Adobe Photoshop CS6 offers a variety of selection tools, each designed for specific tasks. Among these, the Polygonal Lasso Tool stands out for its ability to create precise, straight-edged selections. Whether you’re aiming to isolate objects with sharp corners or create geometric shapes within your images, mastering this tool is crucial. This guide will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of how to effectively use the Polygonal Lasso Tool in Photoshop CS6, enhancing your photo editing and graphic design skills.
Understanding the Polygonal Lasso Tool
The Polygonal Lasso Tool is a member of the lasso tool family in Photoshop, known for making selections. Unlike the regular Lasso Tool, which is freehand, or the Magnetic Lasso Tool, which snaps to edges, the Polygonal Lasso Tool creates selections using straight lines. This makes it ideal for selecting objects with well-defined, angular shapes.
Why Choose the Polygonal Lasso Tool?
- Precision with Straight Edges: Perfect for selecting objects with straight lines and sharp corners, like buildings, products, or geometric shapes.
- Controlled Selections: Offers manual control over each anchor point, allowing for highly accurate selections.
- Versatility: Useful in various scenarios, from simple object isolation to complex graphic design tasks.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool in Photoshop CS6
Let’s dive into the practical steps of using this powerful tool. Follow these instructions to make precise selections in your images using Photoshop CS6.
Step 1: Selecting the Polygonal Lasso Tool
First, you need to activate the tool.
- Open Photoshop CS6: Launch Adobe Photoshop CS6 on your computer and open the image you want to edit.
- Locate the Toolbar: On the left side of your Photoshop interface, you’ll find the Toolbar.
- Find the Lasso Tool Group: Look for the Lasso Tool icon, which resembles a lasso. It’s usually located near the top of the Toolbar.
- Select Polygonal Lasso Tool: Click and hold on the Lasso Tool icon to reveal a flyout menu. From this menu, choose the “Polygonal Lasso Tool.” The icon in the toolbar will change to represent the Polygonal Lasso Tool.
Step 2: Creating Your Selection
Now that you have the Polygonal Lasso Tool selected, you can start creating your selection.
- Start Point: Click on the edge of the object you want to select in your image. This sets your starting anchor point. You’ll see a small anchor appear where you clicked.
- Create Straight Lines: Move your cursor to another point along the edge of the object and click again. This will create a straight line segment from your starting point to the new point. Each click creates a new anchor point, and Photoshop automatically draws a straight line connecting it to the previous point.
- Continue Around the Object: Continue clicking around the object’s edge, placing anchor points at each corner or change in direction. Work your way around the area you wish to select, creating a series of connected straight lines.
- Zoom for Accuracy: For intricate selections, zoom in (Ctrl + ‘+’ or Cmd + ‘+’) to get a closer view and place your anchor points more precisely. Zooming out (Ctrl + ‘-‘ or Cmd + ‘-‘) can help you see the overall selection progress.
- Correcting Mistakes: If you make a mistake and place an anchor point in the wrong location, don’t worry. Press the “Backspace” key (or “Delete” key on Mac) to undo the last anchor point. You can undo multiple points by pressing “Backspace” repeatedly.
Step 3: Completing and Refining the Selection
Once you have traced the entire outline of the object with straight lines, it’s time to close the selection and refine it if necessary.
- Closing the Path: To complete your selection, you need to close the path by connecting the last anchor point to the first one.
- Click on the Starting Point: Hover your cursor over the very first anchor point you created. You’ll notice a small circle icon appear next to the Polygonal Lasso Tool cursor. This indicates that clicking now will close the selection. Click on the starting point to complete the selection.
- Double-Click to Close: Alternatively, if you are far from the starting point and want to close the selection quickly, you can simply double-click. Photoshop will automatically connect your current point with the starting point with a straight line, closing the selection.
- Selection Appearance: Once the path is closed, you’ll see the familiar “marching ants” or dashed lines outlining your selection. This indicates that the area within the lines is now selected.
- Feathering and Anti-aliasing (Optional): Before making further edits, you might want to adjust the selection edges. In the Options Bar at the top of the Photoshop interface (visible when the Polygonal Lasso Tool is active), you’ll find options like “Feather” and “Anti-alias.”
- Feather: Feathering softens the edges of your selection, creating a gradual transition between the selected and unselected areas. A higher feather value results in a softer edge. For hard-edged selections (which is typical for Polygonal Lasso Tool use), you might keep the feather value at 0.
- Anti-alias: Anti-aliasing smooths the jagged edges of curved or diagonal selections by partially filling the edge pixels. While less critical for straight-line selections, keeping Anti-alias checked generally improves the visual quality of selection edges.
Step 4: Using Your Selection
With your selection active, you can now perform various editing tasks:
- Copy and Paste: Copy the selected area (Ctrl + C or Cmd + C) and paste it into a new layer (Ctrl + V or Cmd + V) or a different document.
- Adjustments: Apply adjustments like color correction, brightness/contrast, or hue/saturation specifically to the selected area without affecting the rest of the image. You can do this through the “Image” > “Adjustments” menu.
- Masking: Use the selection to create a layer mask. This allows you to non-destructively hide or reveal parts of a layer. Click the “Add layer mask” button at the bottom of the Layers panel with your selection active.
- Filling and Stroking: Fill the selection with a color or add a stroke (outline) using the “Edit” menu > “Fill” or “Stroke.”
Tips and Tricks for Effective Use
- Practice Makes Perfect: The Polygonal Lasso Tool requires a bit of practice to master. Experiment with different images and shapes to improve your precision and speed.
- Combine with Other Selection Tools: For complex selections that involve both straight and curved edges, you can combine the Polygonal Lasso Tool with other selection tools like the Quick Selection Tool or the Pen Tool. You can switch between selection tools and add to or subtract from existing selections.
- Use “Add to Selection” and “Subtract from Selection” Modes: In the Options Bar, you’ll see icons for “New Selection,” “Add to Selection,” “Subtract from Selection,” and “Intersect with Selection.” Use “Add to Selection” (the second icon) to add more areas to your current selection. Use “Subtract from Selection” (the third icon) to remove areas from your selection.
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Memorize shortcuts for zooming (Ctrl/Cmd + ‘+’, Ctrl/Cmd + ‘-‘) and undoing (Backspace/Delete) to speed up your workflow.
- High Resolution Images: Working with high-resolution images allows for more precise anchor point placement and finer selections.
Conclusion
The Polygonal Lasso Tool in Photoshop CS6 is an indispensable tool for anyone needing to make accurate, straight-edged selections. By understanding its mechanics and practicing its use, you can greatly enhance your image editing capabilities. From isolating objects for compositing to making targeted adjustments, the Polygonal Lasso Tool offers the control and precision needed for professional-level results. Embrace this tool, and you’ll find it becomes a cornerstone of your Photoshop skillset.
