Selection Tools in Photoshop – Which is the Best?

Knowing how to make a selection in Photoshop is a powerful skill for unleashing your creativity. There are many ways and tools to achieve a good result, but which is the best?

We've prepared a video for you with the seven basic selection tools, using a photo from the Ball Face pin :

You'll find all of these tools in the Photoshop toolbar (the bar on your left).

Marco (M)

This tool is one of the fastest and easiest to use. It has two modes: frame and elliptical frame . The first allows you to create squares and rectangles, while the second creates circles or ovals.

However, Marco is a rather inflexible selection tool. That is, you won't be able to make selections outside of those available shapes.

Bow (L)

Lasso is a great tool for making quick, organic selections, as the path is freehand. Yes, you do need a steady hand. For this reason, it's not a very precise tool, especially when used on shapes with very sharp angles.

Polygonal Lasso (SHFT + L)

This tool is the sister tool to Lasso. The difference is that Polygonal Lasso works with straight lines. It's very fast, especially with shapes with right angles. On the other hand, if you want to select something round, this isn't your best option.

Magic Wand (W)

The magic of this tool lies in how it works with sections of color. Click on the color of your choice and it will select the entire surrounding area that has the same color. However, don't be fooled by its speed. Check the edges of your selection, as it often leaves very harsh edges.

Quick Select (SHFT + W)

As its name suggests, it's a very fast selection tool. It's similar to its counterpart, the Magic Wand. It also works by color sections.

The difference is that it reacts as you drag it across your image, automatically selecting areas of color along the way. However, as in the previous case, it often leaves jagged edges.

Color Range

This is the only tool on this list that you won't find in the Photoshop toolbar. Find it in the "Selection/Color Range" menu.

This is a very versatile tool as it works with areas of color throughout the entire photo. Use the eyedroppers in the "Color Range" menu to sample the color you want to select and slide the Tolerance bar to increase or decrease the number of shades your selection will cover.

This tool works very well for separating elements that are the opposite color of the background. For example, a white dot on a black background. On the other hand, if the shape you want to select has colors very similar to the background, you may have difficulty controlling the results of "Color Range."

Feather (P)

Finally, we have the precise Pen (you might remember it from the levitation tutorial ). We won't lie, it's also one of the slowest selection tools to use, but with practice, you'll get faster.

The coolest thing about the Pen is its level of customization—you can create any shape you want. Use it when you know you have plenty of time to edit your photo, and your results will be very clean and precise.

As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect," so keep at it! You'll become a Photoshop selection master.