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Select with the Magic Wand tool

The Magic Wand tool lets you select a consistently colored area (for example, a red flower) without having to trace its outline. You specify the color range, or tolerance, for the Magic Wand tool’s selection, based on similarity to the pixel you click.

You cannot use the Magic Wand tool on an image in Bitmap mode or on 32‑bits-per-channel images.
  1. Select the Magic Wand tool .
  2. Specify one of the selection options in the options bar. The Magic Wand tool’s pointer changes depending on which option is selected.
    Selection options

    A.
    New

    B.
    Add To

    C.
    Subtract From

    D.
    Intersect With

  3. In the options bar, specify any of the following:
    Tolerance
    Determines the similarity or difference of the pixels selected. Enter a value in pixels, ranging from 0 to 255. A low value selects the few colors very similar to the pixel you click. A higher value selects a broader range of colors.

    Anti-aliased
    Creates a smoother-edged selection.

    Contiguous
    Selects only adjacent areas using the same colors. Otherwise, all pixels in the entire image using the same colors are selected.

    Sample All Layers
    Selects colors using data from all the visible layers. Otherwise, the Magic Wand tool selects colors from the active layer only.

  4. In the image, click the color you want to select. If Contiguous is selected, all adjacent pixels within the tolerance range are selected. Otherwise, all pixels in the tolerance range are selected.
  5. (Optional) Click Refine Edge to further adjust the selection boundary or view the selection against different backgrounds or as a mask. See Refine selection edges.