How to Select Pixels in Photoshop

This wikiHow teaches you how to select an area of pixels in Adobe Photoshop for Windows or macOS.

Method 1
Method 1 of 5:

Selecting Pixels in a Square or Rectangle

  1. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 1
    1
    Open Photoshop on your Mac or PC. It’s in the All Apps area of the Start menu (Windows) or in the Applications folder (macOS).
  2. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 2
    2
    Open the file you want to edit.
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  3. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 3
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    Right-click the Selection tool. It’s the second icon from the top of the toolbar that runs along the left side of the screen. A list of selection tools will appear.
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    4
    Select Rectangular Marquee Tool.
  5. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 5
    5
    Select an area. Click the mouse at the location where you want to start selecting, then drag it until the desired area is selected.
    • To include or remove pixels from the selection, click the Select menu, select Refine Edge, then choose an option.
    • To deselect an area, press Ctrl+D.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 5:

Selecting Pixels in an Elliptical Shape

  1. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 6
    1
    Open Photoshop on your Mac or PC. It’s in the All Apps area of the Start menu (Windows) or in the Applications folder (macOS).
  2. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 7
    2
    Open the file you want to edit.
  3. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 8
    3
    Right-click the Selection tool. It’s the second icon from the top of the toolbar that runs along the left side of the screen. A list of selection tools will appear.
  4. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 9
    4
    Select Elliptical Marquee Tool.
  5. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 10
    5
    Select an area. Click the mouse at the location where you want to start selecting, then drag it until the desired area is selected.
    • To include or remove pixels from the selection, click the Select menu, select Refine Edge, then choose an option.
    • To deselect an area, press Ctrl+D.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 5:

Selecting Pixels in an Irregular Area

  1. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 11
    1
    Open Photoshop on your Mac or PC. It’s in the All Apps area of the Start menu (Windows) or in the Applications folder (macOS).
    • Use this tool to freehand-draw your selection area.
  2. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 12
    2
    Open the file you want to edit.
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    3
    Right-click the Lasso tool. It’s the third icon from the top of the icon bar that runs along the left side of the screen.
  4. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 14
    4
    Select the desired area. Click the mouse where you want to start making your selection, then drag the line over the shape of the pixels. Keep clicking points on the edge of the desired selection until you’ve made it back to the first pixel.
    • To include or remove pixels from the selection, click the Select menu, select Refine Edge, then choose an option.
    • To deselect an area, press Ctrl+D.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 5:

Selecting All Pixels on a Layer

  1. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 15
    1
    Open Photoshop on your Mac or PC. It’s in the All Apps area of the Start menu (Windows) or in the Applications folder (macOS).
  2. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 16
    2
    Open the file you want to edit.
  3. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 17
    3
    Click the layer in the Layers panel. This selects the layer.[1]
  4. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 18
    4
    Click the Select menu. It’s at the top of the screen. A menu will expand.
  5. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 19
    5
    Click All. All pixels on the current layer are now selected.
    • To include or remove pixels from the selection, click the Select menu, select Refine Edge, then choose an option.
    • To deselect an area, press Ctrl+D.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 5:

Making a Quick Selection

  1. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 20
    1
    Open Photoshop on your Mac or PC. It’s in the All Apps area of the Start menu (Windows) or in the Applications folder (macOS).[2]
    • Use this method to select the most prominent subject in the file.
  2. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 21
    2
    Open the file you want to edit.
  3. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 22
    3
    Click the Select menu. It’s at the top of the screen. A menu will expand.
  4. Image titled Select Pixels in Photoshop Step 23
    4
    Click Subject. This selects all pixels of the image’s main subject.[3]
    • To include or remove pixels from the selection, click the Select menu, select Refine Edge, then choose an option.
    • To deselect an area, press Ctrl+D.
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References

  1. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/making-selections.html
  2. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/making-quick-selections.html
  3. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/adjusting-pixel-selections.html#adjust_selections_manually

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 44,122 times.
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Co-authors: 2
Updated: March 29, 2019
Views: 44,122
Categories: Learning to Use Adobe Photoshop
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