Photoshop tutorial: using the Lasso tool

 Learn how to use photoshop's lasso selection tool

The Lasso tool of photoshop is at the top, left, second position of the toolbar. It comes in the form of a knot. It is used to make a free-hand selection.

Photoshop lasso tool tutorial

The Lasso tool of photoshop helps you easily select parts of an image, in order to change its color or remove a portion.

Lasso sub-tools

By holding down the left mouse button, three Lasso sub-tools appear:

Photoshop lasso tool tutorial

Lasso tool

Using the Lasso tool (selected by default) requires holding down the mouse to select the border of the object (here, an orange). It takes around the entire border to join the starting point and thus form the outline. This use is rather delicate and practical when the other sub-tools of the lasso do not make it possible to obtain the desired selection.

Photoshop lasso tool tutorial

Polygonal Lasso Tool

The Polygonal Lasso tool facilitates the use of the Lasso since it allows you to place points that will form straight lines, which is easier than with the default Lasso tool. However, this tool is reserved for straight-bordered objects, so it won't work with images like the example above.

It's still a 'free-hand' selection, but it works point by point, so it's more useful than the simple Lasso.

Shift : Forces your selection to be at an angle of 90°, 45°, 0°, -45°, -90°, -135°, 180° and 135°
Alt : as long as you hold it, your tool becomes the Simple Lasso. Very useful for curves.
Shift : (after a selection already present): add to the first selection.
Alt : (after a selection already present): subtract from the first selection.

photoshop

Magnetic Lasso Tool

The magnetic Lasso tool remains the favorite tool in our case, because it allows us to select and automatically precisely the outline of our orange inside an image (see the tutorial of the magnetic tool of photoshop).

photoshop lasso tool tutorial
You have noticed that to select the orange in the image the tool, the most suitable is the Magnetic Lasso tool, since it allows the automatic selection of the border of the image. This does not mean that it is the best tool, if we had to choose the border of a window for example the polygonal lasso tool will be more appropriate.

Use these keys for other effects:
CTRL : You can move what you have selected
Shift (after a selection already present): add to the first selection
Alt (after a selection already present): subtract from the first selection

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