Selecting by color

[tnaylor38]]

Here is what I would like to do. I want to select a specific color range with some tolerance. I then want to delete that color from the image and paste it into a new image. By doing this iteratively, I want to end up with nothing left in the original image and one new image for each color range that I have selected. I know that I can select a color and then go to Selection>Modify>Select Color Range, but it isn't working the way that I want it to work. Anyone have any ideas?

[LeviFiction]

Color Range requires a selection to either add a color range to or subtract a color range from.

To use Color Range the way you're suggesting would require you do it like so.

1) Ctrl + A to select everything

2) Selection -> Modify -> Select Color Range

3) Select a certain color, and tolerance. Removing the color from the current selection.

4) Invert the selection so only the color you wanted is selected.

5) Cut and paste as new image or new layer if image already exists.

6) Repeat from step 1

Since you're cutting the color out you could also just invert the selection again and remove the next color range without reselecting everything.

[tnaylor38]]

Thanks much for that information. It is pretty much what I had already figured out except that your way is much more efficient than the way that I am doing now. I'm going to try your way right now, but I can see that it is better. Thanks again.

[hartpaul]

You can also use the selection tool to select a small rectangular part of the image, then Selections Modify > Select Colour range, move cursor over the image and it becomes an eyedropper and then select which colour you want and radio button Add color range.
Then Edit > Cut and then Paste as new image and repeat with other parts.

Note if you are thinking of modifying and then reunitin the parts of the image there may be some problems in allignment as when you paste as new image it also crops that selection so that only the parts selected are pasted. You will not be able to automatically copy and paste as new layer and have all the parts in exactly the right positions.

[LeviFiction]

Oooh, good point. I had forgotten about alignment issues.

My recommendation then would be either promote the selection to its own layer, or use mask layers.

Using Promote selection to layer you can create a new layer with the selected pixels in place. Then just hide the layer and continue to do the same with the other color ranges.

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Using masks takes more work but has its own advantages such as being able to add layers underneath the mask for blending and effect purposes without having to be concerned with reselecting and deleting items to make them fit.

Create a copy of your image layer for every color range.

Once you have your color range selected. Select an unused layer, then make a new mask showing the selection. This removes the alignment issue.

You can then duplicate the image, and merge the individual mask groups. The mask groups will keep everything in place as they merge down into a single layer.