Using the Magic Wand Tool in Paint.NET GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > Design

How to Use the Magic Wand Tool in Paint.NET

Select areas of the same color in Paint.NET for Windows

By Ian Pullen Ian Pullen Writer Ian Pullen is a former Lifewire writer and an experienced graphic designer and web developer with a strong interest in free and open-source graphics software. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 1, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Design Graphic Design Photoshop Animation & Video 3D Design

What to Know

Select Tools > Magic Wand, or select Magic Wand icon in toolbar. Click image to select all similar colors.Options: Replace to replace selection, Add (union) to fine-tune selection, Subtract to remove parts of selection.
More options: Intersect to combine selections, Invert (“xor”) to add to active selection. This article explains how to use the magic wand tool in Paint.NET for Windows, not the be confused with the website of the same name.

How to Use the Paint NET Magic Wand

To use the magic wand tool in Paint.NET: Go to Tools > Magic Wand, or select the Magic Wand icon in the toolbar. Click anywhere on the image. Other areas of the image that are a similar color to the selected point will be included within the selection.

Paint NET Magic Wand Tool Options

While a tool is active, the icons beside Tools change to display all available options. In this case, the only option is the selection mode. The default setting for this option is Replace. Hover your mouse cursor over each icon to see what it does. Replace: Any existing selections in the document are replaced with the new selection. Add (union): The new selection is added to the existing selection. This can be useful if you want to fine-tune the selection to include some areas of a different color.Subtract: New selections will remove parts of the original selection that are included in the new selection. Again, this feature can fine-tune a selection where areas have been selected that you did not intend to select.Intersect: New and old selections are combined so that only areas within both of the selections remain selected.Invert (“xor”): Add to the active selection, except when part of the new selection is already selected, in which case those areas are deselected. The magic wand tool shares the same selection options as the other tools, but it also has two additional options: Flood Mode and Tolerance.

Magic Wand Flood Mode Global vs Contiguous

This option affects the scope of the selection that is made. When set to Contiguous, only areas of a similar color that are connected to the selected point will be included in the final selection. When changed to Global, all areas within the image that are a similar color value are selected, which means that you can have multiple unconnected selections.

Magic Wand Tolerance Setting

The Tolerance setting affects how similar a color must be to the selected color in order to be included in the selection. A low setting means that fewer colors will be considered similar, resulting in a smaller selection. Adjust the Tolerance setting by clicking the blue bar or the plus (+) and minus (-) symbols. Making full use of the various selection modes and adjusting the Tolerance setting can give you a reasonable degree of flexibility to fine-tune the selection as required. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Using the Lasso Selection Tool in Paint.NET How to Remove the Background in Photoshop How to Change Background Color in Photoshop How to Remove a Background in GIMP How to Make Rubber Stamp Effects in Paint.NET How to Use the Photoshop Background Eraser Tool How to Apply Rubber Stamp Effects in Photoshop Elements 8 How to Change Folder Color on Mac The 5 Best Alternatives to Photoshop for Android How to Use the Refine Edge Tool in Photoshop How to Change a Google Docs Background to a Picture How to Use the Magnetic Lasso Tool In Adobe Photoshop Straighten a Crooked Photo With Paint.Net How to Insert and Paint 3D Models in Paint 3D How to Use the Snipping Tool in Windows 11 How to Use Firefox for Mac Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies