Use the rectangular marquee tool set for fixed aspect ratio then make your selection.
well I figured out how to select fixed aspect ratio, but when I go to enter a number for the height and width I can’t enter a number in the box, it only lets me delete what is already there. Any idea why this would happen? Thanks for the reply.
In the dropdown menu next to the boxes does it say "normal" or "fixed aspect ratio"?
it said fixed aspect in the drop down. But I found that the problem was solved when I closed photoshop and then reopened it. So I got it figured out now. Thanks for the reply.
"But I found that the problem was solved when I closed photoshop and then reopened it. So I got it figured out now."
I’m not so sure you do.
That kind of sounds like: "Because the magician waved his wand over the hat, a rabbit appeared inside of it."
why so negative? It starting working now(not sure why) and what I mean by having it figured out is that I now know how to select an exact square from an image. A big thanks to graffiti for the info!
There is also "Fixed Size" in the drop down menu on the Options Bar.
Here, you can enter the exact dimensions. just type 4.75in in both "H" and "W" fields.
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The reason I made the magic wand analogy, iis because, while you while you SAID you had it figured out, you don’t really give much evidence that you actually did.
I personally don’t use the "Fixed Aspect Ratio" style on the marquee tool… If you hold down the shift key while making your selection it does the same thing 🙂
As far as the "Fixed Size" Phosphor has addressed that issue.
I configure my Tool Pallets so that the "Info" pallet is on top. Then when you are making your selection you can see exactly the size of the selected area (as well as other valuable information concerning mouse coordinates).
I use Fixed Aspect Ratio when I need to crop an image with fixed Height:Width requirements. Trying to do this by the seat of my pants, so to speak, by watching the Info Palette read-outs would be almost impossible.
I’m quite happy to have it as an option.
Hey thanks for the extra info everyone, much appreciation!
when I can eyeball it (most of the time), i use the hold shift key with rectangle marquee move. if i need exact, i use fixed size (mostly when printing), if it can vary, i use aspect ratio (rare, but occasionally… i think i used it once for titles for a movie).
I use the shift key only if I need to select an exact square with no particular size. Other than that…
