Why is my image cut out shape ?

[tissani]

Hello,
I'm sorry this is probably very rudimentary to most of you, but some very kind lady helped me out yesterday and I really would like to ask another question to help me get my work done. I took loads of photos today which i need to edit. I need to cut out a circular shape with no border of the best bit of each photo so I can then import onto a publisher document. Every time I make a circle on the image for the bit i want to select it goes white and i am left with the bit i dont want. Have tried cutting / pasting the white bit to see if it appears, using the cookie cutter tool and everything i can think of, but cant make anything work.Sorry i know i've got some basic knowledge missing here but would really appreciate your advice. Best wishes, Elaine in Wales:)

[vawitt]

Try this:

Open your photo

Activate the Elliptical Marquee Tool (press and hold the Rectangular Marquee and choose it from the flyout menu)

Hold down the SHIFT key as you draw your selection area (this forces a perfect circular selection). If you need to reposition the circle, KEEP HOLDING THE MOUSE BUTTON and also hold the space bar and you can move the selection range.

When you have the selection you want, release the mouse, then release shift. You should have the "marching ants" in a circle around the area you want to keep.

Next, make a new layer from the selection = CTRL+J
Look in your layers palette; you should have two layers; the original layer, and a new one just of the circle you created. Click on the eyeball on the thumbmail of the original layer and all you'll see remaining is your circlular cutout. Select that with the move tool and drag it to your creation.

Or, if you need to save it in that format, save as PNG (which will preserve the transparency.)

Good luck, and post back if you need more help.

~Val in sunny IL

[kevq]

Tissani,
Using the elliptical marquee tool and holding shift, to restrain to a perfect circle, select the area you want. You will see the marching ants.
Press Control + J, this will put the selection on its own layer.
Kev.

[cats4jan]

Control + J

When I first saw this in hints - I used to hit the + sign also and - obviously - that didn't work.

Is saying "control + J" the standard way it's used in tutorials on this site?

I noticed you both said the same thing.

I usually just say

control j

[Juergen D]

Adobe seems to say Ctrl-J. I usually go with CTRL-J, I think :rolleyes:.

Juergen