Selections and Compositing Flashcards

What is the function of the 'Grow' command under Select > Modify?

Answer: Adds to the selection all adjacent pixels that fall within the Magic Wand's current Tolerance setting

Grow extends the selection outward to include adjacent pixels that share similar colors, using the same Tolerance value set for the Magic Wand tool.

In a composite workflow, what is the primary advantage of using a Smart Object layer before applying transformations?

Answer: Smart Objects preserve original pixel data so transformations remain non-destructive and reversible

Smart Objects store original source data internally, so you can scale, rotate, and warp the layer repeatedly without accumulating pixel degradation.

When using Color Range to select a sky, which Fuzziness adjustment behavior is correct?

Answer: Higher Fuzziness selects a broader range of similar colors

Higher Fuzziness values expand the range of colors considered 'similar' to the sampled color, selecting more tonal variation around the target hue.

What does the 'Subtract from Selection' mode do when using the Rectangular Marquee tool over an existing elliptical selection?

Answer: Deselects any pixels where the new rectangular area overlaps the existing selection

Subtract mode removes the overlapping portion of the new marquee from the current selection, effectively cutting a rectangular hole in the ellipse.

Which panel in Photoshop lets you save a selection as a reusable alpha channel for later use?

Answer: Channels panel

Clicking 'Save selection as channel' at the bottom of the Channels panel (or using Select > Save Selection) stores the selection as a persistent grayscale alpha channel.

When compositing two images with different lighting angles, which Photoshop technique helps unify the perceived light direction?

Answer: Paint directional shadows and highlights on a new layer set to Overlay or Multiply mode

Painting custom shadows and highlights on a separate layer using Multiply (shadows) or Overlay (highlights) lets you manually re-light a composited subject to match the background's lighting.

The 'Intersect with Selection' mode creates a selection that contains only pixels that are part of _both_ the existing selection and the new selection. Which modifier key activates this mode?

Answer: Shift+Alt/Option

Holding Shift+Alt/Option while drawing activates Intersect mode, retaining only the overlapping region between the existing and new selection.