Convert partial selection to solid

[Jason Burnett]

How do I convert a selection from having "phantom" areas of transparency selected to solid? In other words, when I select by color, the selection area may contain areas that are not obviously selected. So when I fill the selection with a solid color, suddenly the hard-to-view selection appears colored (but slightly transparent). 

For example, I have a signature that I have treated with a simple drop shadow. The signature has a slight gradation from black to grey. My goal is a solid signature with no drop shadow. I select a color range starting with black and adjust the fuzziness until just the signature part is selected (according to the selection ants). I create a new layer and fill with red, for example, and now I have both the signature in red and the drop shadow (which wasn't obviously selected) both in red.

I get this alot where my selection includes bits that are not obvious and filling the selection fills the extra bits. Or even more common, I have the selection ants running around the exact area that I want a solid fill, but filling the selection only gives me a partial fill. Sometimes I can fill it a dozen times to get it solid, but that's just lucky guesswork. How can I make a selection solid instead of percentages of opacity.

What would be great is if the selection marquee (ants) would be colored differently depending on the opacity of the selection. So if you have a selection marquee that is only 50% opaque, it would be red. If it had areas that were variable percentages of opacque, the marquee could change color based on the less than 100% opacque selection parts.

And even if that wasn't possible, a tool that let you "Convert to Solid" would be nice so that the exact area that you had a partial selection of would be filled solid without having to do a bunch of stuff to get there. Any suggestions on how to do this more efficiently?

Select Subject works pretty well on some elements, but not all.

Currently, I use the Convert To Path option to create a new vector selection since they are always solid. But the process of creating a vector mask sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Any other ways to turn a partial selection into a solid selection would be great to know. 

Thanks for any input.

[Claire H.]

Hi @Jason Burnett, great question! Here are a few ways you can convert that soft or partial selection into a solid one:

Steps to Convert a Partial Selection into a Solid Selection:

1. Refine the Selection Using Select and Mask: After making your initial selection, go to Select > Select and Mask (or Refine Edge in older versions). Use the Refine Edge Brush Tool to clean up the selection edges. You can try adjusting the Contrast slider to harden the edge and use Shift Edge to pull the edge inward if needed. This helps eliminate those partially selected outer pixels.

2. Modify the Selection: To ensure you're only working with fully selected pixels, go to Select > Modify > Expand by a few pixels to gather up the semi-selected ones. Then use Select > Modify > Contract to bring it back to the shape you want. This can remove those semi-selected halos from drop shadows or gradients.

3. Convert to a Solid Fill: Once you're happy with the selection - create a new layer and fill the selection with your desired color. If the fill still looks semi-transparent, you can repeat the fill (Shift + F5) a couple of times, or use the Brush Tool to paint over it directly.

4. Convert to Path (Vector Option): If you're still getting inconsistent results, with your selection active, go to the Paths panel and click "Make Work Path." Then go to Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path to apply a clean, solid-edged mask.

Bonus Tips:

• Try Quick Mask Mode (press Q): You can paint directly on the mask using a hard brush to define solid areas. Press Q again to exit and turn it back into a selection.

• Use the Selection Brush Tool (in some versions): It gives you a helpful pink overlay that shows the selection's actual opacity.

• Gaussian Blur + Color Range: Blur the layer slightly, then reselect using Select > Color Range. This can help even out fuzzy selection edges.

If you're still having trouble, please share a screenshot and/or a screen recording of the issue you're seeing in Photoshop, along with your system info. You can find it by going to Help > System Info, then copying and pasting it into a text file to attach here. I hope that helps!  ^CH

[Trevor.Dennis]

This is about 60%.  I am showing against white to make it easier to see.

I have initiated a Levels adjustment.  The green highlight shows the pink pixels.

I'be bunched the pink pixel value as close as I can get it to the whites.  (I had some 10% pixels  — top right of image — selected shown by the ramp on the right.) When I turn off Quick Mask I'll have a very close to 100% selection.  When selections are a bit thin, just copy the layer a bunch of times (set to Normal) to firm them up.