Cuttiung a Circlular trim

[danm3141592]

I'm trying to follow on-line published instructions, using PSE 14, to cut out, from a larger image, a circular section, (so that it can be added to another image).

I'm told to use the Elliptical Marquee and "create a circle", but get nowhere after this instruction.  Please can anyone help with what should be a simple task, but for hours today it has proved the opposite.

[hatstead · Accepted solution]

danm3141592  wrote

I'm trying to follow on-line published instructions, using PSE 14, to cut out, from a larger image, a circular section, (so that it can be added to another image).

I'm told to use the Elliptical Marquee and "create a circle", but get nowhere after this instruction.  Please can anyone help with what should be a simple task, but for hours today it has proved the opposite.

1. Open the picture file
2. Activate the Elliptical marquee tool. Hold down the Shift key while you drag out a circular selection to embrace what you wish to retain. Note the "marching ants", indicating that the selection is active.
3. Go to Edit>copy to place it on the clipboard.
4. Open your other image, and go to Edit>paste. The selection from step #2 will come in on a separate layer.
5. Activate the move tool to position, and resize if necessary.

[danm3141592]

Agreed on the instructions - BUT - when I get to instr. 2 above, and activate the Elliptical marquee tool, and attempt to "drag out a circular selection" I get this message -----

"Warning: No pixels are more than 50% selected.  The selection edges will not be visible"  

Eh ???????  And no ants ! And I never get as far as instrs. 3,4,& 5 with which I am familiar from doing other things.

[Greg_S.]

"Warning: No pixels are more than 50% selected.  The selection edges will not be visible" 

This suggests that you are working on a very low resolution image or you are trying to drag out a very small circle.  Can you give us a screenshot of what you are seeing.

[hatstead]

Make sure that you are working on the layer with the subject that you trying to isolate, not on an adjustment layer.

[danm3141592]

I seem to have stumbled on the cause of my trouble !   When I select the Elliptical marquee tool, a number of settings become available - and I found that, somehow, the "Feather" setting was at 250 pixels, instead of at/near zero.  Re-positioning the sliding indicator to the zero end of its travel produced a working marquee instead of the error message.

The error message just did not give me any clue as to the cause of the error - and although I had seen the setting it did not have any significance to me as being the cause of the error message.  I need a human tutor or a very good book.

Thanks to you all for your info which made me look more closely at all the settings.

[Peru Bob]

danm3141592  wrote
 I need a human tutor or a very good book.

See here:

Photoshop Elements tutorials

and here:

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/search?keywords=photoshop+elements