Adobe Photoshop CS6, User Manual

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Converting between paths and selection borders
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Convert paths to selection borders
Convert a selection to a path
Convert paths to selection borders
Paths provide smooth outlines that you can convert into precise selection borders. You also can convert selection borders into paths, using the
Direct Selection tool for fine-tuning.
You can define any closed path as a selection border. A closed path can be added to, subtracted from, or combined with the current selection.
Convert a path to a selection border using the current settings
1. Select the path in the Paths panel.
2. To convert the path, do one of the following:
Click the Load Path as a Selection button at the bottom of the Paths panel.
Ctrl
-
click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the path thumbnail in the Paths panel.
Convert a path to a selection border and specify settings
1. Select the path in the Paths panel.
2. Do one of the following:
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Load Path As A Selection button at the bottom of the Paths panel.
Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) the path to the Load Path As A Selection button.
Choose Make Selection from the Paths panel menu.
3. In the Make Selection dialog box, select a Rendering option:
Feather Radius Defines how far inside and outside the selection border the feather edge extends. Enter a value in pixels.
Anti-aliased Creates a finer transition between the pixels in the selection and the surrounding pixels. Make sure the Feather Radius is set
to 0.
For more information on these options, see Soften the edges of selections.
4. Select an Operation option:
New Selection Selects only the area defined by the path.
Add To Selection Adds the area defined by the path to the original selection.
Subtract From Selection Removes the area defined by the path from the current selection.
Intersect With Selection Selects the area common to both the path and the original selection. If the path and selection do not overlap,
nothing is selected.
5. Click OK.
Convert a selection to a path
Any selection made with a selection tool can be defined as a path. The Make Work Path command eliminates any feathering applied to the
selection. It can also alter the shape of the selection, depending on the complexity of the path and the tolerance value you choose in the Make
Work Path dialog box.
1. Make the selection, and do one of the following:
Click the Make Work Path button at the bottom of the Paths panel to use the current tolerance setting, without opening the Make
Work Path dialog box.
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Make Work Path button at the bottom of the Paths panel.
Choose Make Work Path from the Paths panel menu.
2. Enter a Tolerance value or use the default value in the Make Work Path dialog box.