Select regions of similar color | |
Photoshop Versions: | since 0.87 |
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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