The Polygonal Lasso Tool is a selection tool used to create selections with straight edges. It is especially useful for selecting objects that have angular, geometric, or relatively straight boundaries.
The Polygonal Lasso Tool is a selection tool in Photoshop.
Unlike the normal Lasso Tool, which creates freehand selections, the Polygonal Lasso Tool creates selections using straight line segments.
The Polygonal Lasso Tool is located inside the Lasso Tool group in the Photoshop Toolbar.
Its icon can be accessed by clicking and holding the Lasso Tool group and selecting Polygonal Lasso Tool.
The keyboard shortcut for the Lasso Tool group is commonly L.
Pressing L selects the current tool in the Lasso group. You can cycle through tools in the group when needed.
The Polygonal Lasso Tool works by creating anchor points around the object.
Photoshop automatically connects each point with a straight line.
By placing points carefully, you can create a selection that follows the edges of an object.
The main feature of the Polygonal Lasso Tool is its straight selection lines.
Every click creates a new point, and Photoshop connects the points with straight segments.
The Polygonal Lasso Tool works particularly well for objects with straight or angular edges.
Geometric objects often have clearly defined edges.
The Polygonal Lasso Tool can quickly follow these edges by placing points at each corner.
After placing points around an object, the selection must be closed.
Move the pointer back to the starting point and click when the closing indicator appears.
Photoshop then creates the complete selection.
Once the selection is completed, Photoshop displays a moving dashed outline around the selected area.
This is commonly called the marching ants selection outline.
Zooming in can make it easier to create an accurate selection.
When working with detailed edges, increase the zoom level and place points carefully along the object's boundary.
When working on a highly zoomed document, you may need to move around the image.
Holding the Spacebar can temporarily activate the Hand Tool so you can pan the document.
The Polygonal Lasso Tool can be used to add another area to an existing selection.
Use the Add to Selection mode or hold Shift while creating the additional selection.
You can remove part of an existing selection using Subtract from Selection.
On Windows, holding Alt while making the selection can be used to subtract an area.
The Intersect with Selection mode keeps only the area where the new selection overlaps the existing selection.
This can help create more precise selections from multiple selection operations.
Feathering creates a soft transition around the edge of a selection.
It can be useful when the selected object needs to blend more smoothly into another image or background.
The Feather value determines how wide the soft transition around the selection edge will be.
A larger feather value produces a softer transition, while a smaller value produces a sharper edge.
After creating a Polygonal Lasso selection, you can copy the selected content.
The pasted content can then be repositioned using the Move Tool.
A selected area can be deleted from an editable raster layer.
Pressing the Delete key can remove the selected pixels.
The Polygonal Lasso Tool can be useful for selecting simple backgrounds that have straight or angular boundaries.
For complex backgrounds, other selection techniques may be more suitable.
| Polygonal Lasso | Lasso Tool |
|---|---|
| Uses straight line segments | Uses freehand drawing |
| Good for angular edges | Good for irregular freehand shapes |
| Click to create points | Click and drag to draw |
| Polygonal Lasso | Marquee Tool |
|---|---|
| Creates custom polygonal selections | Creates geometric selections |
| Useful for angular objects | Useful for rectangular or elliptical areas |
| Uses multiple points | Uses a simple drag operation |
Buildings often contain straight edges and corners.
You can place points at the corners of a building to create a polygonal selection around it.
Product images with straight or angular edges can sometimes be selected efficiently using the Polygonal Lasso Tool.
Carefully place points around the product boundary for a more accurate result.
Beginners commonly make these mistakes:
Try this exercise:
Suppose you have a photograph of a book on a table and want to select the book.
The Polygonal Lasso Tool creates selections using straight line segments. It is especially useful for objects with angular or straight edges.
By placing points carefully around an object, you can create precise polygonal selections and then copy, delete, move, or edit the selected content.
In the next lesson, we will learn about the Magnetic Lasso Tool.
Question: Which type of selection does the Polygonal Lasso Tool create?