Quickly re-create Auto-Layer-Select conditions in Photoshop

Dec-18-05, 11:45 pm by Hanford
File under: User Interface, Photoshop

Here's a quick way to see auto-layer-selection with the Direct Selection and Path Selection tools.
I am doing this test with Photoshop CS2 for Windows.

Create two seperate vector layers with rectangles on them.
Color them differently for easy identification.
Stagger them so they look like this:

Select one of the two vector layers.
Choose the Direct Selection tool or the Path Selection tool:

Click on the other, non-selected rectangle.

Photoshop automatically selects the other layer.

That's the issue with rectangles. You can witness the bounding-box limitations by using circles:

Clicking in the lower-right corner of the white circle (inside the white shape's invisible bounding box) selects the white circle:
Photoshop Auto Selection bounding

Clicking just a few pixels to the right (outside of the white shape's invisible bounding box) selects the black shape:

Photoshop Vector bounding box problem

Again, I don't think most people understand that's how it works, and I never understood it in the five+ years I've been using Photoshop's Vector tools until I unearthed it while writing my other blog post.

For a more detailed explaination of how this behavior causes problems, view my Photoshop CS2 Vector Shape Auto-Selection post.

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