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Mama Shan
Participating Frequently
June 5, 2011
Released

P: Bring Back the Select-Modify options for a Select All Selection

  • June 5, 2011
  • 14 replies
  • 1190 views

I really wish Adobe would put back the functionality of the Select>Modify -- Smooth, Expand, Contract, & Feather options for a "Select All" selection. This was a feature that was "fixed" in CS3 and I was ecstatic about it as previous versions and unfortunately--subsequent versions yield these Select Modify commands useless, grayed out when a selection has been made via the Select All command! The reason I was happy to use them in CS3...and wish they would do an update to fix CS4 and CS5, is because I had created many actions to create borders using the Select All command and then the Contract, Smooth, Feather, Border, and/or Expand sub commands. This was awesome because I could automate these borders, edges and/or photo corners without regard to the portrait or landscape orientation or the size of the canvas, because the "Select All" created a selection of the existing Canvase which could then be manipulated via the Select>Modify options. The current Photoshop version and the predecessors to CS3 did and do not recognize the marquee created with the Select All command as a selection that can be modified!!! How silly is this and how could it have been missed?

Please, Chris Cox, if you're still out there, could you please address this issue which is very important to me! Thanks!

Warmest Regards,
Mama Shan

    14 replies

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    F
    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    September 11, 2014


    When I make a selection that includes pixels on the edge of the image, then click "select" -> "modify" -> "contract", the selection is only contracted on the edges that are NOT on the images edge. The selection remains up against the edge of the photo.

    This is in Photoshop CC, and I used to be able to do this, so I'm not sure if I accidentally changed a setting, or if an update caused this, but I'd like to fix it please!
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    September 11, 2014


    Photoshop: Cannot modify selection (expand/contract/feather) after Select All. Used to work pre CS2. Please un-grey these options once again.


    Image is not available

    Mike_Abbott
    Mike_Abbott
    Legend
    February 22, 2013
    This is really a follow up to an earlier post by Simon T on Photoshop's inability to do this. I've got a simple, actionable, method that I've written up at www.mikeabbott.info - the blog post is: http://tinyurl.com/7mmghq4
    The post contains an action you can download - or you could build one yourself in about half a minute : )

    I hope it's helpful.

    F
    FeedbackCommunityMember
    Inspiring
    February 22, 2013
    User should be able to contract a selection if the entire image is selected, (Select: All, Modify: Contract. For some odd reason Contract is grayed out (not an option) if the entire art board is selected.

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