2.4. Free Selection (Lasso)
| 2. Selection Tools |

### 2.4. Free Selection (Lasso)

Figure 14.18. Free Selection icon in the Toolbox

The Free Selection tool, or Lasso, lets you create a selection by drawing it with the pointer.

Since GIMP-2.6, you can use it in two ways. First create the starting point clicking on your image. Then,

- Maintaining the mouse button pressed (i.e click-and-drag), drag to draw a free hand selection. When end point comes superimposed on the starting point, release the mouse button to close the selection.

  If you click on the end point, it turns accompanied by a moving cross. Then, dragging enlarges the shape.

- Or release the mouse button and drag to draw a polygonal selection. When the end point comes superimposed on the starting point, click to close the selection. Since GIMP-2.10, closing polygonal selection doesn't confirm the selection automatically; you still can tweak positions of nodes.Then press Enter or switch to another tool to confirm the selection.

  Press the Ctrl keyboard key and click on the end point: moving the mouse pointer forces moving angles to 15°; so, you can draw horizontal or vertical lines easily.

In both cases, double clicking on the end point closes the selection with a straight line.

Press Enter or double click inside the shape to validate the selection.

Pressing and releasing the mouse pointer allows you to mix free hand segments and polygonal segments. You can go outside the edge of the image display and come back in if you want to.

The Lasso is often a good tool to use for “roughing in” a selection; it is not so good for precise definition. Experienced users find that it is often convenient to begin with the lasso tool, but then switch to QuickMask mode for detail work.

For information on selections and how they are used in GIMP see Selections. For information on features common to all selection tools see Selection Tools.

| Note
The Free Selection tool is much easier to use with a tablet than with a mouse.

Figure 14.19. Mixing free hand segments and polygonal segments

#### 2.4.1. Activating the tool

You can access the Lasso Tool in different ways:

- From the image menu bar Tools → Selection Tools → Free Select,

- by clicking on the tool icon in the ToolBox,

- by using the keyboard shortcut F.

#### 2.4.2. Key modifiers

The Free Select tool does not have any special key modifiers, only the ones that affect all selection tools in the same way. See Selection Tools for help with these.

Backspace removes last segment drawn, Escape cancels all selection segments.

#### 2.4.3. Tool handling

To move the selection, see Moving selections.

Figure 14.20. Rough selection with the Free Selection tool.

#### 2.4.4. Options

Figure 14.21. Tool Options for the Lasso tool

Normally, tool options are displayed in a window attached under the Toolbox as soon as you activate a tool. If they are not, you can access them from the image menu bar through Windows → Dockable Windows → Tool Options which opens the option window of the selected tool.

The Free Select tool has no special tool options, only the ones that affect all selection tools in the same way. See Selection Tools for help with these.

2.3. Ellipse Selection |  | 2.5. Fuzzy selection (Magic wand)

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