Smart selection brush

[Jean-Luc]

I cannot obtain a result with this tool. I "paint" with this tool on a subject but the selection doesn't select the subject.
I'm missing something ?

I don't speak about the Smart Edge with the Freehand selection tool.
I speak about the Smart Selection Brush (icon with star under Magic wand)

[JoeB]

Jean-Luc, we would need more detail to be able to help. Could you post an example image that you're having trouble with, pointing out the object in the image that you are trying to select with that brush and the specific issue you are finding when trying to select it? The tool definitely works best when the object has less detail than more within it, and when the object detail and color is at least somewhat contrasty and different from the background of the object. Most often it selects the whole image. I generally get the star and rectangle selected only on my first attempt after opening the image, and after that it's almost always the whole image. Clicking undo doesn't change things so that the star and rectangle are only selected. I have to close the image and reopen it to get those objects to select the first time, then it reverts to (usually) selecting the whole image.

[Jean-Luc]

Thank you JoeB...
Here the image. Trying to select the blue star.

smart brush test.png (12.29 KiB) Viewed 7138 times

Mode Replace, Size 26, Feather 0, Anti-alias unchecked, Smart Edge checked
Tolerance : testing multiple values without change
Dragging on the blue star from middle to the middle of the triangle doesn't select the shapes.
Clicking on the blue star produces a selection of the brush size.
Clicking on triangle selects the triangle. Why not the star ?
The help file says "drag the brush across the image". It seems the tool works better when clicking and adding with Shift down as tested on other images. But result seems always impredictable...

[Cassel]

It works just as it should for me. When you say "Dragging on the blue star from middle to the middle of the triangle doesn't select the shapes." are you touching the pink area at all? If so, then it does select that color too.
Have you tried with a smaller brush size?

[JoeB]

I'm having the same issue that Jean-Luc has - i.e., inconsistency with the result. Using a small brush (size 4) and using various levels of tolerance, and dragging from the star to the inside of the triangle, sometimes it selects both the star and rectangle, sometimes the complete triangle is selected but only the portion of the star where I had originally clicked i.e., just a small dot), and sometimes the complete image is selected (selection marquee around the whole thing).

EDIT: I just edited this because originally I used the word rectangle when I meant the triangle which is below but touching the star.

[hartpaul]

Same here . The Smart selection brush does not appear to be very smart.
I get my most consistent results by using brush size 5 and tolerance of 6 with Mode Add.
Then click once in the center of the star and once in the center of the triangle.

Too often dragging gave a whole image selection.
Strangely dragging with the magic wand Mode Add , Match Mode RGB, Tolerance 12 also gave consistent results, making me wonder about the usefulness of the "Smart" Selection Brush.

[Jean-Luc]

It works just as it should for me. When you say "Dragging on the blue star from middle to the middle of the triangle doesn't select the shapes." are you touching the pink area at all? If so, then it does select that color too.
Have you tried with a smaller brush size?

On the same image I posted, my Brush size was 26 and is smaller than the star. But yes, I think the problem is the gap between the star and the triangle. The brush touches the pink.
But if I click or drag INSIDE the blue star, without touching the pink, it doesn't work as it should.

[JoeB]

It works just as it should for me. When you say "Dragging on the blue star from middle to the middle of the triangle doesn't select the shapes." are you touching the pink area at all? If so, then it does select that color too.
Have you tried with a smaller brush size?

On the same image I posted, my Brush size was 26 and is smaller than the star. But yes, I think the problem is the gap between the star and the triangle. The brush touches the pink.
But if I click or drag INSIDE the blue star, without touching the pink, it doesn't work as it should.

With my brush set to size 4 it didn't touch the pink while dragging from the star to the triangle - I zoomed in to be careful about that. And I still got the results described - i.e., bad results.

[TimW]

I also played with the blue star & the yellow triangle & found that a Tolerance setting of 2 worked for the Blue star, but a tolerance setting of 3 was needed for the yellow triangle. I set the Size to 30, Feathering 1, Anti Alias, & Smart Edge checked. That tool sure does seem to be touchy. Glad I hardly ever need it.

[Jean-Luc]

Thank you all for testing. I'm not alone in the dark... :>)
I don't understand why this tool is not working as it should on SIMPLE images.
I tested it on more complex images and the result is better than with my star and triangle example. But sometimes, the result was out of control. I suppose users don't use this tool because the result is always unexpected.

[RobertdB]

The tool definitely produces random results. Sometimes I click and the entire image gets selected. Sometimes only the blue star. Not sure what happens.
When I use the Magic Wand I get the correct result every time, matchmode - RGB, with tolerance set to 1, contiguous unchecked, feather 1.