ACE Selections and Compositing 3

Question 1

What does increasing the 'Feather' value in the Options bar before drawing a Marquee selection do?

Accepted Answer

Creates a soft-edged transition at the selection border

Answer

Feathering creates a gradual fade at the selection border, so any edits or deletions blend softly rather than creating a hard cutout.

Question 2

Which tool option allows the Quick Selection tool to automatically subtract from an existing selection as you drag?

Accepted Answer

Holding Alt/Option while dragging

Answer

Alt/Option+drag switches the Quick Selection tool to subtraction mode on the fly, removing the painted areas from the current selection.

Question 3

A luminosity mask targets pixels for selection based on their brightness values. Where in Photoshop can you create a luminosity mask most directly?

Accepted Answer

By Ctrl/Cmd+clicking the composite RGB channel in the Channels panel

Answer

Ctrl/Cmd+clicking the RGB composite thumbnail in the Channels panel loads a selection weighted toward the brightest pixels, which is the definition of a basic luminosity mask.

Question 4

In Select and Mask, what does the 'Smart Radius' checkbox do?

Accepted Answer

Automatically adjusts edge detection radius based on the complexity of the edge

Answer

Smart Radius lets Photoshop vary the detection radius dynamically — wider near complex edges like hair, narrower near clean geometric edges.

Question 5

What happens when you apply Select > Modify > Contract to a selection?

Accepted Answer

The selection shrinks inward by the specified pixel amount

Answer

Contract shrinks a selection uniformly inward, useful for pulling a selection away from the edges of a subject before deleting or masking.

(ACE) Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop Practice Test

(ACE) Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop Practice Test

ACE Selections and Compositing 3