Graphic designers have access to a myriad of tools. But which graphics tool is used to make a selection? We’ll discuss that here.
Graphic designers are super creative, thanks to the myriad of tools they have access to. But then, having plenty of tools at one’s disposal isn’t what counts. What counts is to know how to use each tool.
We discussed the various graphics tools you can use to make selections and other must-know tools you need as a graphic designer. Read to get more details.
Which Graphics Tool Is Used To Make A Selection?
You can use various tools to make a selection. Examples include Magic Wand, Basic Marquee, and Lasso Tools.
Let’s go into detail to discuss what these tools entail.
Magic Wand:
You can use the magic wand to select objects against a solid color background. This tool can select pixels of the same color in an adjacent area.
Another unique thing about this tool is the fact that you can adjust the tolerance level to figure out how similar colors should be.
What does a low tolerance mean? It implies that pixels should be almost the same color. There’s also a higher tolerance, which enables more variations.
Basic Marquee:
Here is another powerful selection tool. Basic Marquee offers numerous choices when making a selection. With this tool, you can select the option to pick a square or oval shape. However, there are other options. You can choose different shapes.
This tool is also a breeze to use. Just click and have the marquee dragged around the area you’re seeking to select.
You can draw a perfect square or circle with some of the graphic design programs available. These programs are also a breeze to use. How do you draw these shapes? Just hold the shift key when dragging.
Here is another keyboard shortcut you should know. Hold the space bar down while dragging to reposition the marquee’s location.
The “marching ants” will help identify the selected area as they surround it. This tool also allows you to manipulate your selection in diverse ways after making the selection. Here is what it does.
- Adding fills by utilizing the paint bucket tool.
- Copy and paste selection
Another way the basic marquee tool allows you to manipulate your selection is by applying effects and filters to a specific selected area.
Lasso Tools:
You’ll like several things about the Lasso tool. But first and foremost, let’s recognize that it’s another graphic tool used for making selections.
What is special about this tool? It gives you more refined control over your selection area than mere basic oval, including the square marquee shapes.
You can draw the freehand selection line with the tool. All you have to do is click down and drag.
A Handy Tip: You’ll find lasso tools on a wide range of graphic design programs. These tools are useful for making selections.
For instance, you can make your selections with the polygon lasso tool. Just click on the individual points that connect for the creation of a selection line.
Top 6 Tools For Graphics And Web Designers
If you are a graphics or web designer, you must have familiarized yourself with some of the incredible tools needed for the job. Numerous tools required for the job exist. In this section, we’ll discuss what makes each tool unique.
1: Adobe Photoshop
It is impossible to be a graphics designer and not know about Photoshop. It is similar to wanting to drive a car without learning how to drive one.
Most graphics designers started with Adobe Photoshop. The tools’ numerous features seduced many individuals to dive into graphics design.
Photoshop is one of the most widely used graphic design programs available. It is used for image manipulation and editing.
Here are some of its features:
- Mask
- Layers
- Filters
- Readjustment tools
You can create illustrations and even complex graphics using Photoshop. It is also helpful for touch-up photos.
You can achieve any of your creative visions with Adobe Photoshop. Another thing I like about this tool is its intuitive interface.
However, you have to learn and understand the tool’s numerous features. This way, you can create outstanding designs.
2: Affinity Designer:
If you’re searching for a vector graphics editor, you have found one. This tool boasts similar features to Adobe Illustrator, which we’ll discuss shortly.
One fascinating feature of this vector graphics editor is its live corners. This enables you to round various shapes’ corners while drawing them.
Another feature you’ll appreciate in Affinity Designer is its node tool. It allows you to edit your shapes’ Bezier curves with ease.
The Affinity Designer has a comprehensive list of creative design tools, allowing you to express your creativity to the highest level. It also has a symbol panel, one of the features I like.
The symbol panel helps you to save and reuse elements whenever you want. This enables you to save time and allow your creative juice to flow. You don’t have to start from scratch when you revisit your design projects.
Is the Affinity Designer as feature-rich as Adobe Illustrator? No. Illustrator has more features, and it’s one of the best. The fact that we discussed Affinity Designer before Illustrator doesn’t mean Affinity is more powerful.
Affinity is good for vector graphics editing. Another thing that users appreciate about this tool is its price point. It is cheaper than Illustrator.
3: Adobe Illustrator:
Adobe has always been the leading brand in creative software. The Adobe Creative Cloud app boasts many creative tools graphics and web designers can leverage to create masterpieces.
Illustrator is a vector graphics editing tool. You can use it to create illustrations, logos, and infographics, including any graphical work where creating precise lines and shapes is essential.
Illustrator boasts a wide range of features. It can create a complex blending of colors and gradients. It also boasts live trace tools that convert raster images into a vector without compromising quality.
Many professionals consider Adobe Illustrator the industry standard for vector graphics, and they are right to claim such. This tool is powerful and does great when used for vector graphics editing.
4: Canva:
Discussing graphics design tools without giving Canva its well-deserved accolades won’t make sense. Firstly, it’s user-friendly and lets you design online with ease.
Canva makes creating simple graphics a breeze. Use it to create simple designs like flyers, invitation cards, and social media posts.
This tool boasts easy-to-learn and uses editing tools. I can remember when I first used Canva. I didn’t need anybody to reach me. However, you can learn how to deploy the various features in Canva to create outstanding designs.
Canva doesn’t only contain numerous built-in templates. It allows graphic designers to collaborate. You can share your work with other editors in real time and work together with like minds.
Is Canva free? Yes, it is. However, you can pay a fee to access advanced features. This gives you access to custom fonts, unlimited storage, and more features.
5: GIMP:
Here is another image editor many have fallen in love with. What makes GIMP special is that it is open source. This means access is free, and you can customize it to your liking.
GIMP also has capabilities like Adobe Photoshop. It gives you access to numerous features such as:
- Filters
- Masks
- Layers
- Color adjustments
These are just some tools. GIMP is well-loaded and widely used. But make no mistake; it doesn’t have the range of features Adobe Photoshop has.
But the truth is, you might not use all the tools on Adobe Photoshop. Now this is where the GIMP comes in. The GIMP is suitable for people who don’t want Adobe Photoshop because they don’t need most of the features it offers.
6: Inkscape:
Like Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape is a vector graphic editor. But one thing that differentiates it from Illustrator is the fact that it is free.
You can use Inkscape to create high-quality vector graphics you can easily manipulate and edit. Live path effects are one of the highlighted features of this tool. What does it do? It allows you to apply various changes to vector graphics without altering the original file or making any permanent changes.
Inkscape is improving day by day, thanks to the fact that it’s open source. Anyone can contribute to it.
Conclusion
Which graphics tool is used to make a selection? You can make your selection with various graphic tools. These include Magic Wand, Basic Marquee, including Lasso tools.
These tools are highly technical. Thus, you need to learn and master their features. Furthermore, we discussed several graphic and web design tools you can use as a professional.
