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Preview application: where is my lasso tool?

There should be an arrow next to the "selection" button where different types of selection tools would pop up, but there is not one. My only option is the square/rectangular selection tool. I want to draw my selection with the lasso tool, but where is it? Help!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Jun 18, 2011 11:08 AM

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11 replies

Jun 18, 2011 12:35 PM in response to juliaundorfer

I found this in the Preview Help viewer...


To select an area in an image:

  1. Choose one of the following from the Select pop-up menu in the toolbar:
  2. Rectangular Selection: Selects a rectangular-shaped region.
  3. Elliptical Selection: Selects an oval-shaped region.
  4. Lasso Selection: Selects an irregularly shaped area.
  5. Drag over the area you want to select.


Doesn't copy/paste very good... hope you can read it.


Jun 18, 2011 12:59 PM in response to captfred

Must be in the type of file being annotated.


Okay - that makes sense.


Possible workaround:


Use the rectangular selection tool to grab a portion of the PDF that includes the part you really want, Copy to clipboard.


Close that view.


Then use the "New from Clipboard" command in Preview's File menu to create a new doc with the section previously grabbed. Then see if the Lasso selection tool is available.


Edit --


OK, that works, but with an additional step. Doing the "New from Clipboard" choice to make a new doc using the rectangularly selected portion resulted in a PDF-based doc - no Lasso tool available. The solution was to do a Save As within Preview for the new doc, choosing PNG from the type menu.

Sep 30, 2011 8:20 AM in response to juliaundorfer

Hello,
I had the same problem, i'm not really used to using mac computers but i've ust figured out how to do this..i think.
Go to "view", the "customize tool bar", make sure show "icon and text" is checked in the box at the bottom, then either drag up the default toolbar to the toolbar place or just drag the toolbar that has the "move,text,select" option to the toolbar. Click "done".
Then all you have to do is click the "select" tool, go down to "lasso selection" and go from there.
I hope this helps you =)
Sorry if someone else has already wrote the correct answer.

Preview application: where is my lasso tool?

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