Where's My Cursor?

[Rod597]

When using PS Elements 2024 – 25, to cut an object from the image using the manual selection tools where the auto has failed to grab the outline, the cursor will disappear in certain colour backgrounds. That in turn, makes accurate selection of indistinct edges where the object colour blends into the background, very difficult, particularly in Macro Photography. I would like to be able to select a colour, and the density in pixels for the cursor to keep its visibility under various conditions and background image. Unfortunately I have recommended your software to over 30 archaeologist around the country, regrettably we all have the same issue.  Please respond.

[Jeff Arola]

What operating system are you using?

Any particular tool or it's any of the manual selection tools you've tried?

Can you post an example of the background in which the cursor seems to disappear?

[Rod597]

Hi, To send a picture of a virtually invisible cursor is a tad tricky, suffice to say that you can try for yourself and get the same result.  In brief, with any image, select the 'Selection Brush' set at 100% hardness, and at a suitable size for the image you have on screen(small as if to manually select an edge) run it around the screen and you will see that on certain backgrounds, it effectively disappears. 

As uch of my work involve macro images sent to me by archaeologist who may not have the best skill level in macro, I do a great del of manual selection where the auto selection fails. The cursor then become a now you see me – now you don’t!

I spent a good 2 hours on the phone to Adobe, they saw the issue, even acknowledged that the issue does exists with other cursors too. But, they do not as yet have a fix.  

In a reasonable world, the software engineers must surely be able to give us control of cursor colour and pixel density – until then…………

Hi, To send a picture of a virtually invisible cursor is a tad tricky, suffice to say that you can try for yourself and get the same result.  In brief, with any image, select the 'Selection Brush' set at 100% hardness, and at a suitable size for the image you have on screen(small as if to manually select an edge) run it around the screen and you will see that on certain backgrounds, it effectively disappears. 

As uch of my work involve macro images sent to me by archaeologist who may not have the best skill level in macro, I do a great del of manual selection where the auto selection fails. The cursor then become a now you see me – now you don’t!

I spent a good 2 hours on the phone to Adobe, they saw the issue, even acknowledged that the issue does exists with other cursors too. But, they do not as yet have a fix.  

In a reasonable world, the software engineers must surely be able to give us control of cursor colour and pixel density – until then…………I use Windows 11

[hatstead]

Since the Selection brush does not work for you, have you tried to make a selection with the lasso tool, the magnetic lasso tool, or the magic wand tool? The magic wand makes a selection of an object with solid color. Prior to making a selectiom, I invariably boost the contrast between foreground & background. It would help if you post a representative picture (untouched) so that we may try to make a selection and offer more targeted guidance. If there is propriatary information on the picture, you can blur that in order to respect the work of the archeologists.