Selections, Cropping and Cutouts

Tell Photoshop what to change

Almost every edit in Photoshop starts with a selection - telling Photoshop which area to change. Master the selection tools and you can crop, cut out and retouch anything.

The selection tools

• Marquee (M) - drag a rectangle or ellipse selection
• Lasso (L) - draw a freehand selection around an area
• Magic Wand (W) - click to select similar colours at once
• Quick Selection (W) - brush over an area and Photoshop guesses the edges
• Select Subject - one click selects the main subject automatically

Crop the canvas

Select the Crop tool (C) and drag the edges to trim the design to its best composition. The rule-of-thirds grid appears to help you frame. Press Enter to apply.

Refine a selection

After selecting, use Select > Select and Mask to smooth edges, especially around hair or fuzzy subjects. Feather a selection (Select > Modify > Feather) to soften hard edges.

Make a clean cutout

1. Select the subject with Quick Selection or Select Subject
2. Open Select and Mask and tidy the edge
3. Press Ctrl + J to copy the subject onto its own layer
4. Place it over a new background

Tip: Hold Shift to add to a selection and Alt to subtract from it - essential for fixing awkward shapes.

Warning: A selection that is too soft makes edges look blurry; too hard makes them look cut with scissors. Use Select and Mask for realistic edges.