After you make a selection in your image, you may want to modify or edit the selection. You can add to or subtract from a selection, change the feathering, add or remove colors, and clean up the edges of a selection. You can remove specks and holes, smooth the boundary, and recover or apply anti-aliasing.
Ways to modify selections:
Adding to a Selection You can add to the selection area using the selection tools, either the same selection tool you used to make the original selection or a different selection tool.
Subtracting from a Selection You can subtract from the selection area using the selection tools, either the same selection tool you used to make the original selection or a different selection tool. You can also use the Contract command to contract a selection by a specific number of pixels.
Changing the Feathering of a Selection Feathering specifies a width in pixels (0 to 200) that the selection is faded along the edges. When you move or paste the selection, feathering helps blend the selection into the surrounding area and makes it appear more natural. The higher the Feather value, the softer the edges. Set the width to 0 to create a selection with no feathering and distinct edges.
Adding or Removing a Color from a Selection To add or remove a color from a selection, use the Select Color Range command. You can choose to add or remove a color from the selection border. The color that you choose is either added or removed, and the selection border changes.
Cleaning Up the Edges of a Selection When you move or copy a selection, some of the pixels surrounding the border are included, especially when the selection is anti-aliased or feathered. Matting cleans up the border by removing these pixels. There are three Matting commands: Remove Black Matte, Remove White Matte, and Defringe. Use the Remove Black Matte or Remove White Matte command when the selection is from an image with a black or white background. These commands remove the black or white pixels at the selection edges.
Removing Specks and Holes from a Selection To fill the specks and holes that may occur in a selection. The Remove Specks and Holes dialog removes specks and holes from the area that you define in square pixels.
Smoothing the Boundary of a Selection Use the Smooth command to smooth the edges of a selection.
Recovering the Anti-alias Use the Recover Anti-alias command when you want to restore the original anti-aliasing of an object that was pasted into an image.
Shape-Based Anti-aliasing Use the Shape-Based Anti-alias command to anti-alias a selection based on its shape.
Modifying the Select Selection Borders Use the Select Selection Borders command to add a border around the selection. This command is useful when you want to add a border around the selection, and then fill that border using the Flood Fill tool.
Converting a Selection into a Layer
Creating Custom Patterns from Selections
Moving Selections within an Image
Working with Standard and Floating Selections
Clipping a Selection to the Canvas