Mini Lesson #2: Manipulating Selections

Key Vocabulary: manipulate, scale, rotate,

Objective: Students will be able to move, copy, delete, rotate and scale a selection.

Once you have selected a specific area of your image you can manipulate that selection in a variety of ways.

Move a Selection: You can place elements of your image either in the background or in layers.

Step 1 : Click the background layer in the layers palette.

Step 2: Make a selection with a selection tool.

Step 3: Click the Move Tool.

Step 4: Click inside the selection and drag

Note: Photoshop fills the original location of the object with the current background color.

Move a selected object in a layer

Step 1: Click a nonbackground layer in the layers palette

Step 2: Make a selection with a selection tool.

Step 3: Click the Move Tool.

Step 4: Click inside the selection and drag. Photoshop moves the selection in the layer. Photoshop fills the original location of the object with transparent pixels.

Tips: How do I move a selection in a straight line?

Press and hold SHIFT while you drag with the Move Tool. Doing this will constrain the movement of your object horizontally, vertically, or diagonally --- depending on the direction you drag.

Copy and Paste a Selection: You can copy a selection and make a duplicate of it somewhere else in the image.

Step 1: Make a selection with a selection tool.

Step 2: Click the Move Tool.

Step 3: Press OPTION while you click and drag the object.

Step 4: Release the mouse button to drop the selection.

Note: Photoshop creates a duplicate of the object, which appears in the new location.

OR

Step 1: Make a selection using a selection tool.

Step 2: Click EDIT.

Step 3: Click COPY.

Step 4: Using a selection tool, select where you want to paste the copied element.

Step 5: Click EDIT

Step 6: Click PASTE

Note: Photoshop pastes the copy into a new layer, which you can now move independently of the original image.