What's new
By:
Photoshop Gurus Forum

Welcome to Photoshop Gurus forum. Register a free account today to become a member! It's completely free. Once signed in, you'll enjoy an ad-free experience and be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

The magic wand tool: settings help ?


photoshopguru33

photoshopguru33

Member
Messages
11
Likes
0
Hello,
I have a problem with the Magic Wand tool in photoshop CS6 .
The problem is that when I want to select an area (even if I set the tollerance as '3' or '50', nothing change.
I mean, if you watch the picture below, I have a tollerance 50 and yet, (Fig. A)
It still don't select the area (fig. B) , even if it should tollerate that area because it have similar colors with the rest of part selected.

I even tried the Refine Edge option, but is not so useful as well.
I just with the tollerance would work more accurately in automatic..
is not the first time I select with the magic wand, but in the past, I didn't have problems to do this kind of selections with photoshop CS3 for example, but lately (since I got a new pc and Photoshop CS6) the selection don't work like usual. If I hold the "-" or "+" the select area 'expand' too much, and if I hold "-" while I try to select that little area not selected, yet don't work.

I wonder if there's some setting to adjust for the Magic Wand tool?

Thanks a lot in advance for the help!


FIG. A
Untitlned_zpsc7f5b019.png


FIG. B
Untitle22d_zps8b8f2a1a.png
 
Sorry the forum dont make me modify the topic.
I did a mistake "I just with the tollerance would work more accurately in automatic.."
I mean " I just WISH the tollerance would work more accurately in automatic.:"
 
It looks like you're using brush with a soft edge (feathered) you need a hard edge brush to eliminate those extra pixels (transparent pixels)
 
Thanks guys ! I think you have right! I'm trying right now your suggestions, thanks a lot :D

Edit: But I don't understand one thing, I'm using magic wand, not the brush , but maybe I need to delete the most transparent pixels? But I never need to do this before, usually with magic wand, I would select the interested area in few clicks... holding ' - ' when the area selected was exceeded from what I wish to select. !
 
Last edited:
I was referring to the paintbrush when you're drawing your outline not the selection process.
 
Ok, I've tried to use an hard brush and make a selection with the magic wand.
The difference between the selection with the magic wand of a brushstroke (soft and hard) is visible, but still, is not accurate as usual when I did these kind of selections.

CLICK ON THE PIC FOR FULL SIZE:
th_Untitled1_zpsb25c8744.png

I'm working in a decent resolution (2000 x 2000 pixel with 300 dpi of resolution),
so I still don't understand why this ugly kind of selection!


Is really bad! Take a closer look:

th_Untitlned_zps22cf5f42.png


Btw, maybe I understand the reason now. I wonder if I'm correct?

If you look the entire document, you can see that even if I'm working with 2000 x 2000 pixels,
the lines I want to select are very 'tiny' compared the rest of the sheet/document.

th_Untitle22d_zps424b3244.png

In fact, the lines I want to select with the magic wand have 3 or 4 as brush size. So is very tiny... and it seems the selection is '
rough,' while, if I trace a line with a brush size of 75 (like in the figure I've posted above), the selection come out very well (I just need few adjustments with the "Define Edges", so it works correctly.

So, maybe I just need to work with more big drawings/lines next time!
 
Or use the pen tool for your selection. pixel-based will always be like that. you may want to do it in illustrator or a vector-based program
 
I don't know why you are having this problem if you haven't had it before. I don't use the wand as I find it very inexact and hard to control. iDad is correct that a hard-edged brush will give you better results, but in my experience, that selection will still be feathered out -- for lack of a better word.

I suggest the quick selection tool. I don't think it was in CS3, maybe not till CS5. You will get much better results and not have to constantly change the tolerance settings.

The best way to ensure crisp selections is, also as iDad said, to use the pen tool and make paths. If you do this, be sure to save each path or it will "overwrite" when you make the next one.

Have you ever used the pen?
 
Thanks, I will use also the pen tool then!

And not, this is not pixel graphic... it's me that I worked too tiny scale... but this is a normal image to make a pattern in fabric (for tiny dolls) (each drawing is less than 2 cm!) I'm not an expert, so I should learn how to work properly making my drawing for fabric's prints!
I love Illustrator, but I prefer photoshop because are 'free-hand' drawings that I do with a normal pen and then I scan and put on photoshop coloring it!
 
Last edited:

Back
Top