The Tribune

In Photoshop there are various ways and reasons for making a selection. You may want to remove something from a background and replace it with something else. Some of the selection tools found in Adobe Photoshop are better suited for certain tasks than others, such as the Photoshop Magic Wand Tool.

What Is the Magic Wand Tool?

When first opening up the program (in any version of the software), the handy little magic wand tool can be accessed from the toolbar window that appears on the screen. It can be used to highlight a portion of your image for transformation, or even used to remove the background of a product photo and transfer it on to a different image.

How it works

The Magic Wand is located near the top, and looks for pixels which are of the same colour and tone. This means it is great for selecting large, solid blocks of colour, when working on images where the difference between colors and tone is not as obvious. The Magic Wand Tool works by selecting an area of solid colour within an image. Once selection is made, the “magic” it creates offers multiple options for refining that selection.

How to Use the Magic Wand Tool

1. Open Photoshop and click on the “File” tab to browse for your image on the computer. Once you select the photo of your choosing, click OK.

2. Set the magic wand’s options in the options bar. It will give you four options: Tolerance, contiguous, anti-aliased and use all layers.

3. Nab the magic wand tool (the stick that appears to have a star on top of it), and highlight the section of the photo that you wish to correct. For example, if you have taken a group photo and want to select your friend’s red bag, simply select that bag with the magic wand.

4. You will want to zoom in on the highlighted area in order to enlarge it. You will notice that some areas in the photos are marked by a slow moving dotted line. You are able to click on these particular areas in order to add, or even subtract, them from your work. You can also select all the portions of ‘like contrast’ you want to be changed up while subtracting the ones you do not want.

5. Select the Image tab at the top of the screen, then “adjust”. Thereafter select the “colour balance” in order to shift the hue of the image to one of your liking.

The magic wand tool is considered one of the most difficult tools in Adobe Photoshop because it is misunderstood and often overlooked by users. However, once you have used the magic wand a few times you will become comfortable enough to just play with different settings. It is not an easy task to increase Photoshop IQ, but it is an extremely fun process to learn.

Magic Wand Tool is a go-to tool if you wish to display a product in various settings against different backgrounds, or removing it altogether so that your product stands alone. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories rather than regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

ABOUT COLUMNIST: Deidre M. Bastian is a professionally-trained graphic designer/marketing co-ordinator and certified life coach with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of The Bahamas, Nova Southeastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.