Quick selection tool selects entire image

Question

Elements 11, MBP OSX10-12-6. I've been fighting this for quite some time. I photograph knives on a white background. I'll typically use the quick selection tool to outline the object (knife) and back fill with paint bucket. It appears that the blades of the knife are light enough so the software is fooled into thinking it's part of the background. It can take me up to two hours to manipulate the software to do what I want it to do.

How can I prevent the QST from selecting the image?

hatstead · Answer

billk13354615 wrote
It appears that the blades of the knife are light enough so the software is fooled into thinking it's part of the background.

It would help if you post a representative file for us to look at. You can do that by clicking on the "Insert Image" icon at the top of the forum reply box.

In the meantime, try one or both of the following:

Activate the Magic wand tool, click anywhere on the white background to select it, then delete the background. Note that this tool allows one to opt for "contiguous" or not. Also the tolerance can be adjusted. 32 is default - play with it in order to optimize.
Another tool to try is the Magnetic lasso tool, used to select the foreground (knife). Again, on the tool's option bar one can tailor the settings. Start out with Feather 0, Width 5px, Contrast 3%, Frequency 57.

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