How to quickly select any object in Photoshop

Colin Smith

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How to select an object within an object in Photoshop

In this Photoshop tutorial, I’ll show you how to quickly select an object in photoshop. You might already know about the object selection tool in Photoshop. It has 2 different modes, let’s see the best time to use each.

Choose the Object Selection tool.

Object Selection Tool chosen from the Photoshop toolbar flyout

To select an object, like the book, make a selection around the object. It doesn’t need to be accurate, just enough so Photoshop knows what you are trying to select.

Rectangle dragged around a giant open book in front of a woman in a Renaissance gown

The selection will do a pretty good job.

Marching ants around the giant open book after the Object Selection Tool

Ok, what about an object within an object? We want to select the skin on the face and neck. Make a selection.

Rectangle drawn around the woman's face and neck to select skin

Notice, it selects the entire head. That makes sense and its probably when you would want most of the time. But we just want the skin, no hair.

Object Selection selecting the whole head including the hair

If you look at the top of the option-bar (with the object selection tool on) under made, you can choose either Rectangle or Lasso. Choose Lasso.

Object Selection Mode menu switched from Rectangle to Lasso

Make a more targeted selection around the face

Lasso drawn closely around the woman's face and neck

When you release, you will now get the face.

Selection around the face and neck with some hair still included

To fix the over selected areas; Hold the alt/Option key for minus.
Make a selection.

Lasso with Alt or Option subtracting the hair strands from the face selection

It does a pretty good job of cleanup.

Cleaner selection of the face and neck after subtracting the hair

Sometimes the object selection isn’t able to do all the cleanup work.

In this case, use the regular lasso tool with the Alt/Option key held down.

Regular Lasso tool with Alt or Option removing leftover areas from the selection

This week, it was a simple tutorial. I hope you found it useful!

The video at the top has a few more tips included for cleaning up the selections and edges.

See you at the CAFE

Colin


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9 comments

  1. Thanks for this. Very helpful. I knew about the lasso tool and the rectangular selection tool, both of which I was struggling with. I didn’t know about the object selection tool. Wow! that’s easier!

  2. Wendy OHern

    I didn’t know that button existed! Thanks for the amazing information, it’s a game changer!

  3. Vince Pellegrini

    Hi Colin. I love your videos. Thanks for doing them. I just watched your shooting the moon eclipse. I wanted to comment on the RRS BH 55 ballhead. I have this on my big Gitzo tripod. My experience is not as you report. My ballhead drifts with my Canon R5 & 70-200mm RF lens using the lens collar. The RF 100-500mm lens is much worse. This is extremely disappointing, especially since I framed tight & must keep pulling with the ballhead to get it to the desired spot. I worked very hard & got RRS to replace the ballhead. The new one is exactly the same. RRS states that they never advertised that it’s big ballhead does not drift. I know that I had seen this comment from them before I bought mine 5 years ago.

    1. Colin Smith Author

      Interesting. I’m sorry that happens on yours, mine has always been solid. BTW, I have no affiliation with RRS

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