Photoshop - Moving Selections

Typically when we begin making selections we want to modify our existing image, ‘clean it up’ a bit, or provide a different backdrop. A new world of possibility opens up when we begin using the selections themselves for new material and creative ways to expand on our source image.

The first step and lesson begins the understanding that once you make a selection, you can address it and ‘dress it’ on another layer. This is a lot. You might want to duplicate an image. You might want to duplicate an image but show some inverse contrast to its colors. You can even create patterns on others layers beginning with the source image and the selection you choose.

What if you have two images you want to blend by having part of the backdrop show through the ‘top’ image? I have a lovely rainbow and a glowing full moon. I want the moon in the backdrop to show through the top image blending with it. It is easy to create selections and move them, move the content inside the selection. The most important reminders are paying attention to what layer you have selected, and also the little icon indicating what mode your selection is in.

In my case, I am going to create a selection that will allow the moon to shine through. To be sure I choose the right area, I will first turn off the visibility of the top layer, my rainbow. Now I will create a selection of my moonbeam. When I make this selection, I see the selection icon showing the little dots indicating my selection mode. In this mode I can move the selection boundary fine tuning on what will be selected. However, with this selection active, if I choose the move tool from the toolbar and hover back over my selection, I see instead little scissors indicating I will move the selection contents, not the boundary.

This is a good exercise because little details like this and the messages Photoshop is providing, in this case the selection mode, make all the difference in a quick simple modification versus wondering why its not working at all. You can move your selection boundary with your keyboard arrows too.

Once you feel like you have the portion you want to show through, turn your top layer back on and choose this top layer with your mouse. Now choose the move tool and move the contents away! You have created a little window allowing the backdrop, the image behind, to show through blending their images together.

You can have a lot of fun with this exercise. You could even import into After Effects and animate this view opening up. Remember that to ‘unselect’ your selection simply enter ‘Ctrl D’ from the keyboard and to ‘move backwards’ on the steps you’ve committed, enter ‘Alt-Ctrl Z’ or choose the editing direction options from the Edit command in the top toolbar.

In my experience, I rarely create the exact image I want on the first try but keeping these simple ‘visual reminders’ in mind, being sure about my active layer choice, and backing up and fine tuning make this a fun and easy exercise.