Photoshop

Save and load selections

You can save any selection as a mask in a new or existing alpha channel and later reload the selection from the mask.

You can use a selection as a layer mask by loading the selection to make it active, then adding a new layer mask.

Save a selection to a new channel

  1. Select the area or areas of the image you want to isolate.
  2. Click the Save Selection button  at the bottom of the Channels palette. A new channel appears, named according to the sequence in which it was created.

Save a selection to a new or existing channel

  1. Use a selection tool to select the area or areas of the image you want to isolate.
  2. Choose Select > Save Selection.
  3. Specify the following in the Save Selection dialog box, and click OK:
    Document
    Chooses a destination image for the selection. By default, the selection is placed in a channel in your active image. You can choose to save the selection to a channel in another open image with the same pixel dimensions or to a new image.

    Channel
    Chooses a destination channel for the selection. By default, the selection is saved in a new channel. You can choose to save the selection to any existing channel in the selected image or to a layer mask if the image contains layers.

  4. If you’re saving the selection as a new channel, type a name for the channel in the Name text box.
  5. If you’re saving the selection to an existing channel, select how to combine the selections:
    Replace Channel
    Replaces the current selection in the channel.

    Add to Channel
    Adds the selection to the current channel contents.

    Subtract From Channel
    Deletes the selection from the channel contents.

    Intersect With Channel
    Keeps the areas of the new selection that intersect with the channel contents.

    You can select the channel from the Channels palette to see the saved selection displayed in grayscale.

Load a saved selection from the Channels palette

You can reuse a previously saved selection by loading it into an image. You can also load the selection into an image after you finish modifying an alpha channel.

 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.

    You can drag a selection from one open Photoshop image into another.

Load a saved selection

Note: If you are loading a saved selection from another image, make sure to open it. Also, make sure your destination image is active.
  1. Choose Select > Load Selection.
  2. Specify the Source options in the Load Selection dialog box:
    Document
    Chooses the source to load.

    Channel
    Chooses the channel containing the selection you want to load.

    Invert
    Selects the non-selected areas.

  3. Select an Operation option to specify how to combine the selections if the image already has a selection:
    New Selection
    Adds the loaded selection.

    Add To Selection
    Adds the loaded selection to any existing selections in the image.

    Subtract From Selection
    Subtracts the loaded selection from existing selections in the image.

    Intersect With Selection
    Saves a selection from an area intersected by the loaded selection and existing selections in the image.
    You can drag a selection from one open Photoshop image into another.