Castle Lesson

Learning Photoshop Elements

Step-by-Step
Lesson One
Selection Tools

• Overview
Before students get started using Elements in integrated projects, they must
first master the Elements toolbar.
This lesson will concentrate on learning some of the most basic tools on the
Elements toolbar, the “selection” tools.
Creating a simple object like a castle is a good way to start.

• Instructions
1. Open Photoshop Element and set up a canvas as below:

2. We will be using these selection tools in this lesson:

Both these When you hold the
tools are top button down
“selection” on the left side,
you can access
tools. both the
Rectangular
Marquee Tool and
the Elliptical

Marquee Tools.

When you hold
down the button
here you have
three section tool
choices: the Lasso
Tool, and
Polygonal Lasso
Tool and the
Magnetic Lasso

Tool.

3. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and draw a box:

You will notice Note the menu
that the selection is on your options
bordered by bar has now
moving dashes, changed to
sometime known reflect the
as “marching options you have
ants”. These “ants” when you use the
designate which Rectangular
pixels on the Marquee tool.
canvas that you We will be
working with the
have selected. “add to” and
subtract from”
buttons on this

bar.

4. On the “Options” bar, select “add to selection” and draw another
rectangle.

5. Now connect the two rectangles at the bottom.
Notice how all
the selections
you have made
have “blended”
together to
make one big
selection.

6. Add towers to your castle using the same Rectangular Marquee tool
and the “add to selection” option.

Any time you
make a
mistake, or
want to try
something over
again for a new
result, simple
click on
edit>undo, or
step backward
as far as you
wish to go.

7. Make poles and flags on top of your castle. Poles are made with the
same Rectangular Marquee tool but triangular flags need the
Polygonal Lasso Tool located on the next button down.

Remember to check When using the
and make sure the Polygonal Lasso
“add to selection” Tool, click the
option is still active mouse each time you
want to draw in
before you make flags another direction. It
is best to start and
end your selection
near the same place
on the canvas. If you
find the “sticks” to
your mouse like a
spider web, simply
double click your
mouse, and it will

release!

8. Now we will add some windows by “punching some holes” in the
selection. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool once again but this
time use the “subtract from selection” when you make windows.

If you picture
“disappears”, or
your windows
don’t show up just
select edit>undo
and check your
selection buttons,
chances are the
“add to selection”
or “subtract from
selections tools are
wrong.

9. Using the same tools and options select a door.

10. Now let’s add a tree. For this step you will need to use the Lasso
Tool.

Making a tree trunk
can be challenging,
make sure you have
the “add to
selection” option
active and just add
branches to your
truck.

11. Add “leaves” to your tree using the same tools.

12. Your selections are finished. Now it is time to color the selected
areas. Select edit>fill.

From the “Fill”
box window,
select an option
from the drop
down menu.

13. In this example, we will fill the selection with the foreground color,
which is black.

Foreground
Background

14. To stop the “marching ants” select, Select>Deselect.

15. Your castle is finished, practice making other pictures using the
selection tools. Here is another example to get you started: