Lasso tool

<h2 id="standard-operation">Standard operation</h2>
<p>The lasso tool operates on the active layer of an image, and is used by <a href="/facts/Pointing_device_gesture/D5Psb3hN">clicking and dragging</a> to trace the edges of a selection.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a>  Most software supports multiple closed contours, which can be selected by crossing over the edge path multiple times. It is also typically not necessary to close the shape: releasing the mouse button triggers the software to close any open loop(s) automatically. The area enclosed by the cursor path will remain selected and open to various transform operators (shift, scale, cut, copy, and paste, for example) until elsewhere in the image is clicked.  At this point, the lassoed selection will merge with the layer it was selected from.
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<h2 id="characteristics">Characteristics</h2>
<p>In contrast to other image selection algorithms such as intelligent scissors, magic wand, or <a href="/facts/GrabCut/29eYqTBP">grabcut</a>, lassoing places no requirements on the image, as the user is free to create any closed path.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a>
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<h2 id="technical-description">Technical description</h2>
<p>From an <a href="/facts/Digital_image_processing/zenalNCf">image processing</a> standpoint, the lasso is fundamentally a <a href="/facts/Layers_(digital_image_editing)/InBRq6UF">masking</a> tool. The edges of the mask are defined by user input: the path of the cursor while the button is held down. A temporary new active layer is created which contains the logical AND of the masking layer and the active image layer. Meanwhile, the original active layer is masked (logical AND) with the inverse of the lasso selection. This creates the impression that the tool has sliced out a piece of the original image for selective transforms and edits. Most operations available for a full image can now be applied to the temporary active layer.
</p><p>When the layers are merged, pixels in the temporary active layer will replace the pixels in the active layer with which they coincide. "Empty" pixels are handled in one of two ways depending on whether or not the imaging software supports <a href="/facts/Alpha_compositing/7uUBtjrt">alpha compositing</a>.  They may take on the value of a default "background" color, or they may continue to be defined as transparent with an alpha channel value of zero.
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<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>"Selection Tools". University of Washington. Retrieved 26 May 2018. <a href="https://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module4/selection_tools.htm" target="_blank">https://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module4/selection_tools.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>"Select with lasso tools in Photoshop". helpx.adobe.com. Retrieved 2018-04-24. <a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/selecting-lasso-tools.html" target="_blank">https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/selecting-lasso-tools.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>"Tools - SAI Paint Tool". saipainttool.com. Retrieved 2018-04-24. <a href="http://saipainttool.com/manual/tools/" target="_blank">http://saipainttool.com/manual/tools/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>"Free Selection (Lasso)". GIMP. Retrieved 25 May 2018. <a href="https://docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-tool-free-select.html" target="_blank">https://docs.gimp.org/en/gimp-tool-free-select.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>Chmielewski, Leszek J.; Datta, Amitava; Kozera, Ryszard; Wojciechowski, Konrad (2016-09-09). Computer Vision and Graphics: International Conference, ICCVG 2016, Warsaw, Poland, September 19-21, 2016, Proceedings. Springer. pp. 99–. ISBN 978-3-319-46418-3. <a href="978-3-319-46418-3" target="_blank">978-3-319-46418-3</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:6"><p>Long, Mian (2013-02-11). World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering May 26-31, 2012, Beijing, China. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 915–. ISBN 978-3-642-29305-4. <a href="978-3-642-29305-4" target="_blank">978-3-642-29305-4</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Lasso tool open-in-new

Lasso tool