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melvynw31626612
Known Participant
March 23, 2020
Question

Magic wand tool does nothing

  • March 23, 2020
  • 5 replies
  • 3783 views

Hi

 

I am using the latest Photoshop and I am trying to use the magic wand tool. It selects but when I press delete it offers me a range of things because it seems to thing I want to use Fill.  What happened to delete? Somehow it is also not doing anything in a completely different way after I have put in a few layers.  No matter what layer I have selected, the wand performs a selection and then has no fundtionality at all. Still won't delete or anything else.  

 

Thanks

Melvyn

This topic has been closed for replies.

5 replies

O
Omdaa
New Participant
September 1, 2024

Solution is : Unlock the background layer!

    JohanElzenga
    JohanElzenga
    Adobe Expert
    March 23, 2020

    You are trying to delete a selection of the background layer. The background layer does not support transparency, so that is why Fill comes up.

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
      M
      melvynw31626612Author
      Known Participant
      March 23, 2020

      I'm pretty sure I've done this before on many occassions in previous versions. 

      c.pfaffenbichler
      c.pfaffenbichler
      Adobe Expert
      March 23, 2020

      Feel free to install one of the obsolete Photoshop CC versions and try … 

      M
      melvynw31626612Author
      Known Participant
      March 23, 2020

      The image I have uploaded seems to be really small despite me uploading it on the largest setting.  Is this normal?

      JJMack
      JJMack
      Adobe Expert
      March 23, 2020

      This site resizes image that you post down in size. Make screen captures unreadable. That is why I post part of screen captures when I can fit what I want to show on part of my display.

       

      If you delete a selection on a background layer the area need to be filled with a color I would think Photoshop would use the current background swatch color. It seem like your Photoshop is switching to fill to give you the opportunity to pick the color or choose content aware fill or pattern fill.

       

      If you unlock the background layer (convert to a normal layer) delete will work.

      JJMack
        M
        melvynw31626612Author
        Known Participant
        March 23, 2020

        OK.  Thanks.  I will remember that in future.  Weird that a company specialising in high quality image manipulation makes it as diffiult as possible to upload a decent image.  

         

        Thank you for your help. 

        c.pfaffenbichler
        c.pfaffenbichler
        Adobe Expert
        March 23, 2020

        »What happened to delete?«

        What do you mean? Could you be hitting shift-delete? 

        M
        melvynw31626612Author
        Known Participant
        March 23, 2020

        Hi.  

         

        Thank you for getting back to me.  No I am just hitting delete. 

         

        Cheers.

        c.pfaffenbichler
        c.pfaffenbichler
        Adobe Expert
        March 23, 2020

        Could you please post a screenshot taken at View > 100% with the pertinent Panels (Layers, Channels, Options Bar, …) visible? 

        What kind of Layer is selected, what are the Tool’s settings, …? 

        M
        melvynw31626612Author
        Known Participant
        March 23, 2020

        c.pfaffenbichler
        c.pfaffenbichler
        Adobe Expert
        March 23, 2020

        Thanks.  I'm impressed you saw enough of that screen grab to diagnose the situation. Another issue was when I had several layers I still couldn't delete. Every single layer would allow me to select but not delete. When I had several layers the background layer was allowing me to select but when I hit delete was just doing nothing instead of trying to fill.


        When dragging the screenshot into Photoshop it appears to be fine. 

         

        »Every single layer would allow me to select but not delete.«

        Please post a screenshot of that situation. 

        Were multiple Layers selected, was the selected Layer locked, …? 

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