Newbie: Elliptical marquee tool

In article
,
charles wrote:

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

Menu: select – transform selection

"charles" wrote in message

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

I’m assuming you’re trying to mask a circular or oval shaped object, and are struggling to know where to start the eliptical marqee tool in order to fit the shape?

Well, I’m not sure if this is the correct way to do it, but one method that works for me is to drag two guides onto the document. One vertical and one horizontal.
You do this by simply clicking onto the ruler at the top or the left of the image and dragging it in onto the image.
Align the horizontal guide with the top edge of the shape, and align the vertical one with the left hand edge of the shape.
Now go to the intersection point of these two guides and use that as the starting point for your eliptical marquee.

Like I said, I don’t know if this is the reccomended or most efficient way of doing this. It’s just a technique that works for me.
If anyone knows a simpler or more efficient method, I’d be interested to learn it too.

charles wrote:

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

It is a little weird that you start dragging at the corner of the rectangle that would enclose the ellipse, and not actually on the ellipse itself. It would be even harder to control, though, if the latter were the case.

John’s suggestion to drag out your selection, approximately, then use transform selection is a good approach. Other things that might help:

1) You can use the Info tab to determine coordinates for one of the corners by putting your cursor at the top, then left side of your desired selection area. Then, move over to those coordinates and start dragging.

2) If you don’t need that precision, just get an area dragged out that’s about the right size, and you can nudge it into place with the arrow keys.

In article <5f514fc2-3854-4958-a941-fa4d2073c815
@v6g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>, says…

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

All the other answers are useful but, unless they have changed things since PS7, I think that the ‘space-bar’ will solve your problems as follows:

Use the left mouse to approximate the ellipse you want, now _without_ letting go of the mouse button, hold down the space key and you can drag the ellipse around without changing its shape. Position more accurately and then if you can release the space-bar you can improve the shape by dragging again. As long as you don’t release the mouse you can repeat the process – spacebar-drag to reposition, no-spacebar-drag to reshape. I find it a very natural and intuitive process.

Mike

In article ,
mike wrote:

Use the left mouse to approximate the ellipse you want, now _without_ letting go of the mouse button, hold down the space key and you can drag the ellipse around without changing its shape. Position more accurately and then if you can release the space-bar you can improve the shape by dragging again. As long as you don’t release the mouse you can repeat the process – spacebar-drag to reposition, no-spacebar-drag to reshape. I find it a very natural and intuitive process.

Most excellent tip, Mike. Thanks for that.

"John Stafford" wrote in message

In article ,
mike wrote:

Use the left mouse to approximate the ellipse you want, now _without_ letting go of the mouse button, hold down the space key and you can drag the ellipse around without changing its shape. Position more accurately and then if you can release the space-bar you can improve the shape by dragging again. As long as you don’t release the mouse you can repeat the process – spacebar-drag to reposition, no-spacebar-drag to reshape. I find it a very natural and intuitive process.

Most excellent tip, Mike. Thanks for that.

Agreed. Just tried it and it works beautifully.

Sam wrote:

"John Stafford" wrote in message

In article ,
mike wrote:

Use the left mouse to approximate the ellipse you want, now _without_ letting go of the mouse button, hold down the space key and you can drag the ellipse around without changing its shape. Position more accurately and then if you can release the space-bar you can improve the shape by dragging again. As long as you don’t release the mouse you can repeat the process – spacebar-drag to reposition, no-spacebar-drag to reshape. I find it a very natural and intuitive process.

Most excellent tip, Mike. Thanks for that.

Agreed. Just tried it and it works beautifully.

Also works in Illustrator

—
Bob LaBlawgh
“It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.”

mike wrote:

In article <5f514fc2-3854-4958-a941-fa4d2073c815
@v6g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>, says…

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

All the other answers are useful but, unless they have changed things since PS7, I think that the ‘space-bar’ will solve your problems as follows:

Use the left mouse to approximate the ellipse you want, now _without_ letting go of the mouse button, hold down the space key and you can drag the ellipse around without changing its shape. Position more accurately and then if you can release the space-bar you can improve the shape by dragging again. As long as you don’t release the mouse you can repeat the process – spacebar-drag to reposition, no-spacebar-drag to reshape. I find it a very natural and intuitive process.

Mike

Because I almost never use this command to remember the exact command (Key press), but there is/are some trick/tricks by holding down some KEY while adjusting or moving the ellipse.

I saw the trick on some video tutorials and it is so simple to. If I am not mistaken it start from one SIDE to other SIDE, and option to move around in single command too (?). IOW, you will only need to do it ONCE and it will match/fit the existing circle or oval shape.

On Oct 13, 2:58 pm, charles wrote:

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

It’s simple. Make your ellipical shape. Now go to the top menu and under select choose transform selection. You can drag the those "dancing ants" to the area you want and make that elliptical sahpe and size and shape – you can also rotate it to get the right position. Once the shape is correct just click enter. Hope this helps.

charles wrote:

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

Use Paths – look up the Youtube series "You Suck at Photoshop" (which is very funny as well as informative) and the entertaining fellow has one particular episode which shows this neatly. I am still pretty new to anything more than the basics, so best to watch the episode rather than have me give a bad synopsis of it.

On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:16:27 +1000, "Here’s Johnny" wrote:

charles wrote:

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

If you’re lazy like me, use rulers, guides, and cross hairs on top left guides, hold down shift and elliptical marquee set at STYLE: Normal. Drag down to the right until you have it at the right size.

Or reverse above with guides set to right and bottom of where you want the circle and drag up and to the left.

charles wrote:

I use the rectangular marquee tool all the time but I have a question on the Elliptical marquee tool. How do I resize it to correctly fit the area that I am trying to select? Right now I am starting above and to the left of the graphic and dragging out the tool in order to select an oval shaped graphic. That never seems to work and it is frustrating not knowing the correct way to do this. Thanks very much. Also, I am using Photoshop CS3.

Good suggestion from HJ re the youtube video.

Here’s another way. Place guides around your object, or through the center of your object. Turn on the "Snap To" option and the marquee tool will align itself with the guides.

—
Mike Russell – http://www.curvemeister.com