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View Full Version : Making a selection out of a path ?

Freewaldo
05-30-2006, 04:18 AM
What is the best way to make a selection from a path ?

In a book i have they tell me this:>

To create a selection from a work path, take the following step:
1. Draw a path with the pen or shape tools.

2. Hold down Ctrl and press Enter. You can also click the Load Path as a Selection button in the Paths palette
(located third from left).

I do what is mentioned but Photoshop CS2 refuse to let me save it as a selection, sometimes it work sometimes not.

Any help is welcome.
Whipyo
05-30-2006, 05:18 AM
Works every time for me.......

Are you sure you have your path highlighted in your paths palette before you try to turn it into a selection. If it is not highlighted, clicking the 'load path as selection' button will do nothing.
sumpm1
05-30-2006, 07:38 AM
Also, make sure that you are still using the path tool and that you haven't switched to the marquee tool.
Xdreamer79
05-30-2006, 08:16 AM
Yeah both are right. Never tried CTRL+Enter but it should work too I guess. How's about selcting two paths?
May-lea
05-30-2006, 11:33 AM
You have countless ways to create a selection from a path

The two mentionned (I usually use the icon at the bottom of the path panel)
Otherwise you can Ctrl+click the icon of your path layer in the path tab. That's my second favourite.
Or you can select with the path selection tool the paths you wish to get a selection from (for example if there are three on the layer and you want to get a selection from only two of them)
then you right-click, choose "make selection... " (and select your options, easier than pressing as well Shift or Alt or both if you want to add, substract or intersect your selection rather than just replacing it)

Then just accept and you have your selection

On these four ways, two allow you to make selection from individual paths on a layer with several (right-click and the icon on the path tab), and two only allow you to make a selection from all the paths (ctrl+enter and ctrl+click).


Now there is also something important, too. Each path has some selection/merging options. These are four icons on the option toolbar, that appear when you select the path selection tool. Depending on the option ticked the selection you'll get from the path will be different.
If the first option is highlighted, the selection created from that shape will be added to the existing selection by default (add)
If the second is highlighted, the selection created from that shape will be removed from the existing selection by default (remove)
If the third is highlighted, only the areas common to the existing selection and to the selection created from that shape will be selected (intersect)
If the fourth is highlighted, only the areas NOT common to the existing selection and to the selection created from that shape will be selected (exclude)

Now each path can have his own blending option, meaning you can set the path's merging behaviour in advance, and create that way the perfect selection when you use Ctrl+enter or ctrl+click to select all.

I hope my explanations were clear and helped you :)
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