SimpleSnip tutorial

How to Select Part of an Image

Learn how to make rectangle, ellipse, and lasso selections in SimpleSnip's free online photo editor.

1. Open the Select tool

   Click Select in the toolbar, or press M.

2. Choose a selection shape

   Pick Rectangle, Ellipse, Lasso, or Polygonal lasso from the bar above the canvas.

3. Draw the selection

   For rectangle or ellipse, drag across the canvas. For the lasso, drag freehand around the area, or click points and double-click to close a straight-edged shape with the polygonal lasso. On a touch screen, use the Cancel and Close shape buttons that appear while drawing a polygon.

4. Add, subtract, or intersect

   Combine selections with the New, Add, Subtract, and Intersect buttons in the options bar, or hold Shift while drawing to add, Alt to subtract, and Shift+Alt to intersect.

5. Move or clear it

   Drag inside an existing selection with the Select tool to move just the pixels inside it. Press Delete to clear them, or Ctrl+D to deselect entirely.

💡 Tip: Every tool respects the active selection, so drawing one first is the easiest way to keep a brush stroke, fill, or filter contained to one area.