Tool manual

How to use the Elliptical Marquee tool

The Elliptical Marquee tool selects an oval or a circle, for a round crop, a vignette or a round frame around something.

Where to find it

It is in the toolbar, in one slot with Rectangular Marquee. Right-click the slot, or press and hold it, to choose between them. Press Shift+M until it is selected (M on its own picks Rectangular Marquee).

How to use it

1. Choose the tool. Press Shift+M until the dashed circle is selected, or right-click the marquee slot in the toolbar and pick it.
2. Drag an oval. Drag across the area. The oval fits inside the box you drag.
3. Make a circle. Press Shift after you start dragging to keep it round.
4. Use the selection. Fill it, copy it to a new layer, or invert it with Select → Inverse to work on everything outside it.

Options bar settings

• New, Add, Subtract, Intersect: How a new oval combines with the selection you already have. Shift, Alt and Shift+Alt do the same while you drag.
• Size: Choose Fixed size and type a width and height to place ovals of an exact size with one click.

Tips and common mistakes

• For a soft round vignette, select the oval, choose Select → Inverse, then fill or darken the outside.
• For a soft edge, choose Select → Modify → Feather… before you fill or adjust.

Related

• How to use the Rectangular Marquee tool
• How to use the Lasso tool
• How to use the Gradient tool

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Checked 13 November 2026 in the current editor.

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