Lesson 3

Rectangular and
Elliptical Marquee Tools

CHESTER M. APOSTOL
Photoshop Instructor
Lesson Objectives
 Define a marquee tool
 Differentiate a rectangular marquee tool from
an elliptical marquee tool
 Identify the applications of the rectangular and
elliptical marquee tools
 Identify the different methods of activating the
rectangular and elliptical marquee tools
 Enumerate the different functions and options
for the rectangular and elliptical marquee tools
The Marquee Tools
 Let you create a selection
in the form of:
–Rectangle or square
–Ellipse or circle
–Single pixel row or column
The Rectangular
Marquee Tool
 Use to create a
rectangular or square
selection.
 Represented by the
icon in the tools palette.
The Elliptical
Marquee Tool
 Use to create an
elliptical or circle
selection.
 Represented by the
icon in the tools palette.
 Activating Rectangular or
Elliptical Marquee Tool
1. Click either Rectangular or Elliptical
Marquee tool icon in the tools palette.
2. If the tool is hidden, click and hold the
visible tool icon (either the rectangular
marquee tool or the elliptical marquee
tool) on the tools palette until a list of
hidden tools is shown. Hidden
3. Move your mouse pointer to the icon of Tools
the tool that you want to use. Indicator

4. Release the mouse button. Notice that

the one you selected is now the active
tool in the tools palette.
Other Methods of
Activating Rectangular or
Elliptical Marquee Tool
 Option 1:
1. Press the [Alt] key, then click the tool
icon on the tools palette.
2. Repeat procedure 1 until the tool that
you want to use is selected.
  Option 2:
1. Press [Shift] + [M] until the marquee
tool that you want to use it selected.
 Using Rectangular
Marquee Tool
 Creating a Rectangular Selection:
1. Click and drag your mouse in the
document window area where you
want to create a rectangular selection.

 Creating a Square Selection:

1. Press and hold the [Shift] key while
dragging your mouse in the document
window area where you want to create
a square selection .
 Using the Elliptical
Marquee Tool
 Creating an Elliptical Selection:
1. Click and drag your mouse in the
document window area where you want
to create a elliptical selection.

 Creating Circle Selection : 

1. Press and hold the [Shift] key while
dragging your mouse in the document
window area where you want to create a
circle selection.
The Rectangular and Elliptical
Marquee Tool Option Bar

New Subtract from

Feather Style
Selection Selection

Add to Intersect Refine Edge

with Anti-alias
Selection Button
Selection
The Rectangular and Elliptical
Marquee Tool Option Bar
Feather – This selection option is used to blur the edges
of a selection.

Anti-alias – This option smoothen the hard edges of the

selection when selected.
The Rectangular and Elliptical
Marquee Tool Option Bar
Radius

 Refine Edge
Button – This Contrast

option is used to
refine or modify Smooth

the selection
edges. You can Feather

also view the

selection in a Contract/Expand
different
background.
Preview Options