Loading a selection into an image

You can reuse a previously saved selection by loading it into an image. In Photoshop, you can also load the selection into an image when you have finished modifying an alpha channel.

To load a saved selection using shortcuts (Photoshop):

Do one of the following in the Channels palette:

• Select the alpha channel, click the Load Selection button at the bottom of the palette, and then click the composite color channel near the top of the palette.
• Drag the channel containing the selection you want to load onto the Load Selection button.
• Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the channel containing the selection you want to load.
• To add the mask to an existing selection, press Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS), and click the channel.
• To subtract the mask from an existing selection, press Ctrl+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac OS), and click the channel.
• To load the intersection of the saved selection and an existing selection, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS), and select the channel.

To load a saved selection into an image (Photoshop):

1. Choose Select > Load Selection. For Document, the active filename is selected.
2. For Channel, choose the channel containing the selection you want to load.
3. Click Invert to make the nonselected areas selected and vice versa.
4. If the destination image already has a selection, indicate how to combine the selections. (For information on these options, see Saving a mask selection.)

To load a saved selection into an image (ImageReady):

Choose Select > Load Selection, then choose an option from the submenu.

To load a selection from another image (Photoshop):

1. Open the two images you want to use.

Note: The images must have identical pixel dimensions. (See Changing the pixel dimensions of an image.)

2. Make the destination image active, and choose Select > Load Selection.
3. For Document, choose the source image.
4. For Channel, choose the channel containing the selection you want to use as a mask.
5. Click Invert if you want to make the nonselected areas selected and vice versa.
6. If the destination image already has a selection, indicate how to combine the selections. (For information on these options, see Saving a mask selection.)