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N
NMcP1
Participant
March 4, 2020
Question

Saving Selection

  • March 4, 2020
  • 6 replies
  • 869 views

I purchased the latest version of Photoshop Elements to primarily use the One Click Selection Tool.

 

I have been successful in applying the One Click tool and I have even found how to add and subtract.

 

However, I cannot find ANY instruction on how to save the selection nor can I find how to save the modifications if I subtract.

 

There does not appear to be anything on the screen to confirm the selection or the subtraction.

 

If I save the photo, there are no changes from the original.

 

What do I have to do?

 

Neil McPherson

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

6 replies

Greg_S.
Community Expert
Greg_S.Community Expert
Community Expert
March 5, 2020

You can also use the Refine Edge dialog to output the selection to a new document:

 

 

hatstead
hatstead
Inspiring
March 5, 2020

If you are following the previous work-flow and have the selection on a separate layer (Layer 1), delete the Background layer.

Now save (Save as), and choose PNG for the file format. This will support transparency. 

Greg_S.
Community Expert
Greg_S.Community Expert
Community Expert
March 5, 2020

OK.  Try this. 

  • Make your selection, using whatever tool you want.
  • To get a better look at what you have selected, click on the Refine Edge button.  In the dialog that opens, you have various choices of the view you will see of the selection.  Here the selection is put on a white backbackground.

 

  • If you are satisfied with the selection, you can close the dialog and press Ctrl+J (Windows) Cmd+J (Mac).  This will create a new layer with the selected pixels:

 

  • Select the background layer and delete it.  You will now be left with just your selection in a single layer. 
  • Save the file by going to File>Save As and choose a new name for the file.  A new file will be created and your original file will be saved unchanged.
N
NMcP1Author
Participant
March 5, 2020

Thank you Greg - by doing this, I saved the selection. I still have one problem and that is - after the selection has been made and I have subtracted from it - how I do keep those alterations?

It seems that when I move the cursor away, the modifications are lost i.e. the original appears.

Greg_S.
Community Expert
Greg_S.Community Expert
Community Expert
March 5, 2020

NMcP1 said:

I still have one problem and that is - after the selection has been made and I have subtracted from it - how I do keep those alterations?

 

Sorry, but I'm not understanding your question.   Can you be more specific, and if possible, give us a screenshot.

hatstead
hatstead
Inspiring
March 5, 2020

ok.

First, ascertain the size of the selection that you wish to save, and also the resolution in px/in.

Next, go to File>new blank file and in the dialog enter the H&W and resolution.

Make your selection, then Edit>copy to,place it on the clipboard

Open the blank file, then Edit>paste

Activate the move tool to position the selection, and you can make mi nor size adjustment with the corner handles of the bounding box

N
NMcP1Author
Participant
March 5, 2020

Thank you Phinny and Halstead for your suggestions but, regrettably, for me they did not work.

After I have created the selected area, I went through the steps that you described but clearly I was not doing something correctly.

Nothing appeared on the new blank file when I pressed Edit>paste (which appeared to be greyed out) nor when I pressed Ctrl + V

Actually Edit>copy also appears to be greyed out.

What would be so hard as a setting in the program 'Save selected area'  ???

P
Phinny
Legend
March 4, 2020

Find Help in the tool settings bar at the bottom of your screen. (screenshot of PSE 2019)

 

hatstead
hatstead
Inspiring
March 4, 2020

NMcP1

To answer your your inquiry, I do not have the latest version of  PSE. However, I use one of the selection tools. eg. lasso tool or selection brush, to select precisely. Once the selection is made, you should see an outline {"marching ants"} surrounding it. indicating that the selection is active.

Let us assume that you have a group picture (A) and you wish to select someone and add same to another picture (B).

Make the selection in A, go to Edit menu>copy. open B, and Edit>paste. Activate the move tool to position object from A on B.

N
NMcP1Author
Participant
March 4, 2020

Thank you Phinny and Hatstead but your suggestions do not answer my problem.

I don't want to move the selection from Picture A to picture B - I only want to save the selection as a picture on its own.

The help ? gives me massive amounts of information about the various selection tools and how to add and subtract but I cannot see any statement that says 'how to save the selection' as a separate file or even to replace the original file.

Do you know how?

 

 

Walter_H
Walter_H
Legend
March 4, 2020

In my opinion, this lack of prompting to the use of a tool is the LARGEST drawback to effectively using PSE. There is ample space on the bottom toolbar for user prompting. There are SO MANY almost hidden commands and tools in the cascading menu bar items and side toolbars with NO prompting on what to do next when you pick one.

 

Adobe should take a look at the user interface of Bentley's MicroStation, a CADD drawing program. Many, many years ago, I made the transition from manual drafting of engineering drawings to CADD drawing with MicroStation in just a few months. I could NOT have done this without MicroStation's prompting via pop-ups at the cursor or on the bottom status bar. I'll bet that there are lots of AutoCad users who had a similar experience to mine. The fact that PSE has been around as long as it has and doesn't have this user prompting feature baffles me! JMO!

--Walter in Davie, FL
P
Phinny
Legend
March 5, 2020

I won't disagree but you're sort of comparing apples and oranges (photoshop & cadd).  One offers the freedom to create, to experiment and discover, while the other (properly) does not, and should not.  Prompting breeds conformity which is how McD's hamburgers in Cincinnati can taste the same as those served in Taiwan.  I'm no draftsman but pretty sure there are strict standards in that field too where prompting might be considered a big plus. 

To what you've said, I'll just add that while PSE beginners might welcome such as thing as prompting, the overwhelming majorty of experienced PSE users would hate it.  You may (may not) remember Apple's "Balloon Help" way back in the day (pre-internet) and a widget to assist users not yet familiar with using a mouse.  Not kidding. 

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