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Polygonal Lasso Tool help


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puppychew

Power User
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Hi
I am having a problem with the polygonal lasso tool. I make my selection then go to make another selection. What happens is that once I finish my first selection, the tool changes from add to subtract automatically. I make my second selection thinking it is adding only to find out I have to redo it because it reverted to subtraction.

Is there a way I can change the settings so that the took changes manually only?
 
Are you saying that the tool is set to "Add to selection" in the options bar, and that it changes automatically ? Or is it set otherwise ? I usually leave that to "New Selection" and use the modifiers key (shift + click to add, alt+click to subtract). Or even better, I avoid the lasso tool and use the pen tool. :)
 
I use this tool all the time. The tool is set to ADD to Selection at the top. Once I complete a selection it automatically switches to subtract. I want it to stay to add until I change it. Was wondering if there is a way to stop the automatic change.
 
This is weird. This "automatic" change makes no sense at all... The only way I get it to react like this, is by having the Alt key pressed... I once had a similar problem with my wacom (it made the CMD key get stuck on the "pressed" state and everything was acting funky until I rebooted the computer...) . Any chance you could be experiencing something like this ?

To test this, try the zoom tool, and see if it zooms out instead of zoomin' in like it should.
 
Hi Puppychew.
There is a natural situation where you will get the exact you behavior you describe.
If you start your first selection already in the subtract mode, it will actually behave as add mode for that first selection. Then, even though it was and still is in subtract mode, the next selection will subtract from the first selection.
I would almost bet you 5 bucks that's what happened :)
Hope that helps some
John Wheeler
 
No. However when I subtract in subtract mode and finish, it doesn't automatically go back to add. It stays in subtract - which it should. I just wish it did the same for add mode. There may have been some sort of update for this only started happening about a month ago.
 
I suggest trying in this order and see if any of each successive step fixes it
1) Rest the tool
2) Rest all tools
3) Rest Preferences
Would like to hear if any or none of those options work for you
John Wheeler
 
I have another way you have that situation occur. In accessibility, if you have "sticky keys" on and the option key (alt on windows) is pressed (and therefore stuck on) then after using the polygonal lasso tool once, it does as well jump to the subtract mode immediately. I guess this could happen if your option key (alt on Windows) was stuck down as well.

May not be the problem and I am not going to even think about betting $5 with you. Yet I can duplicate the same behavior this way as well.
Hope you get it figured out
John Wheeler
 
Here is a picture on my Mac using PS CC 2019 yet I believe it is very similar for PCs and other version of Photoshop

In the image below the Green arrow shows the drop down for the activated tool
The Aqua arrow shows the gear icon to click for the possible setting changes for the tool
The Blue arrows show the two options on reset this tool or all tools

Last would be to reset preferences and here is a link with the details on that: Reset Photoshop Preferences

Hope that helps
John Wheeler

How-to-reset-tools.jpg
 
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