Adobe Photoshop Unmasked: The Art and Science of Selections, Layers, and Paths

Chapter 1. Selections

Because so much of what you do in photoshop begins with a selection, using the Selection tools is a fundamental Photoshop skill. Making selections is about isolating a part, or parts, of your image so that only those parts are affected by what you do next—make a color adjustment, apply a filter, paint, or retouch—to name but a few options.

This chapter examines basic selection concepts and the Selection tools, and their supporting cast of options and menu items used to refine those selections. All of this information is a stepping-stone for more advanced work with alpha channels, layers, and layer masks later in this book. If you’re already familiar with Photoshop’s Selection tools, you might want to skip this chapter, although ...