What is the easiest way to select an object in Photoshop?

Answer 1

Hmm, it sounds like you want to isolate part of an existing image.

It helps if that part has a clear edge that differs in color from the background. Starting with a suitable image can really help.

Think strategically: if the background color is more uniform, it may be easier to select the background and then invert the selection.

One of the best all-around ways to select is with the Quick Selection tool (found in the Tool bar). Use this to "paint" what you want to select. Depress Option (Mac) or Alt (PC) and continue with the Quick Selection tool to remove any areas that go beyond what you want to select. Work back and forth until you are happy with the selection.

To invert the selection, if needed, do the keystroke Shift-Command-i (letter "I") on a Mac, or Shift-Cntrl-i on a PC.

The most obvious way to get rid of the background is to Delete, however you'd be better off to Mask since this lets you make changes later in case your client requests an adjustment.

To mask: have your selection active and the proper layer highlighted in the Layers panel, then click on the button on the bottom of the Layers panel that looks like a circle within a square.

If you hover over a tool or button, Photoshop will show its name.

A couple of general rules for Photoshop:

• If you don't need another tool, click on the Move tool (in the Tool bar); many operations won't work when this isn't in use.

• When you open an image in Photoshop, the background may be locked and this limits what you can do with it - double click on the "background" layer in the Layer panel to convert it to an ordinary layer.

• If working with multiple layers, "check" Auto-Select Layers in the top left (w/ Move tool in use); this way whatever you click on usually becomes the active layer (shows as highlighted in the Layers panel).

Answer 2

The easiest way to select an object, in my opinion, is to right-click over the object you would like to select, and choose the object from the list. This is especially helpful if you have multiple layers in your file and you want to select a layer that is visible but locate underneath other layers. The important thing to remember is to name your layers in a way that makes sense and is intuitive. For example, if I am composing an image of a bowl of fruit, and I name each layer appropriate to the fruit they represent (apple, orange, banana, strawberry, peach, etc.) it will be a lot easier to select the correct layer. If I am lazy and don't name my layers, then it will be more difficult to select the correct layer if the layer names are Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 2 copy, Layer 3, etc. Staying organized early on will improve your workflow when your Photoshop file becomes dozens of layers deep.

Answer 3

The answer is honestly subjective. It all depends on what you're trying to select and which tool you're most comfortable with.

For instance, in most cases I personally will use the Quick Mask tool or Quick Selection tool and refine it with the Select and Mask function. After that, output the selection as a new layer with a layer mask.

Otherwise if I want to remove a background that's a single color, the Magic Wand tool or choosing Select/Color Range in the upper toolbar and using the color picker to choose what color you want selected. Thereby you can also move the Fuzziness and Range sliders to refine the selection.