How to Refine Selections with the Magic Wand Tool

If you’re using Photoshop CS3, you can use the new Refine Edge feature to fine-tune the edges of selections you make with the Magic Wand tool. To use the Refine Edge feature, first make a complete selection (see steps 1–3 in the previous section). Once you’ve made a complete selection, click on the Refine Edge button in the Magic Wand toolbar. The Refine Edge dialog box will pop up, and your selection will now appear isolated against a white background—the other elements in your image will vanish, but they’ll reappear once you close the Refine Edge dialog box. The dialog box allows you to refine and preview your selection.

 

Refining Selections

• Contract/Expand: Though this slider is located last in the Refine Edge dialog box, it’s often the most helpful. This slider lets you adjust the scale of the selection boundary. Moving the slider to the left (or entering a negative value) enlarges the boundary, and moving it to the right (or entering a positive value) contracts it. Settings range from –100 to +100.
• Radius: Lets you specify the region of the selection outside the selection boundary that the Refine Edge feature should also adjust. Settings range from 0–250 px.
• Contrast: Sharpens the edges of the selection boundary. Use lower settings for softer edges and higher settings for hard edges. Settings range from 0–100%.
• Smooth: Smooths out especially jagged portions of the selection boundary. Settings range from 0–100.
• Feather: Softens the transition between the selection boundary and the other pixels in the image. Settings range from 0–250 px.

The Refine Edge’s Preview Checkbox

You can preview the results of your slider adjustments on the fly by checking the Refine Edge Preview checkbox in the top right portion of the Refine Edge dialog box. If you don’t have this box checked, you’ll need to click OK in the Refine Edge dialog box to see the results of your slider adjustments in your image. The Refine Edge dialog box will close when you click OK—and you’ll then need to click the Refine Edge button to open it again. So using the Preview feature is a quicker way to view the results of your adjustments.

 

The Refine Edge’s Background, Mask, and Quick Mask Preview Feature

At any point while you’re refining your selection, you can use the Refine Edge’s Background, Mask, and Quick Mask preview buttons to preview how your selection looks against various backgrounds, as a mask, or as a Quick Mask. The Refine Edge dialog box provides five preview options, each of which has its own icon: standard view, Quick Mask view, black background view, white background view, and mask view.

 

• Standard view: Shows the selection with its regular marching ants selection border. Any other pixels in the image will also be visible.
• Quick Mask view: Shows how the selection would appear as a Quick Mask. Double-click this preview option’s icon to adjust the Quick Mask’s settings.
• Black background view: Shows the selection against a black background.
• White background view: Shows the selection against a white background.
• Mask view: Shows the mask that surrounds the selection—the selection will appear white, and the pixels around it will appear black.