has a drop down arrow for a slider bar to make your selection. Anti-alias is checked or unchecked. Anti-alias is used to reduce image noise in the selection. The Contiguous option when checked will allow you to select all adjacent areas to the point clicked on with similar light according the tolerance that was set. If Contiguous is not checked, it will select all areas within the image that meet selected tolerances of the point selected, i.e., clicked on. Using the Wand tool can be useful in making initial selections that can later be modified, i.e. cleaned up using the Lasso tool with shift and ctrl keys.