Drawing Selections with the Marquee Selection Tools in Photoshop
New to Photoshop selection tools? Start here! Learn how to draw selections using the Rectangular Marquee Tool and the Elliptical Marquee Tool, and how to combine basic selections into more complex shapes! Includes examples of how to use these selection tools with your images!
In this tutorial, I show you how to make selections in Photoshop using the two most basic and yet most useful selection tools, the Rectangular Marquee Tool and the Elliptical Marquee Tool. If you're new to Photoshop, these are the two selection tools you want to learn first.
Together they're known as Photoshop's geometric selection tools because they draw selection outlines in rectangular or elliptical shapes. And while they may seem basic, they're both incredibly useful, and you'll come back to them again and again.
Along with showing you how to draw simple selections with these tools, I’ll also show you how to create more complex selections by combining two or more selection outlines together. And we’ll look at a few examples of how you might use each tool in your Photoshop work.
Let's get started!
Which version of Photoshop do I need?
I'm using Photoshop 2022 but any recent version will work. Get the latest Photoshop version here.
Where to find the Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee Tools
The Rectangular Marquee Tool and the Elliptical Marquee Tool are found in the same spot in the toolbar, directly below the Move Tool. By default, the Rectangular Marquee Tool is visible.
But if you click and hold on its icon, you'll find the Elliptical Marquee Tool. There is also a Single Row Marquee Tool and Single Column Marquee Tool, but they select only a single row or a single column of pixels. Since they're not very useful, I won't be covering them here.
The Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee Tool keyboard shortcuts
Notice that both the Rectangular and the Elliptical Marquee Tool share the letter M as their keyboard shortcut. So if you have a different tool active, like the Move Tool, pressing M will select whichever marquee tool is visible in the toolbar.
To switch to the other tool, hold the Shift key on your keyboard and press M. And then to switch back to the previous marquee tool, press Shift+M again.
How to draw selections with the Rectangular Marquee Tool
The Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee Tools are very similar. In fact, the only difference is that one draws rectangular selection outlines and the other draws elliptical selection outlines. Other than that, they behave exactly the same.
So I'll start by showing you the basics of how a tool works. And for that, I'll keep things simple and use a plain white background to make the selection outlines easier to see. Then once we've covered the basics, I'll switch over to an image.
Selecting the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the toolbar
We’ll start with the Rectangular Marquee Tool. But you can also jump to the Elliptical Marquee Tool.
I'll select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the toolbar.
How to draw a rectangular selection outline
The Rectangular Marquee Tool is used for drawing rectangular or square selection outlines. If you click and drag with the tool, you'll draw a freeform rectangular selection. The outline is indicated by what's commonly called the marching ants
. Anything inside the outline is selected, and anything outside is not.
If you click and drag outside of an existing selection outline, you'll clear the selection and draw a new one.
And if you click and drag inside a selection, you'll move the outline around. You won't move the actual pixels inside the selection. just the outline itself. That's because we're dragging with a selection tool.
If we were to drag with the Move Tool inside the selection, we would move the actual pixels. I won't do that here, but we'll come back to that when we switch over to an image.
How to reposition the outline as you draw the selection
If you start drawing a selection and then hold the spacebar on your keyboard, you can drag to reposition the outline. Then release the spacebar to continue drawing.
How to remove a selection outline
To remove a selection outline when you’re done with it, go up to the Select menu in the Menu Bar and choose Deselect. Or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+D on a Windows PC or Command+D on a Mac. Or just click anywhere in the document with your selection tool to deselect it.
If you cleared the selection by mistake, you can bring it back by going up to the Edit menu and choosing Undo Deselect or by pressing Ctrl+Z on a PC or Command+Z on a Mac.
Drawing a rectangular selection outward from its center
Notice that every time we drag, we draw the selection outline from its corner. But you can also draw it outward from its center. After you start dragging, hold the Alt key on a PC or the Option key on a Mac and then continue dragging. When you're done, release your mouse button and then release the Alt or Option key.
How to draw a selection outline as a perfect square
To draw a selection as a perfect square, begin dragging with the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Then hold the Shift key on your keyboard and continue dragging. When you're done, release your mouse button and then release the Shift key.
Always remember to release your mouse button first and then whichever key you were holding down. If you release the key first, you'll lose the effect that the key was having. In this case, the square would revert back to a rectangle. So I’ll keep the Shift key down, then I'll release my mouse button, and then the Shift key.
Drawing a rectangular selection at a fixed size or ratio
By default, the Rectangular Marquee Tool draws selections freely at any size or aspect ratio. That's because in the Options Bar, the Style option is set to Normal. But we can also draw a selection at a fixed ratio or a fixed size.
Fixed Ratio
If you set the style to Fixed Ratio, enter the ratio you need into the Width and Height fields. A ratio of 1 to 1 will draw a perfect square. If I set the Width to 4 and the Height to 6, I'll draw a selection at a 4 x 6 ratio.
You can flip the orientation of the aspect ratio by clicking the swap icon between the Width and Height fields.
But you'll need to draw another selection outline for the change to take effect.
Fixed Size
If you set the style to Fixed Size, enter a value in pixels, inches or whichever measurement type you need into the Width and Height fields. I'll set the Width to 400 px. Then I'll press the Tab key on my keyboard to jump over to the Height, and I'll enter 300 px.
With your width and height entered, all you need to do is click in the document and release your mouse button to instantly draw a selection outline at that exact size. If you click and drag, you can reposition the outline. Then release your mouse button to accept it.
When you're done, remember to switch the Style option back to Normal or you'll be stuck at that size or aspect ratio the next time you draw a selection.
How to add, subtract or intersect a rectangular selection
So far, we’ve learned how to draw one selection outline at a time. But we can also combine selection outlines to create more complex selections.
Along the left of the Options Bar is a row of four icons. From left to right, we have New selection, Add to selection, Subtract from selection, and Intersect with selection. The first icon, New selection, is active by default which is why we draw a new selection each time we drag with the tool. But we can also add to the existing selection, or subtract an area from it. And we can even keep the selection only in the area where our new selection and the existing selection overlap.
But the problem with choosing one of these icons in the Options Bar is that they are sticky, meaning that they remain selected until you choose a different one. So a better way to access these options is by using their keyboard shortcuts.
The Add to selection keyboard shortcut
To add your next selection to the existing selection, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard. You'll see a plus sign in the lower right of your cursor. Then drag out a selection outline.
The new one is added to the previous selection.
The selection outlines don't need to overlap. You can add a completely different area to the selection by holding Shift and dragging. This way, you can have two or more parts of your image selected at once.
Then to clear all of the selections at once, press Ctrl+D on a Windows PC or Command+D on a Mac.
The Subtract from Selection keyboard shortcut
To subtract an area from the existing selection, press and hold the Alt key on a PC or the Option key on a Mac. A minus sign appears in the lower right of the cursor. Then drag around the area you want to subtract.
Release your mouse button and the area is subtracted. I'll undo it by pressing Ctrl+Z on a PC or Command+Z on a Mac.
The Intersect with Selection keyboard shortcut
Finally, to keep the selection only in the area where your next selection and the existing selection overlap or intersect, hold Shift+Alt on a PC or Shift+Option on a Mac. You'll see a small x in the lower right of your cursor. Then drag around part of your existing selection.
When you release your mouse button, you'll keep only the area where the two selection outlines overlapped.
The Feather option
There's one more option in the Options Bar we need to look at, which is Feather. Feather adds softness or blurring to your selection edges. So if I was to increase the Feather amount from 0 (the default) to 2 px, I would add a 2 px blur to the edge of the next selection I draw.
But the problem here is that you need to set the Feather amount before drawing the selection. Changing it afterwards has no effect. So if you don't know how much blurring you need, this option isn't very useful. Plus you need to reset it back to 0 each time, otherwise you'll keep adding the same amount of blur to all of your selections.
There are ways to add feathering after you draw the selection, and we’ll look at one of them when we switch over to the images, which we’ll do next. So in most cases, you'll want to leave the Feather value in the Options Bar set to 0.
Three ways to use the Rectangular Marquee Tool
That's the basics of how to draw selections with the Rectangular Marquee Tool in Photoshop. Now let's look at a few common ways to use it, including how to crop an image around your selection, how to copy your selection to a new layer, and how to convert your selection outline into a layer mask.
I’ll also show you how to resize your selection outline after you draw it using Photoshop’s Transform Selection command, and how to soften the edges using the Feather option in the Properties panel.
Cropping an image with the Rectangular Marquee Tool
We'll start with cropping the image. I'll switch over to my first image which I downloaded from Adobe Stock.
Since it’s rare to find something in an image that’s a perfect rectangle or square, the Rectangular Marquee Tool is more often used to select a general area. And one way to use it is as a quick and easy Crop Tool.
Of course, Photoshop does include a dedicated Crop Tool with more features. But if you just need something fast, the Rectangular Marquee Tool works great.
Step 1: Draw a rectangular selection outline
Just drag a selection outline around the area you want to keep. Hold the spacebar as you drag if you need to reposition it, and then release the spacebar to continue dragging.
Step 2: Go to Image > Crop
Go up to the Image menu and choose Crop.
Photoshop crops away everything outside your selection. You can then clear the selection by pressing Ctrl+D on a PC or Command+D on a Mac.
Resizing a selection outline with Transform Selection
Here's a great tip. If you drag out a selection outline and it's not exactly right, you don't need to start over and draw a new one. You can resize an existing selection outline using Photoshop's Transform Selection command.
Step 1: Go to Select > Transform Selection
With a selection outline active, go up to the Select menu and choose Transform Selection.
Step 2: Drag the handles to resize the outline
The Transform Selection command works like Photoshop's Free Transform command but with selection outlines instead of pixels.
Just drag any of the handles to resize the outline. By default, the aspect ratio is locked. So when we drag one of the handles, they all move together. To adjust one side at a time, hold the Shift key as you drag.
Then to accept it and close the Transform Selection command, click the checkmark in the Options Bar.
Copying a selection to a new layer
Next I'll show you how to copy your selection to its own layer, and we'll use it to create a simple picture-in-picture effect.
I'll switch over to my second image, also from Adobe Stock.
Step 1: Draw a rectangular selection outline
Start by dragging out a selection outline with the Rectangular Marquee Tool.
Dragging the selection with the Move Tool
Before we copy the selection to a new layer, I just want to show you the difference between dragging inside the selection outline with a selection tool and dragging with the Move Tool.
I'll select the Move Tool from the toolbar.
We know that if we drag inside the selection with a selection tool, we move the selection outline itself. But if we drag inside it with the Move Tool, we move the actual pixels.
Notice that not only have we cut a hole in the image by moving the selection, but Photoshop is filling the missing area with white. That’s because, in the Layers panel, we see that we’re working on the Background layer.
Since Background layers do not support transparency, Photoshop needs to fill that missing area with something. So it fills it with our current Background color. And by default, the Background color is white, as we see in the toolbar.
I'll undo moving the selection by going up to the Edit menu and choosing Undo Move. Or by pressing Ctrl+Z on a PC or Command+Z on a Mac.
Step 2: Choose the New Layer via Copy command
A better way to work is to copy the selection to its own layer by going up to the Layer menu, choosing New, and then Layer via Copy. Or by pressing one of Photoshop's most useful keyboard shortcuts, Ctrl+J on a PC or Command+J on a Mac.
It won’t look like anything has happened to the image except that our selection outline is gone. But in the Layers panel, we see that the selection was copied to a new layer above the Background layer.
If we turn off the Background layer by clicking its visibility icon:
We see just the area we selected, surrounded by transparency. This means that we can now do something with our selection without affecting the rest of the image below it. Or we can do something to the image without affecting the selection above it. Let's do both by creating a simple picture-in-picture effect.
Step 3: Select the Background layer
Start by converting the rest of the image to black and white. In the Layers panel, select the Background layer.
Step 4: Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer
Still in the Layers panel, click the New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon.
Then choose a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer from the list.
The adjustment layer appears between the original image on the Background layer and the layer that holds our selection. This means it will affect only the layer below it, not the layer above it.
Step 5: Lower the Saturation value
The options for the Hue/Saturation adjustment appear in the Properties panel. To remove the color from the image, drag the Saturation slider all the way to the left.
Since the adjustment layer is not affecting the layer above it, the area we selected remains in color while the rest of the image surrounding it has the color removed.
Step 6: Select the top layer
Complete the picture-in-picture effect by adding a white border around the selection.
In the Layers panel, click on the top layer to select it.
Step 7: Add a Stroke layer effect
Add a stroke by going up to the Layer menu, choosing Layer Style, and then Stroke.
In the Layer Style dialog box, click the color swatch and choose white from the Color Picker by setting the R, G and B values each to 255. Then set the Position to Inside, and choose a width for the border by dragging the Size slider.
Click OK to close the dialog box. And we now have our selection in color, a border around the selection, and everything surrounding it in black and white. All thanks to that initial selection we made with the Rectangular Marquee Tool.
Converting a selection outline into a layer mask
Before we move on to the Elliptical Marquee Tool, let's quickly look at how to turn our selection outline into a layer mask. And how we can then soften the edges of the mask using the Feather option in the Properties panel.
I'll switch over to my third image from Adobe Stock. Just like we did last time, we'll keep part of the image in color and convert the rest of it to black and white. But this time, we'll do things differently.
Step 1: Draw a rectangular selection outline
Start by dragging a rectangular selection outline around the area that should remain in color.
Step 2: Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer
But instead of copying the selection to its own layer, just add the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer by clicking the New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon in the Layers panel:
And choosing Hue/Saturation.
The selection outline is converted into a layer mask
The adjustment layer is added above the image. And notice that Photoshop used the selection outline to create a layer mask for the adjustment layer, which we can see in the layer mask thumbnail. The white part of the mask is the area that was inside the selection outline, and the black area is everything that was outside.
The way a layer mask works is that the white part is where the contents of the layer are visible in the document and the black part is where the contents are hidden. Since we’re using the mask with an adjustment layer, the mask controls which part of the image is being affected by the adjustment layer and which part is not.
If you think of the edges of the thumbnail as representing the edges of the image, the adjustment layer is affecting only that smaller white-filled area in the center.
Step 3: Lower the Saturation value
To remove the color, go up to the Properties panel and drag the Saturation slider all the way to the left.
But Photoshop removes the color from the area we selected, not the area around it.
Step 4: Invert the layer mask
To fix that, we need to invert the layer mask. In the Layers panel, make sure the layer mask thumbnail is selected.
Then in the Properties panel, click the Invert button.
After inverting the mask, which turned the white parts black and the black parts white, the adjustment layer is now affecting only the areas that were outside our initial selection, while the area in the center remains in color.
Step 5: Increase the Feather amount in the Properties panel
Finally, instead of adding another border like we did last time, this time we'll soften the edges to create a smooth transition between the color area in the center and the desaturated areas around it.
Since we converted the selection outline to a layer mask, we can simply blur the mask by going up to the Properties panel and dragging the Feather slider to the right.
After feathering the layer mask, the hard edges are replaced with smooth, gradual transitions. And that's our look at using the Rectangular Marquee Tool.
How to draw selections with the Elliptical Marquee Tool
Now let's switch from the Rectangular Marquee Tool to the Elliptical Marquee Tool so we can quickly cover the basics.
Selecting the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the toolbar
Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool from the toolbar. If the Rectangular Marquee Tool is visible, click and hold on its icon and then choose the Elliptical Marquee Tool from the list.
Drawing an elliptical selection outline
The Elliptical Marquee Tool works exactly the same as the Rectangular Marquee Tool. The only difference is that it draws elliptical selection outlines, not rectangles. If you click and drag with the tool, you'll draw a freeform elliptical selection.
Click and drag outside an existing selection outline to clear the selection and draw a new one. Or click and drag inside the outline with a selection tool to reposition the outline. To reposition the outline as you draw it, hold the spacebar on your keyboard, drag the outline into place, and then release the spacebar and continue dragging.
How to deselect a selection
To remove the selection outline when you're done, go up to the Select menu and choose Deselect. Or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+D on a PC or Command+D on a Mac. Or just click in the document with your selection tool.
Drawing an elliptical selection outline from its center
To draw an elliptical selection outline from its center, begin dragging, then hold the Alt key on a PC or the Option key on a Mac and continue dragging.
How to draw a selection as a perfect circle
To draw a selection outline as a perfect circle, begin dragging with the Elliptical Marquee Tool. Then hold the Shift key on your keyboard and continue dragging. Add the Alt key or the Option key on a Mac to draw the circle outward from its center. When you’re done, remember to release your mouse button first, then whichever key or keys you were holding down.
The Anti-alias option
In the Options Bar, we have the same options we had with the Rectangular Marquee Tool. The only new one is Anti-alias which adds a slight blur to the selection edges to keep them from looking too jagged. Anti-alias you should be left on.
How to add, subtract and intersect elliptical selections
On the left of the Options Bar are the same New selection, Add to selection, Subtract from selection and Intersect with selection options that we had with the Rectangular Marquee Tool. But again you should avoid using these icons and instead use their keyboard shortcuts.
To add your next selection outline to the existing selection outline, hold the Shift key on your keyboard and then drag.
Release your mouse button and the two selections are combined together.
To subtract the next selection from the existing selection, hold the Alt key on a PC or the Option key on a Mac and then drag around the area you want to subtract.
Release your mouse button and the area is subtracted.
And to keep only the area where the next selection and the existing selection intersect, hold Shift+Alt on a PC or Shift+Option on a Mac as you drag.
Release your mouse button and only the area where the two selection outlines overlapped remains selected.
The Style options
We have the same Style option for the Elliptical Marquee Tool that we had with the Rectangular Marquee Tool. With Style set to Normal, we can drag an elliptical selection outline at any size or aspect ratio. But we also have Fixed Ratio and Fixed Size.
If I choose Fixed Ratio and set the ratio to 2 to 1:
My selection outline will be twice as wide as it is tall.
And if I choose Fixed Size and I set the Width to 400 px and the Height to 300 px:
Then all I need to do is click in the document to draw an elliptical selection at that exact size. Or I can click and drag to reposition the outline before releasing my mouse button.
Again remember to set the Style option back to Normal when you’re done, otherwise you’ll keep drawing outlines at that fixed size or ratio.
The Feather option
Lastly, we have the same Feather option that we had with the Rectangular Marquee Tool, which blurs the selection edges. But unless you know the exact feather amount you need, it’s best to leave it at 0 here. You can adjust it afterwards using something like the Feather option in the Properties panel, which we’ll be looking at again with one of our images.
Three ways to use the Elliptical Marquee Tool
That's the basics of drawing selection outlines with the Elliptical Marquee Tool. So let's move on to the images and look at three common ways to use it.
I'll show you how to crop an image as an elliptical shape and why it's different from cropping with the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Then we'll look at how to draw two elliptical selection outlines at the same size. And finally, I'll show you how to create a classic vignette effect.
Cropping an image as an elliptical shape
We'll start with how to crop an image using the Elliptical Marquee Tool. Earlier we saw that we can use the Rectangular Marquee Tool as a quick way to crop an image. We can do the same thing with the Elliptical Marquee Tool. But instead of cropping as a rectangle or square, we can crop it as an elliptical shape or a circle.
I’ll use this image from Adobe Stock.
Step 1: Draw an elliptical selection outline
With the Elliptical Marquee Tool active, drag an elliptical selection outline around the area you want to keep. Hold the spacebar as you drag if you need to reposition the outline, and then release the spacebar to continue dragging.
Why cropping with the Elliptical Marquee Tool is different
But here's why cropping with the Elliptical Marquee Tool is different from using the Rectangular Marquee Tool. If we go up to the Image menu and choose Crop like we did with the Rectangular Marquee Tool:
Then even though our selection outline is elliptical, Photoshop still crops the image as a rectangle. It just uses the top, bottom, left and right of the elliptical outline as the boundaries for the rectangle.
Since that didn't work, I'll undo the crop by pressing Ctrl+Z on a PC or Command+Z on a Mac.
Step 2: Unlock the Background layer
When we crop an image as an elliptical shape, what we really want is to delete everything outside the selection and replace it with transparency.
So if your image is on the Background layer, click the lock icon to convert it to a normal layer. Background layers don’t support transparency, but normal layers do.
Step 3: Invert the selection
Then with your selection outline in place, go up to the Select menu and choose Inverse. This selects everything that was outside your selection and deselects everything that was inside.
Step 4: Press Backspace (Win) / Delete (Mac)
Press the Backspace key on a PC or the Delete key on a Mac, and Photoshop deletes everything around the area you initially selected.
Step 5: Remove the selection outline
Clear the selection outline by going up to the Select menu and choosing Deselect, or by pressing Ctrl+Z on a PC or Command+Z on a Mac.
Step 6: Trim away the extra space
Then to crop away all of the extra space, go up to the Image menu and instead of choosing Crop, choose Trim.
In the Trim dialog box, choose Transparent Pixels at the top. Make sure Top, Bottom, Left and Right are all selected, and then click OK.
And we're left with the transparency only in the corners.
To learn more about cropping an image in a circle, including how to save the file with the transparent background, check out my Crop Images in a Circle Shape tutorial.
Drawing two elliptical selections at the same size
I’ll switch over to a different image. And with this image, I'll show you how to draw a second selection outline at the same size as the first one.
Step 1: Draw a circular selection outline
I want to add a circle around each person's face. So I’ll start with the guy on the left. With the Elliptical Marquee Tool active, I’ll begin dragging an elliptical selection outline around him. Then to force the outline into a circle, I’ll hold the Shift key on my keyboard and continue dragging.
To reposition the outline so he's centered inside it, I’ll keep the Shift key down and add the spacebar as I drag.
Step 2: Use the HUD to check the outline's dimensions
But before I release my mouse button, notice that the Heads-Up Display is showing the width and height of my selection outline. They’re both 1500 pixels. I want my next selection outline to be the same size. So I’ll remember 1500 pixels and then I’ll release my mouse button, at which point the display disappears.
Step 3: Change the Style to Fixed Size and enter the dimensions
To draw my next selection at the same size, I’ll change the Style in the Options Bar from Normal to Fixed Size. Then I’ll set both the Width and the Height to that same 1500 pixels.
Step 4: Hold Shift and click to draw the selection outline
To add my next selection to the existing selection, I’ll hold the Shift key on my keyboard. Then I’ll click and hold to instantly draw my second selection outline at the same size as the first one.
With my mouse button still down, I’ll drag to reposition the outline so the woman's face is centered inside it. Then to complete it, I'll release my mouse button.
Step 5: Reset the Style back to Normal
Before I forget, I'll reset the Style back to Normal so I don't keep drawing selections at the same size.
Step 6: Copy the selections to a new layer
Now that both selections are in place, I'll copy them to a new layer above the image by pressing Ctrl+J on a PC or Command+J on a Mac.
And if I turn off the Background layer in the Layers panel by clicking its visibility icon:
We see just the areas I selected.
Step 7: Add a stroke around the selections
I'll quickly add a stroke around them by clicking on the top layer in the Layers panel to select it.
Another way to add a stroke is to click the fx icon at the bottom of the Layers panel:
And choose Stroke from the list.
In the Layer Style dialog box, my stroke color is already set to white from when we added one earlier. So with the Position still set to Inside, I'll lower the Size to around 30 pixels.
And since both selections are on the same layer, the stroke appears around both.
Step 8: Colorize the rest of the image
Just for fun, I'll quickly colorize the rest of the image. In the Layers panel, I'll select the Background layer:
Then I'll click the New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon:
And add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
The adjustment layer again appears between the Background layer and the top layer, which means it will affect the layer below it but not the layer above it.
In the Properties panel, I'll click the Colorize option. Then I'll choose a color by dragging the Hue slider. I'll go with blue by setting the value to 200.
This colorizes everything outside the circles.
And then to fade the color, I'll lower the Opacity of the adjustment layer to around 60 percent.
And here's the final result. Another effect made easy thanks to the Elliptical Marquee Tool.
Creating a classic vignette effect
Let’s finish up by looking at a classic use for the Elliptical Marquee Tool, which is to create a vignette effect.
I’ll switch over to my final image.
Step 1: Draw an elliptical selection outline
We want to make sure that the selection outline is centered in the image. So with the Elliptical Marquee Tool active, click in the top left corner of the image to start the selection and drag all the way down to the bottom right.
Step 2: Resize the selection outline with Transform Selection
Then to resize the selection outline, go up to the Select menu and choose Transform Selection.
Hold the Alt key on a PC or the Option key on a Mac to resize the selection outline from its center and drag one of the handles inward to make the outline a bit smaller, leaving room around the edges for the border.
Click the checkmark in the Options Bar to accept.
Step 3: Invert the selection
At the moment, we have the couple in the center selected. But what we need is to have everything around them selected, which means we need to invert the selection. So go up to the Select menu and choose Inverse.
Step 4: Add a Solid Color fill layer
Add a Solid Color fill layer above the image by going up to the Layer menu, choosing New Fill Layer and then Solid Color.
Accept the default layer name and click OK.
Step 5: Choose white as the fill color
By default, Photoshop uses black as the fill color. But it also opens the Color Picker so we can choose a different color.
Choose white in the Color Picker and then click OK.
Here's the result with the edges now filled with white.
Step 6: Select the layer mask thumbnail
In the Layers panel, the Solid Color fill layer was added above the image. And Photoshop used our selection outline to create a layer mask. The white area on the mask is where the fill layer is visible. The black area is where we can see the image through it.
Step 7: Drag the Feather slider to soften the edges
To soften the edges and create the final vignette effect, go to the Properties panel and drag the Feather slider to the desired amount.
And here, after softening the edges, is my final vignette effect.
And there we have it! Up next, we'll look at how to draw freeform selections in Photoshop using the Lasso Tools. Or check out my Photoshop Basics section for more topics. And don't forget, all of my tutorials are now available to download as PDFs!