Variations on that Color Change Technique

[LadyJaine]

Using the Magic Wand tool to create a complex selection, like the pattern on a piece of paper, can be handy for other things, too.

Say that I get the tolerance right and the contrast right and I've got the perfect marching ants in my layout.

I can make a different layer active by clicking on it in the layers palette. My marching ants will now do what I tell them on the layer that I selected.

I can fill the 'antsy' area with a different color.

I can delete the 'antsy' area on the different layer.

I can apply a style to the 'antsy' area. Perhaps I want to make it glittery, or chromed, or apply a felt style.

I can go to the Select menu in the tool bar and switch the 'antsy' area to the 'Inverse' which means that I'll take action not on what I selected, but everything that I didn't select. I can delete or fill or style the 'anti-antsy' area.

I can also merge, intersect, add to, or subtract from other selected areas. Doing this elevates the frustration level by a factor of seven. Usually, I'll do it in steps instead of trying to do it all at once.

For example, I want to use a damask pattern on a layout, but I only want it inside a shape. I'll fill the entire layout with the damask pattern first, then I'll select the area inside the shape, switch to the inverse and delete everything that is outside the shape.