Select Similar Colors

Select Similar Colors

Learn how to use the Select Menu to select similar colors in an image.

When to use

This technique can be very useful when you have large areas of similar colors that you'd like to select in Photoshop. 

Instructions

Clean Slate

• Begin by duplicating your masked headphones or tea kettle layer by pressing Command/Ctrl+J.
• Hold the Control Key and click on the mask, and then choose 'Delete Layer Mask'.
• You should now have a copy of your full image at the top of your Layers Palette.

Adding and Removing Selections

• Select the Magic Wand Tool (W) and select an area of the dark shirt.
• Hold the Shift Key and continue clicking to add more areas of the shirt to your current selection.
• Go to the Select Menu and choose 'Similar' from the dropdown menu.
• This will add even more to your current selection.
• If there are any remaining areas that weren't selected, use the Lasso Tool (L) and hold the Shift Key while clicking and dragging around those areas to add them to your selection.
• If you've selected too much of the headphones or the tea kettle, you can remove those areas from your selection by clicking and dragging around them with the Lasso Tool (L) while holding Alt/Option on the keyboard.
• Once you have a selection that you are happy with, press Command/Ctrl+Shift+I to invert your selection.
• From here, click on the 'Add Layer Mask' button at the bottom of the Layers Palette.

Cleaning Up the Layer Mask

• If there are some edges that didn't get selected, use the Brush Tool and paint with solid white to paint in parts of the original image.
• From here, you can use the Pen Tool (P) to clean up those areas and use them to refine your mask.

Hints & tips

• When making selections and masks in Photoshop, it's helpful to know multiple techniques so you can determine which one will work best for your image.
• Using the Select > Similar option can be a great way to get the beginnings of a mask that can then be refined.