Selecting Objects with the Magic Wand

Selecting Objects with the Magic Wand

Learn how and when to use the Magic Wand Tool to make selections in Photoshop.

When to use

The Magic Wand Tool is useful for making large selections that share the same or similar color values.

Instructions

Using the Magic Wand Tool

• With your duck photo open, switch to the Magic Wand Tool by pressing 'W' on the keyboard.
• Click inside an area of the green trees with the tool selected. 
• Hold the Shift Key and continue selecting other areas of green within the trees to add to the selection.
• Once you've grabbed most of the green inside of the trees, you can add to the selection further by going to the Select Menu and choosing 'Similar' to pick up all of the other similar values and colors in the image.
• If you accidentally grab parts of the image that you don't want (such as the dirt along the bottom) you can switch to the Lasso Tool (L) and then hold the Alt/Option Key and click and drag around the areas you don't want by removing them from your active selection area.
• Next, click the Layer Mask Icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette to see your selection.
• From here, hold the Control Key and click on the Layer Mask Icon before choosing 'Delete Layer Mask' to remove it.

Using the Object Selection Tool

• Click and hold on the Magic Wand Tool in your toolbar to reveal the other tools nested inside.
• Choose the 'Object Selection Tool' from the toolbar.
• With this tool active, you can move your cursor over an object in your photo and you will notice that it turns into a pink/magenta color.
• Hover over one of the ducks until it turns pink, and then click on the Layer Mask Icon in your Layers Palette to isolate the object.
• This tool does a fairly good job of making selections as long as you have a decent amount of contrast between your subject and the background.
• Once again, let's remove the mask by holding the Control Key and click on the Layer Mask Icon before choosing 'Delete Layer Mask' to remove it.

Using the Quick Selection Tool

• Click and hold on the Magic Wand Tool in your toolbar to reveal the other tools nested inside.
• Choose the 'Quick Selection Tool' from the toolbar.
• With this tool, you can change the size of your selection brush and click and drag over the shapes you want to select. 
• Unlike our previous selection tools where we held the Shift Key to add to our selection and the Alt/Option Key to remove parts of the selection, with the Object Selection Tool we can use the brushes in the top toolbar to either add or subtract from the selection.
• Decrease the size of your brush and then Zoom In and begin dragging around one of the ducks to get a more accurate selection.
• Apply a Layer Mask once again to see the results of your selection. 

Hints & tips

• The Magic Wand Tool is great for selecting large areas of color.
• The Object Selection Tool is more accurate, and it will give you a preview of the object or shape you will be selecting by turning the object pink.
• The Quick Selection Tool allows you to click and drag over a shape similar to using a brush, and Photoshop will do its best to find the edges of the shape you are painting over and selecting it.
• With the Magic Wand and Object Selection Tools, you can add to your selection by holding the Shift Key, or remove parts of your selection by holding the Alt/Option Key and clicking.
• With the Quick Selection Tool, you will instead choose the regular brush to make a selection, the brush with a '+' to add to a selection, and the brush with a '-' symbol to remove parts of your selection.