One of the nifty things about using something like Photoshop is that it allows you to make changes to your selections. If you’ve ever wanted to make a selection and then realized you actually selected the opposite of what you needed, you may feel tempted to redo your work. But what if we told you that you could just invert the selection instead?

When using Photoshop, you can easily make a selection and then invert it so the program selects everything outside of your selection. All you need to do to make this happen is to use the invert keyboard shortcut while you have an active selection working in the program. This will cause Photoshop to select the invert of the original area. 

If you are new to using the invert selection tool, you may be confused about what you can do with this feature. The inverted selection tool is a great way to quickly grab areas outside of a current selection and apply specific changes. So, if you want to get on board and learn how to use this trick, keep reading this article for more information!

How To Invert Select On Photoshop

If you have ever had to deal with the struggle of selecting something on Photoshop and then realizing you actually meant to select everything outside of it, you will really appreciate the Photoshop invert selection technique. 

This is an amazing way for creators to use the built-in functionality of Photoshop in a quick and easy process. 

Being able to select the invert of your current selection is a quick way for many people create fascinating effects on Photoshop. From applying background effects, all the way to applying specific filters, there’s a lot that you can do with this tool on Photoshop. 

However, if you want to know how it’s done, here are the specific steps you will need to follow:

1. Open up your Photoshop program, and then open a file.
2. Once the file opens, use a selection tool to create an active selection. 
3. You will be able to see the selection using the marching ants separation.
4. While the selection area is still active, right-click on the region.
5. You will see a menu that gives you the option ‘Select Inverse.’
6. Once you click this option, the area outside of your selection will be selected.

You may have a difficult time seeing this at first, but if you look closely, the marching ants lines will extend to the ends of your open canvas on Photoshop. You can now proceed to make changes and adjustments to the file so you can get the desired look on your Photoshop project.

How To Invert Selections With Other Methods

While the method described above is a quick way of getting the results you want, it is not the only way to achieve an inverted selection in Photoshop. In fact, there are two other ways that you can use if you want to invert your selection. Here’s how they work:

1. Using a keyboard shortcut: if you prefer using a keyboard, you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Control + I (on Windows) or Shift + Command + I (on macOS devices) while you have an active selection. 
2. This will then instruct the program to select all of the areas on the canvas that lies outside your original selection.
3. Using the software commands: You can also use the Photoshop Menu bar. Once you have a selection, click on the ‘Select’ tab, and then choose the option ‘Inverse.’ 
4. This may take a few more clicks, but it is more intuitive, and you don’t have to worry that you will accidentally click the wrong way and lose your original selection. 

No matter what method you use, the result you get will be the same. At the end of the day, the availability of this tool is crucial as it allows you to be able to select all of the areas of a Photoshop canvas that lie outside of an area you originally selected. 

Final Thoughts

Being able to select the inverse of your original selection can be an important tool whether you are an artist, designer, or just a casual Photoshop user. With this tutorial, you now have the secret method to use this tool! 

We hope the article has helped you understand this process and the benefits of having a tool like invert selection in Photoshop! Now all you need to do is practice this technique, and you’ll be a whiz in no time!