Lasso Tool
There are three different Selection Types associated with the
Freehand (Lasso) Tool; Freehand, Point to Point and Smart Edge.
With all of the Selection Types, if the selection line crosses
itself, everything that is enclosed by the line will be
selected.
Freehand
The Freehand Selection Tool will allow you to either draw
a new selection or can be used to add or remove from an
existing selection. Pressing and holding the Shift key
will add to a selection; pressing and holding the Ctrl key
will remove from the selection.
A selection is made by placing the cursor over the image,
and dragging your mouse while pressing and holding your
primary mouse button. Selections need not be closed, PSP
will close the selection with a straight line between the
'ending' point and 'starting' point.
Point to Point
The Point to Point Selection Tool is used for selecting
areas that you want to enclose in straight lines. Position
your cursor at your 'starting' point; click once. When you
move to the second point within your selection you will
notice a line connecting the starting point to your cursor.
Single clicks of your primary button will anchor this line
at various points within the image. Double clicking will
release the tool. If you have left the selection open PSP
will close it with a straight line between the ending and
starting points. Pressing the Delete key will remove the
last anchor point.
Smart Edge
The Smart Edge Selection Tool will not only select irregular
areas but will "jump" to the line that follows the image each
time you click. This allows you to make precise selections
around detailed images. If the selection line isn't exactly
where you want it, you have the option of pressing the Delete
key to remove the last anchor point without clearing your
entire selection. As an added bonus, you can add to or remove
from a completed selection by using the Shift and Ctrl keys.
(Shift to add, Ctrl to remove selection areas).
Double click to complete the selection and release the tool.
The Lasso Tool's Smart Edge feature is a super new
addition to PSP 5. With it you can make accurate selections
of detailed or difficult to select areas.
In the example we're going to use the new Smart Edge Selection type
to move the subjects out of one photo and into another.
First, select the Lasso Tool on the
Tool Palette.
Open the
Control Box,
(press Tab on your keyboard), and
adjust the Lasso Tool settings. In the dropdown box
choose the Smart Edge Selection Type and check
Antialias.
Don't worry about the Feather option
just now. We'll adjust the Feathering later.
Press Tab
to close the Control Boxes.
Carefully trace around your image. Click your mouse button
often, especially as you change directions. An extra click of the
mouse will give a more accurate selection to difficult
areas such as those with poor contrast or similar colors.
When you have your entire selection outlined, double click
your mouse button to complete the selection and get the
Lasso Tool to release your cursor.
To avoid the "cut-out / pasted on" look, adjust the Feather setting
of your selection. Select Selections | Modify |
Feather on the
Menu Bar
and adjust the Feather setting
to 5.
If you haven't already done so, open an image to use as the
background of your creation. Do not work directly on
this image. Press Shift + D on your keyboard to duplicate it.
Don't work on this image either, at least not directly. Press
Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + L to paste the image back as a new
Layer
to the same image. The new layer is layer 1, and this
is where we'll start working. Working on a layer as opposed
to your background preserves the original image in the event
you want to go back to it and start over. (I have this on
good authority). :)
I decided my background (layer 1) was a little drab, so I've
added a Spotlight Filter to it. I used Greg's Factory Output,
Vol.2 - Spotlight, which can be downloaded from
Greg's Factory Output Page
To add a
Filter
to your image first make sure the Layer you
want the Filter applied to is the active Layer. You can check
by pressing Tab on your keyboard to open the
Control Boxes
or press just the "L" key to open the
Layer
Control. Hold
your mouse over each Layer button to activate a pop up window
displaying the image on that Layer. Press the Layer button that
displays the Layer to which you want to apply the Filter. In
this case, there will only be one Layer besides the background
Layer, so it won't be too difficult to choose.
It's time to add our subjects to the image. Activate the image
that contains your selection from step one. Press Ctrl + C to
copy the selection to the clipboard. Now activate the 'new'
image and press Ctrl + L to paste your selection into the image
as a new Layer.
Press Tab to open your control boxes. If Layer 2 is not
above Layer 1, click on it and drag it so that
it is. (We don't want our subjects hidden by the scenery).
Not bad, but it needs a little tweaking to finish it off to my
satisfaction.
To add a little depth and to bring the
subjects in as the main focus of the picture I adjusted the
Brightness to 6 and the Contrast to 25 on layer 2. (To adjust the
brightness and contrast select Colors | Adjust |
Brightness/Contrast on the menu bar.
Selections
Introduction to Paint Shop Pro 5 : Table of Contents
Magic Wand Selection Tool
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