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Magic Wand
Magic Wand
Select regions of similar color
Photoshop Versions: since 0.87
Keyboard Shortcut: W
Neat trick, but you need more tolerance, novitiate.

The Magic Wand tool is used to select a region of an image of a similar color. The tool starts from a single pixel, using an algorithm to spread the selection outward based on a tolerance value.

The Magic Wand is useful for extracting objects from a flat background, quickly selecting an irregularly shaped area, or selecting a distinctly-colored element.

Controls[]

  • Selection tool common options
Tolerance
Determines how similar in color a neighboring pixel must be in order to be selected. At low tolerance, the tool will select those pixels with color values near or equal to the cursor pixel; at high tolerance, the range becomes much more broad. If the tolerance is too low, only a single pixel may be selected; if too high, the entire image.
Contiguous/Global
By default, the Contiguous option is used, which limits the selection to those pixels that are in direct contact with the cursor. The Global option allows for any similarly-valued pixel in the image to be included, possibly resulting in dispersed selections.

The standard modifier keys for selection tools apply.

See also[]

  • Background Eraser tool, also known as the "Magic Eraser"
  • Select > Color Range command
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