Which Auto-Selection Tool Is the Best in Photoshop?

It doesn't seem all that long ago that the magic wand tool in Photoshop was pretty much as advanced as selection tools got. These days, however, there are several different ways to make selections in your images. Question is, which of these tools actually does the best job?

This week, photographer and educator Matt Kloskowski is back once again with a comprehensive look at the various auto-selection tools Photoshop now has to offer. In his video, Kloskowski compares the new object selection tool, the Select Subject option, and the Remove Background feature to help illustrate the differences between each of them. What I like about this particular video is how an array of different types of images are used to test the power of each feature. Everything from portrait, nature, and still life are included in the test, and both the successes and shortcomings of each can be easily seen. It was surprising to see how these auto tools can still struggle with even the most basic of images at times.

I think many of us photographers can be guilty of using the same few Photoshop tools we always have used over the years. For things like auto-selection, there is a big difference between the tools available. With the help of a video like this, you may just realize that for your type of photography, there is actually something better suited for your needs. 

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Paul Parker is a commercial and fine art photographer. On the rare occasion he's not doing photography he loves being outdoors, people watching, and writing awkward "About Me" statements on websites...

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2 Comments

I so enjoy Matt’s style of teaching and presentation. I starting following Matt when he was with Kelby

the newer version on similar tones is worse than previous versions, really needed is the ability to make adjustments to the edge selection in a better way. If you can use several luminosity masks to remove shadows on a tar street Adobe can figure out how to attack tone on tone with a two or three phase tool.