Chapter 9: Working with Selections and Selection Layers

This last option not only creates a new selection layer, but also saves

your image layer selection as an area on the new layer.

Alternatively, you can use the Convert Selection to Layer button (located on

the Layers palette next to the Selection title) instead of selecting the function

from the main menu.

There are technically no limits to the number of selection layers you can

create. The only real limit is your computer hardware, as having too many

layers of any kind can hinder your computer’s performance, especially if

you’re working on a low-end machine or don’t have a lot of RAM available.

You can adjust the opacity and color of your selection layers by bringing up

the Layer Properties palette. (Press F7 on your keyboard or choose

Window➪Properties from the main menu.)

Creating and editing selections

on a selection layer

Working on a selection layer is just like working on an image layer. That

means that you can draw and erase a selection just like you would if you

were laying down some line art.

So, there are a number of ways you can lay down and edit a selection area:

By using any of the drawing tools (Pen, Pencil, Marker, Airbrush, or

Pattern Brush tools) to outline or add effects to a selection area

By using the Marquee or Lasso tool to select the area, much like you

would use on an image layer

By using the Fill tool to fill in the area you’ve outlined or selected

By using the Eraser, Marquee, or Lasso tools to remove excess parts of

the selection area

What you create on the selection layer won’t look exactly like a selection. In

fact, it’s just going to look like a green blob. (You can’t easily tell in this black￾and-white book, but in Figure 9-22, the character’s hair is that green blob.)

The idea here is that you aren’t creating a selection so much as you’re block￾ing off an area that you’ll be using later on to create a image layer selection.

By creating a selection area, you can now tweak and adjust, add and remove

as much or as little as you want. You can come back to it later and tweak as

need be. And all of it’s easier to do than if you try to do that with an image

layer selection.

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Converting selection layers

to image selections

Converting an area you block off in a selection layer into an actual selection

to use on an image layer is a pretty simple process. You can do it in two ways:

Use the Magic Wand tool to select areas from the currently active layer.

From the main menu, choose Selection➪Convert Layer to Selection

(Ctrl+F; Ô + F on the Mac), which converts all visible selection layers

into a selection.

When converted, you see the familiar marching ants selection around the

area(s) you’ve chosen. (See Figure 9-23.) From there, it’s a matter of highlight￾ing the image layer you want to work on from the Layers palette and doing

whatever you want to with your selection!

Alternatively, you can use the Convert Layer to Selection button (located on

the Layers palette next to the Selection title) instead of selecting the function

from the main menu.

Figure 9-22:

Block off

areas on a

selection

layer that

you’ll later

convert to

an image

layer

selection.

178 Part II: Roughing It

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You can also take any visible selection layers you have and add them to or

subtract them from an existing image layer selection. (See Figure 9-24.) This

works like changing the Selection Type of a selection tool. (See the “Additional

functions” section, earlier in this chapter, for an explanation.)

You can use either of these functions from the main menu by choosing

Selection➪Add Layer to Selection or Selection➪Subtract Layer From Selection.

Figure 9-24:

You can

convert

selection

layers to

add to or

remove

from an

existing

image layer

selection.

Figure 9-23:

Convert a

selection

layer to a

selection

and see the

marching

ants.

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