Photoshop Elements Polygonal Lasso Tool Problem

[steveb93395723]

I'm hoping someone can help me.  

I am a casual user of Photoshop Elements.  I have PS Elements 2024 and it is set to automatically update.

I am having a problem with the polygonal lasso tool.  The issue I am having is the tool behaves strangely.

Sometimes I am unable to set an intial anchor point.  I select the tool, drag the icon onto my image and then select the point where I want to set my anchor.  I click ... nothing happens.  If I select some random spot on the image I can then set the initial anchor point.  How can I set up PSE to use the polygonal lasso in the manner that I am expecting?

Another issue is that if I am successful seting the anchor point I then drag the mouse and the line showing my selection appears fine.  I then select the second anchor point and so on.  Many time though, PS automatically connects with my initial point because it decided I was done with my selection.  Of course, I disagree, but how do I fix this?

A third issue ... I select my initial anchor point but am unable to set a second anchor point.  In fact, when I drag the mouse to the place I want to set the second anchor point, the line showing my selection completely goes away.  If I start over, generally the same thing occurs.  How do I fix this issue?

On an earlier version of PSE, I did not have these problems, so am wondering if this is some setup issue or a preference setting.

Thanks,

Steve

[hatstead · Accepted solution]

On the tool's option bar (beneath the work area) make sure that feather is set to zero. If that does not fix it, click on the 3-dot icon on the right on the option bar, and reset the tool. 

Is there good contrast between the selection target and the background?

[Greg_S.]

IMO, the polygonal lasso tool is one of the most difficult to use to get a good selection.  Elements has many other selection tools that are far easier and more accurate.  Hopefully, hatstead's suggestions will fix your current problem.  But I highly recommend that you try working with the other available tools.

[Glenn 8675309]

Screenshots always help, even though your descriptions were pretty good.   
I generally only use the tool every now and then, simply because there are better selection tools in the program.   When I use the tool it rarely produces the results I was look for.  If it were up to me I would remove the tool from the program.

Yes, that's the Banana Splits standing in a carburator (It was for a facebook group that likes to measure things in "banana added for scale).