Photoshop® CS4 Bible

Chapter 10. Selections and Channels

IN THIS CHAPTER

Core selection tools and options

Refining selections

Understanding channels

Selections are the single most important concept to understand when working with Photoshop. The ability to quickly and accurately isolate specific parts of your image is vital to creating compelling digital art and an efficient workflow. To accomplish this, you must know how and when to use the various selection tools and refinement options that Photoshop CS4 provides.

Using the right selection tool at the right time can make Photoshop a more enjoyable and efficient process. Using the wrong tool can be an exercise in frustration at best, and can even have a negative impact on the quality of your project in some cases.

This chapter demonstrates how to use some of the most important selection tools and techniques, and also provides advice on when to use those tools. You will learn — among other things — how to use the Marquee tools, the Lasso tools, the Select menu, the Refine Edge command, and the Channels panel. Each of these items can help you to become a more proficient Photoshop user and should help make the image-editing process more enjoyable as well (at least, that's my hope!).

As you read through the chapter, it is recommended you have your laptop or computer at hand with some images open, so that you can experiment with each tool as it is discussed. It is less important that you follow the exact examples given than it is to understand the context ...