 Move And Selection Tools

o
o Move Tool * ( V )
o The Move Tool is used to move layers, selections and guides within a Photoshop document.
Enable "Auto-Select" to automatically select the layer or group you click on.

o
o Artboard Tool ( V )
o The Artboard Tool (new in Photoshop CC) allows you to easily design multiple web or UX (user
experience) layouts for different devices or screen sizes.

o
o Rectangular Marquee Tool * ( M )
o The Rectangular Marquee Tool draws rectangular selection outlines. Press and hold Shift as you
drag to draw a square selection.

o
o Elliptical Marquee Tool ( M )
o The Elliptical Marquee Tool draws elliptical selection outlines. Press and hold Shift to draw a
selection in a perfect circle.

o
o Single Row Marquee Tool
o The Single Row Marquee Tool in Photoshop selects a single row of pixels in the image from left
to right.

o
o Single Column Marquee Tool
o Use the Single Column Marquee Tool to select a single column of pixels from top to bottom.

o
o Lasso Tool * ( L )
o With the Lasso Tool, you can draw a freeform selection outline around an object.

o
o Polygonal Lasso Tool ( L )
o Click around an object with the Polygonal Lasso Tool to surround it with a polygonal, straight-
edged selection outline.

o
o Magnetic Lasso Tool ( L )
o The Magnetic Lasso Tool snaps the selection outline to the edges of the object as you move your
mouse cursor around it.

o
o Quick Selection Tool * ( W )
o The Quick Selection Tool lets you easily select an object simply by painting over it with a brush.
Enable "Auto-Enhance" in the Options Bar for better quality selections.

o
o Magic Wand Tool ( W )
o Photoshop's Magic Wand Tool selects areas of similar color with a single click. The "Tolerance"
value in the Options Bar sets the range of colors that will be selected.
 Crop And Slice Tools

o
o Crop Tool * ( C )
o Use the Crop Tool in Photoshop to crop an image and remove unwanted areas. Uncheck "Delete
Cropped Pixels" in the Options Bar to crop an image non-destructively.

o
o Perspective Crop Tool ( C )
o Use the Perspective Crop Tool to both crop an image and fix common distortion or perspective
problems.

o
o Slice Tool ( C )
o The Slice Tool divides an image or layout into smaller sections (slices) which can be exported and
optimized separately.

o
o Slice Select Tool ( C )
o Use the Slice Select Tool to select individual slices created with the Slice Tool.

 Measurement Tools

o
o Eyedropper Tool * ( I )
o Photoshop's Eyedropper Tool samples colors in an image. Increase "Sample Size" in the Options
Bar for a better representation of the sampled area's color.

o
o 3D Material Eyedropper Tool ( I )
o Use the 3D Material Eyedropper Tool to sample material from a 3D model in Photoshop.

o
o Color Sampler Tool ( I )
o The Color Sampler Tool displays color values for the selected (sampled) area in an image. Up to
four areas can be sampled at a time. View the color information in Photoshop's Info panel.

o
o Ruler Tool ( I )
o The Ruler Tool measures distances, locations and angles. Great for positioning images and
elements exactly where you want them.

o
o Note Tool ( I )
o The Note Tool allows you to attach text-based notes to your Photoshop document, either for
yourself or for others working on the same project. Notes are saved as part of the .PSD file.

o
o Count Tool ( I )
o Use the Count Tool to manually count the number of objects in an image, or to have Photoshop
automatically count multiple selected areas in the image.
 Retouching And Painting Tools

o
o Spot Healing Brush Tool * ( J )
o The Spot Healing Brush in Photoshop quickly removes blemishes and other minor problem areas
in an image. Use a brush size slightly larger than the blemish for best results.
o
o Healing Brush Tool ( J )
o The Healing Brush lets you repair larger problem areas in an image by painting over them. Hold
Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) and click to sample good texture, then paint over the problem area to repair it.

o
o Patch Tool ( J )
o With the Patch Tool, draw a freeform selection outline around a problem area. Then repair it by
dragging the selection outline over an area of good texture.

o
o Content-Aware Move Tool ( J )
o Use the Content-Aware Move Tool to select and move part of an image to a different area.
Photoshop automatically fills in the hole in the original spot using elements from the surrounding areas.

o
o Red Eye Tool ( J )
o The Red Eye Tool removes common red eye problems in a photo resulting from camera flash.

o
o Brush Tool * ( B )
o The Brush Tool is Photoshop's primary painting tool. Use it to paint brush strokes on a layer or on
a layer mask.

o
o Pencil Tool ( B )
o The Pencil Tool is another of Photoshop's painting tools. But while the Brush Tool can paint soft-
edge brush strokes, the Pencil Tool always paints with hard edges.

o
o Color Replacement Tool ( B )
o Use the Color Replacement Tool in Photoshop to easily replace the color of an object with a
different color.

o
o Mixer Brush Tool ( B )
o Unlike the standard Brush Tool, the Mixer Brush in Photoshop can simulate elements of real
painting such as mixing and combining colors, and paint wetness.

o
o Clone Stamp Tool * ( S )
o The Clone Stamp Tool is the most basic of Photoshop's retouching tools. It samples pixels from
one area of the image and paints them over pixels in another area.

o
o Pattern Stamp Tool ( S )
o Use the Pattern Stamp Tool to paint a pattern over the image.

o
o History Brush Tool * ( Y )
o The History Brush Tool paints a snapshot from an earlier step (history state) into the current
version of the image. Choose the previous state from the History panel.

o
o Art History Brush Tool ( Y )
o The Art History Brush also paints a snapshot from an earlier history state into the image, but does
so using stylized brush strokes.

o
o Eraser Tool * ( E )
o The Eraser Tool in Photoshop permanently erases pixels on a layer. It can also be used to paint in
a previous history state.

o
o Background Eraser Tool ( E )
o The Background Eraser Tool erases areas of similar color in an image by painting over them.

o
o Magic Eraser Tool ( E )
o The Magic Eraser Tool is similar to the Magic Wand Tool in that it selects areas of similar color
with a single click. But the Magic Eraser Tool then permanently deletes those areas.

o
o Gradient Tool * ( G )
o Photoshop's Gradient Tool draws gradual blends between multiple colors. The Gradient Editor lets
you create and customize your own gradients.

o
o Paint Bucket Tool ( G )
o The Paint Bucket Tool fills an area of similar color with your Foreground color or a pattern. The
"Tolerance" value determines the range of colors that will be affected around the area where you clicked.

o
o 3D Material Drop Tool ( G )
o Used in 3D modeling, the 3D Material Drop Tool lets you sample a material from one area and
then drop it into another area of your model, mesh or 3D layer.

o
o Blur Tool *
o The Blur Tool blurs and softens areas you paint over with the tool.

o
o Sharpen Tool
o The Sharpen Tool sharpens areas you paint over.

o
o Smudge Tool
o The Smudge Tool in Photoshop smudges and smears the areas you paint over. It can also be used
to create a finger painting effect.

o
o Dodge Tool * ( O )
o Paint over areas in the image with the Dodge Tool to lighten them.

o
o Burn Tool ( O )
o The Burn Tool will darken the areas you paint over.

o
o Sponge Tool ( O )
o Paint over areas with the Sponge Tool to increase or decrease color saturation.

 Drawing And Type Tools

o
o Pen Tool * ( P )
o Photoshop's Pen Tool allows you to draw extremely precise paths, vector shapes or selections.

o
o Freeform Pen Tool ( P )
o The Freeform Pen Tool allows you to draw freehand paths or shapes. Anchor points are
automatically added to the path as you draw.

o
o Add Anchor Point Tool
o Use the Add Anchor Point Tool to add additional anchor points along a path.

o
o Delete Anchor Point Tool
o Click on an existing anchor point along a path with the Delete Anchor Point Tool to remove the
point.

o
o Convert Point Tool
o On a path, click on a smooth anchor point with the Convert Point Tool to convert it to a corner
point. Click a corner point to convert it to a smooth point.

o
o Horizontal Type Tool * ( T )
o Known simply as the Type Tool in Photoshop, use the Horizontal Type Tool to add standard type
to your document.

o
o Vertical Type Tool ( T )
o The Vertical Type Tool adds type vertically from top to bottom.
o
o Vertical Type Mask Tool ( T )
o Rather than adding editable text to your document, the Vertical Type Mask Tool creates a
selection outline in the shape of vertical type.

o
o Horizontal Type Mask Tool ( T )
o Like the Vertical Mask Type Tool, the Horizontal Type Mask Tool creates a selection outline in
the shape of type. However, the type is added horizontally rather than vertically.

o
o Path Selection Tool * ( A )
o Use the Path Selection Tool (the black arrow) in Photoshop to select and move an entire path at
once.

o
o Direct Selection Tool ( A )
o Use the Direct Selection Tool (the white arrow) to select and move an individual path segment,
anchor point or direction handle.

o
o Rectangle Tool * ( U )
o The Rectangle Tool draws rectangular vector shapes, paths or pixel shapes. Press and hold Shift as
you drag to force the shape into a perfect square.

o
o Rounded Rectangle Tool ( U )
o The Rounded Rectangle Tool is similar to the standard Rectangle Tool but draws the shapes with
rounded corners. Press and hold Shift to draw a square with rounded corners.

o
o Ellipse Tool ( U )
o The Ellipse Tool draws elliptical vector shapes, paths or pixel shapes. Press and hold Shift as you
drag to draw a perfect circle.

o
o Polygon Tool ( U )
o The Polygon Tool draws polygonal, straight-edged vector shapes, paths or pixel shapes. Use the
"Sides" option in the Options Bar to set the number of sides.

o
o Line Tool ( U )
o The Line Tool draws straight lines, either as shapes or paths. The "Weight" option in the Options
Bar controls the width of the line.

o
o Custom Shape Tool ( U )
o Photoshop's Custom Shape Tool lets you select and draw custom shapes. Choose from
Photoshop's built-in custom shapes or create your own.
 Navigation Tools

o
o Hand Tool * ( H )
o The Hand Tool lets us click and drag an image around on the screen to view different areas when
zoomed in.

o
o Rotate View Tool ( R )
o Use the Rotate View Tool in Photoshop to rotate the canvas so you can view and edit the image
from different angles.

o
o Zoom Tool * ( Z )
o Click on the image with the Zoom Tool to zoom in on a specific area. Press and hold Alt (Win) /
Option (Mac) and click with the Zoom Tool to zoom out.

Where to go next...
Photoshop Elements provides you a toolbox
in Quick and Expert modes to help you
work on your photos. You can use the tools
in the toolbox to select, enhance, draw,
and view images.
Toolbox in the Quick mode

The toolbox in the Quick mode contains a small set of easy-

to-use tools. The tools available in this mode are Zoom, Hand,
Quick Selection, Eye, Whiten Teeth, Straighten, Type, Spot
Healing Brush, Crop, and Move.

Quick mode toolbox

A. Zoom tool B. Hand tool C. Quick Selection tool D. Eye

tool E. Whiten Teeth tool F. Straighten tool G. Type
tool H. Spot Healing Brush tool I. Crop tool J. Move tool 
 Toolbox in the Expert mode

In the Expert mode, the toolbox is richer than the toolbox in

the Quick mode. The tools are organized in the following
logical groups:
 View
 Select
 Enhance
 Draw
 Modify
Expert mode toolbox

A. View tools B. Select tools C. Enhance tools D. Draw

tools E. Modify tools F. Color 

Tools in the View group of the

Expert mode toolbox
Zoom tool (Z)
Zooms in or zooms out your image. The related tools shown
in the Tool Options bar are Zoom In and Zoom Out. For more
information about the Zoom tool, see Zoom in or out.
Hand tool (H)
Moves your photo in the Photoshop Elements workspace. You
can drag your image using this tool. For more information,
see Viewing images in Expert or Quick modes. 

Tools in the Select group of the

Expert mode toolbox
Move tool (V)
Moves selections or layers. For more information, see Move a
selection.
Rectangular Marquee tool (M)
Selects an area in your image in a rectangular box. Hold the
Shift key to make the selection a square.
Elliptical Marquee tool (M)
Selects an area in your image in an elliptical shape. Hold the
Shift key to make the selection a circle.
Lasso tool (L)
Selects an area in your image in a free-form shape. 
Magnetic Lasso tool (L)
Selects part of an image by selecting the high-contrast edges
around a shape.
Polygonal Lasso tool (L)
Draws straight-edged segments of a selection border.
Quick Selection tool (A)
Makes a selection based on color and texture similarity when
you click or click-drag the area you want to select. 
Selection Brush tool (A)
Selects the area where you paint with the brush.
Magic Wand tool (A)
Selects the pixels with similar colors in a single click.
Refine Selection Brush tool (A)
Adds or removes areas to and from a selection by
automatically detecting the edges. For more information on
this tool, see Edit and refine selections. 
Auto Selection tool (A)
Automatically makes a selection when you draw a shape
around the object you want to select. 
For more information on selection, see Use tools to make
selections.

Tools in the Enhance group of the

Expert mode toolbox
Eye tool (Y)
Removes the red eye effect, pet eye effect, and corrects
closed eyes in your photos. For more information about the
tool, see Precisely remove red eye, Remove the Pet Eye
effect, and Correct closed eyes.
Spot Healing Brush tool (J)
Removes spots from your photos. For more information about
this tool, see Remove spots and unwanted objects. 
Healing Brush tool (J)
Removes spots from your photo by selecting a part of your
photo as the reference point.
Smart Brush tool (F)
Applies tonal and color adjustments to specific areas of a
photo.
Detail Smart Brush tool (F)
Paints the adjustment to specific areas of a photo just like a
painting tool.
For more information about Smart brushes, see Adjust color
and tonality using the Smart Brush tools and Apply the Smart
Brush tools.
Clone Stamp tool (S)
Paints with an image sample, which you can use to duplicate
objects, remove image imperfections, or paint over objects in
your photo. You can also clone part of an image to another
image. For more information, see Clone images or areas in an
image.
Pattern Stamp tool (S)
Paints with a pattern defined from your image, another
image, or a preset pattern. For more information, see Use the
Pattern Stamp tool.
Blur tool (R)
Softens hard edges or areas in an image by reducing details.
For more information, see Blur or soften edges. 
Sharpen tool (R)
Sharpens a photo by focusing soft edges in the photo to
increase clarity or focus. For more information on sharpening,
see Sharpen an image.
Smudge tool (R)
Simulates the actions of dragging a finger through wet paint.
The tool picks up color where the stroke begins and pushes it
in the direction you drag. For more information on the tool,
see Use the Smudge tool.
Sponge tool (O)
Changes the color saturation of an area. For more information
on how to use the tool, see Adjust saturation in isolated
areas.
Dodge tool (O)
Lightens areas of an image. You can use the tool to bring out
details in shadows. For more information on the Dodge tool,
see Quickly lighten or darken isolated areas.
Burn tool (O)
Darkens areas of the image. You can use the tool to bring out
details in highlights. For more information on the Burn tool,
see Quickly lighten or darken isolated areas.

Tools in the Draw group of the

Expert mode toolbox
Brush tool (B)
Creates soft or hard strokes of color. You can use it to
simulate airbrush techniques. For more information about the
tool, see Use the Brush tool. 
Impressionist Brush tool (B)
Changes the existing colors and details in your image so your
photo looks like it was painted using stylized brush strokes.
For more information about the tool, see Use the
Impressionist Brush tool.
Color Replacement tool (B)
Simplifies replacing specific colors in your image. For more
information about the tool, see Replace color in an image.
Eraser tool (E)
Erases the pixels in the image as you drag through them. For
more information about the tool, see Use the Eraser Tool.
 Background Eraser tool (E)
Turns color pixels to transparent pixels so that you can easily
remove an object from its background. For more information
about the tool, see Use the Background Eraser tool.
Magic Eraser tool (E)
Changes all similar pixels when you drag within a photo. For
more information, see Use the Magic Eraser tool.
Paint Bucket tool (K)
Fills an area that is similar in color value to the pixels you
click. For more information about the tool, see Use the Paint
Bucket tool. 
Pattern tool (K)
Applies a fill or a pattern to your image, instead of using one
of the brush tools. For more information, see Fill a layer with
a color or pattern.
Gradient tool (G)
Fills in an area of image by a gradient. For more information,
see Apply a gradient.
Color Picker tool (I)
Copies or samples the color of an area in your photo to set a
new foreground or background color. For more information
about the tool, see Choose a color with the Eyedropper tool.
Custom Shape tool (U)
Provides different shape options for you to draw. When you
select the Custom Shape tool, you can access these shapes in
the Tool Options bar. 
The other shape-related tools available in the Tool Options
bar are:
 Rectangle
 Rounded Rectangle
 Ellipse
 Polygon
 Star
 Line
 Selection
For more information about creating shapes, see Create
shapes.
Type tool (T)
Creates and edits text on your image.
The other type-related tools available in the Tool Options bar
are:
 Vertical Type 
 Horizontal Type Mask  
 Vertical Type Mask 
 Text on Selection 
 Text on Shape 
 Text on Custom Path
For more information about adding and editing text on your
image, see Add text.
Pencil tool (N)
Creates hard-edged freehand lines. For more information,
see Use the Pencil tool.

Tools in the Modify group of the

Expert mode toolbox
Crop tool (C)
Trims the part of an image according to the selection. For
more information about the tool, see Crop an image.
Cookie Cutter tool (C)
Crops a photo into a shape that you choose. For more
information about the tool, see Use the Cookie Cutter tool.
Perspective Crop tool (C)
 Transforms the perspective of a picture while cropping it. For
more information about the tool, see Perspective Crop tool.
Recompose tool (W)
Intelligently resizes photos without changing important visual
content, such as people, building, animals, and more. For
more information, see Recompose a photo in Expert mode.
For a step-by-step, guided method to recompose,
see Recompose a photo in Guided mode.
Content-Aware Move tool (Q)
Selects an object in your photo and moves the selection to a
different location, or extends it. For more information about
the tool, see Move and reposition objects.
Straighten tool (P)
Realigns an image vertically or horizontally. For more
information about the tool, see Straighten an image.

Use a tool

To use a tool in the Quick or Expert mode, first select the tool
from the toolbox. Next, use the various options in the Tool
Options bar to accomplish your task.  

Select a tool
Do one of the following:
 Click a tool in the toolbox.
 Press the keyboard shortcut for the tool. For example,
press B to select the Brush tool. The keyboard shortcut for a
tool is displayed in the tool tip. You can also find a list of
helpful keyboard shortcuts in Keys for selecting tools.
Note:
You cannot deselect a tool—once you select a tool, it remains selected
until you select a different tool. For example, if you’ve selected the
Lasso tool, and you want to click your image without selecting
anything, select the Hand tool.

Select options from the Tool Options

bar
The Tool Options bar appears at the bottom in the Photoshop
Elements window. It displays the options for a selected tool.
For example, if you select the Crop tool from the toolbox, you
find related tools (Cookie Cutter tool and Perspective Crop
tool), and other options in the Tool Options bar.
Click here to watch a video on how to use the Crop tool. The
video explains the options available in the Tool Options bar
for the Crop tool.
Note:
If the Tool Options bar is not visible, click the tool icon in the toolbox or
click Tool Options in the Taskbar. 

Tool Options bar for the Lasso tool

A. Active tool icon B. Related tools C. Additional options 

Edit tool preferences

You can modify the default preferences for tools. For

example, you can hide the tool tips or change the
appearance of a tool pointer.
 Edit General preferences
1. Do one of the following:
o In Windows,
choose Edit > Preferences > General.
o In Mac, choose Photoshop
Elements > Preferences > General.
 Set one or more of the following options:
o Select Show Tool Tips to show tool tips.
o Select Use Shift Key for Tool Switch to cycle
through a set of hidden tools by holding down the Shift key.
When this option is deselected, you can cycle through a set
of tool options by pressing the keyboard shortcut (without
holding down Shift). For example, pressing B on your
keyboard repeatedly cycles through all the Brush tool options
(Brush, Impressionist Brush, and Color Replacement tools).
o Select Select Move tool After Committing
Text to select the Move tool after you use the Type tool to
add text to your photo.
 Click OK.

Set the appearance of a pointer

1. Do one of the following:
o In Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Display
& Cursors.
o In Mac, choose Photoshop
Elements > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
 Select a setting for the painting cursors:
o Standard Displays pointers as tool icons
o Precise Displays pointers as cross-hairs
o Normal Brush Tip Displays pointers as circles at
50% of the size you specify for the brush
o Full Size Brush Tip Displays pointers as circles at
the full size you specify for the brush
o Show Crosshair In Brush Tip Displays cross-hairs
in the circles when you choose either Normal Brush
Tip or Full Size Brush Tip
 Select a setting for other cursors:
o Standard Displays pointers as tool icons
o Precise Displays pointers as cross-hairs
 Click OK.

Resize or change the hardness of painting cursors by dragging

(Windows only)

You can resize or change the hardness of a painting cursor by

dragging in the image. As you drag, you preview both the
size and hardness of the painting tool.
 To resize a cursor, right-click + press Alt, and drag to the
left or right.
 To change the hardness of a cursor, right-click + press
Alt, and drag up or down.

Reset tool settings to default

You can restore the default settings of a selected tool or all

tools.
1. Select a tool from the toolbox.
Alternatively, press keyboard shortcut for the tool. 
2. Click   to open the pop-up menu in the Tool Options bar
and do one of the following:
o To reset the selected tool, click Reset Tool.
o To reset all the tools, click Rest All Tools.