Magnetic Lasso tool is defective for me

DD
Posted By
David_Deckert
May 18, 2005
Views
596
Replies
8
Status
Closed
Using OS 10.4.1.

First time I used PSE3, the whole app became unresponsive while using it. Had to force quit.

Using it to select something (like most of an image) makes my G5’s fans increase a little bit — this is a CPU-heavy endeavor??

And my favorite — when done selecting, it won’t allow me to stop using it in that way. Just moving the mouse or stylus around (not dragging) acts as if I was still dragging, so a new portion of the image begins getting selected and it takes several clicks to (if I’m lucky) select another tool or close the doc. Madness. Never had this problem with version PSE2.
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BG
Byron Gale
May 18, 2005
David,

I don’t know about CPU-intensity with the Magnetic Lasso (M1.4Ghz P4 WinXPpro doesn’t flinch), but the tool required you to somehow "close the loop" to signify that your selection is complete.

You do this by either tracing your way back to your point of origin, and then clicking on it, or by double-clicking whereever you are, which draws a bee-line to the point of origin, and closes your selection.

I’m a bit puzzled that you are dragging with the Mag. Lasso, at all… You should simply click once to begin the selection, then let off the mouse button, and trace your selection outline. The tool will automatically let out the selection marquee, with anchors spaced appropriately. The only need you should have to click is to manually set an anchor point, or to close the selection.

HTH,

Byron
KL
Kenneth_Liffmann
May 18, 2005
David,
I use the magnetic lasso just as outlined by Byron. There are several settings at the top, and I have mine set at Feather=2px, Width=3px, Edge Contrast 4%, Frequency=57. You may wish to change these if indicated. In dragging the cursor to make the loop, you can go back if you make a mistake or wish to make an adjustment by hitting the delete key on the keyboard; that will allow you to go back one anchor point with each click. When I get near an edge of the picture frame with the loop, I do not go to the very edge in order to avoid the thing taking off on its own. If you do get this perverted selection, just go to Select>deselect to get rid of it and start again. I agree that this tool is a bit tricky to use, but it has its place among the selection tools.
Hope that this helps.
Ken
DD
David_Deckert
May 18, 2005
Thanks, I’m an idiot. It’d been awhile since I’d used it, but the app’s odd performance hang up was clouding the issue. I briefly went to PDE2 and when I came back to PSE3 that must have shamed it into responding correctly. Now everything’s executing like buttah.
GS
George_Stilley
May 26, 2005
After I finally got a selection made with magnetic lasso tool in PSE2, I couldnt crop it. No instructions in magnetic lasso help. Had a slow time on closing it too.
BG
Byron Gale
May 27, 2005
wrote
After I finally got a selection made with magnetic lasso tool in PSE2, I
couldnt crop it. No instructions in magnetic lasso help. Had a slow time on closing it too.

George,

After making your selection, click on the menu Image > Crop. This will contract your image dimensions to the height and width of the selection..

I don’t understand your other comment, about a slow time closing it – could you add more?

Byron
GS
George_Stilley
May 27, 2005
Back to Byron.

When I use image > crop I get a rectangular crop,bracketing the irregular path, not the irreggular image I selected.

From other Q about copy & paste, that works but you have to prepare a place to paste & the sizing has to match.

I just dint understand rules for closing, so cursor followed me up to th emenu,etc
BG
Byron Gale
May 27, 2005
wrote
When I use image > crop I get a rectangular crop,bracketing the irregular
path, not the irreggular image I selected.

George,

Yes. What you describe is exactly what should happen. Digital images are rectangular.

The way to obtain the APPEARANCE that an image is irregular is to delete the image outside your selection, so that it is transparent, and then store your image in a format which supports transparency — like PSD or GIF. JPG does NOT support transparency.

Byron
KS
Karin_Sue
May 27, 2005
"From other Q about copy & paste, that works but you have to prepare a place to paste & the sizing has to match."

After you have made your selection, copy, then go to FILE>NEW FROM CLIPBOARD and you will have your selection in a new document that just fits it.

This in in PE2, but I can’t imagine they wouldn’t keep it in 3.

Kari

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