The Lasso Tool is used to make freehand selections and has three modes; Lasso, Magnetic Lasso and Polygon. These are all accessed by pressing and holding down on the tool in the Tools Palette. Selections will be marked by square, grey nodes, making them easily distinguishable from the round nodes of Partial Images.
Note: Any tool which displays a disclosure triangle beside it means it has different modes.
- Lasso - is used for selecting areas of a design in a freehand way. Where ever you draw with the lasso, those areas will become selected, isolating them from the rest of the design. This means, when a selection is present, only the area inside that selection can be edited.
- Magnetic Lasso - like the Lasso Tool, this is a freehand selection tool, but incorporates edge detection capability, providing the user with a fast and proficient way of selecting motifs.
- Polygon - a great tool for selecting geometric shapes, and it is very easy to use. Simply click points to draw your selection.
Note: This article focuses on how to use the Lasso Tool. To learn how to use the other modes, please refer to the Related Articles listed at the bottom of this one.
Freehand
Select the Lasso Tool from the Tools Palette or press L on the keyboard to automatically select the tool. The following settings pane will open somewhere on your screen.
From the 3 modes across the top of this window, select the one on the left hand side. This puts the lasso in 'standard' mode and allows you to make selections freely.
Draw a shape with you mouse of Wacom™. If the ends of the shape do not join together they will automatically be joined with a straight line.
Once the selection is complete, release the cursor. A selection will be created and is shown by a moving dotted line. The extremities of the selection will be marked by grey nodes at each corner and side.
If you have a complicated selection to trace, ticking 'Continuous' will allow you to lift your hand/cursor as you draw the selection, without completing it. When Continuous mode is being used. You need to press ⮐ (return key) to complete the selection.
To deselect a lassoed area do one of the following
- Click away from the selection within the design
- Go to Edit Menu > Select > None
- Use the keyboard shortcut ⌘D
Note: The settings you apply in this window can be stored to a palette by dragging the handler icon from the settings window to a palette.
Straight lines
The Lasso Tool is not only a freehand selection tool, you can create straight lines with it by holding down ⌥ (option key) while clicking.- Tick 'Continuous' in the settings window.
- Make sure standard mode is selected.
- Trace your shape by clicking around the motif, as opposed to dragging your cursor around it. A straight line will be drawn between points. Hold down ⇧ (shift key) to constrain these lines to 45º and 90º.
Press ⮐ (return key) to complete the selection.
Note: Straight line selections are constrained by any grids you may have set in the grid settings.
Removing areas from a selection
Make your initial selection with your chosen selection tool. Hold down ⌘ (command key) and draw around the area you no longer want with the Lasso Tool and it will be removed from the selection. To make a hole in a selection, it is important to loop your lasso back to where you started otherwise you may not remove the correct area.
When you hold down ⌘ (command key), a '-' symbol appears on the cursor, indicating that the area will be removed from your current selection.
Alternatively, change the mode of the Lasso Tool by clicking on the button circled below. This removes the need to hold down ⌘ (command key) as you draw;
Adding to a selection
Any existing selection can be added to using the Lasso Tool. Simply hold down ⇧ (shift key) as you begin drawing with the lasso, and the existing selection will remain in place as you add to it. Alternatively, you can change the mode in the lassos settings window.
Press the + icon, and as you draw, the Lasso Tool will add to existing selections.
Shape tracking
Instead of selecting regular shapes, add character to your selections with the shape tracking effects. When you select the Lasso Tool from the Tools Palette, the settings window automatically opens, providing you with 6 exciting shapes to apply to your selections.
Each setting can be further adjusted using the amplitude and spacing settings, which increase and decrease the height and frequency of the shape being selected.
- Line - effectively switches off the shape tracking
- Sine - from the word sinusoidal means random and sinew like. This setting enables you to make selections with rough edges, which can be effective when selecting motifs, especially when combined with feathered selections.
- Square - gives a squared appearance to the edge of the selection. This option is better suited to the paintbrush and free drawn shapes.
- Triangle - gives a triangular appearance to the edge of the selection. This option is better suited to the paintbrush and free drawn shapes.
- Spring - creates a spring-like affect selection. This option is better suited to the paintbrush and free drawn shapes.
- Random - creates a random shaped edge to your selection. This effect is better used with the Brush Tool.
Note: Each of these effects can be changed by adjusting the amplitude and spacing. Why not experiment a little! You can also further enhance the selections by adding a feather.
Click here to see the effect these settings have on the Brush Tool.
Continuous
'Continuous' enables you to draw an unbroken line with the lasso using multiple strokes of the cursor. This is great for tracing complex shapes, as it allows other tools such as the Hand Tool to be used for scrolling the design around as you draw the selection.
Once the selection is complete, press ⮐ (return) to finish the line.
Adding a selection to the Brushes
Selections can be automatically added to the Brushes Window. Simply activate one of the select tools (Rectangular Selection Tool, Lasso Tool or the Magic Wand Tool) and create your selection, then click ^ (control key) and choose Add to Brushes.
