How do I fill a selected area with color in Photoshop?

To fill a selected area with color in Photoshop, you can use the Paint Bucket Tool or fill commands. Here's how:

Method 1: Using the Paint Bucket Tool

1. Select the Paint Bucket Tool: Press the "G" key or find it in the toolbar (it's often grouped with the Gradient Tool).
2. Choose Foreground Color: Click on the foreground color swatch in the toolbar (usually located at the bottom) to open the Color Picker. Select your desired color and click "OK".
3. Configure the Paint Bucket Tool (Optional): In the options bar at the top of the screen, you can adjust:
   • Tolerance: This determines how similar the surrounding colors need to be to be filled. A higher tolerance fills a wider range of colors.
   • Contiguous: If checked, only fills areas directly connected to the clicked pixel that match the color range specified by the tolerance. If unchecked, it fills all matching areas within the selection.
   • All Layers: Determines if the tool samples color from all visible layers or just the active layer.
4. Click Inside the Selection: With the Paint Bucket Tool selected and the foreground color chosen, click anywhere within your selected area. The area will fill with the foreground color.

Method 2: Using the Fill Command

1. Ensure You Have an Active Selection: Use a selection tool (like the Lasso Tool, Rectangular Marquee Tool, or Magic Wand Tool) to define the area you want to fill.
2. Go to Edit > Fill: Navigate to the "Edit" menu and select "Fill...". You can also use the keyboard shortcut Shift + F5.
3. Choose a Fill Option: In the Fill dialog box, you'll find various options:
   • Use: Allows you to select from options like:
     • Foreground Color: Fills with the currently selected foreground color.
     • Background Color: Fills with the currently selected background color.
     • Color...: Opens the Color Picker to choose a specific color.
     • Content-Aware: Attempts to intelligently fill the selection based on the surrounding content. (Not directly for filling with solid color, but useful in other scenarios.)
     • Pattern: Fills with a selected pattern.
     • History: Fills with a state from the History panel.
     • Black, 50% Gray, White: Fills with the respective grayscale values.
   • Blending: Set the blending mode for the fill. "Normal" is typically used for a standard color fill.
   • Opacity: Adjust the opacity of the fill.
   • Preserve Transparency: If checked, only fills the non-transparent areas of the selected layer.
4. Click "OK": Your selected area will fill according to the chosen settings.

Example

Let's say you've used the Lasso Tool to select a circle in your image and want to fill it with red.

• Method 1 (Paint Bucket): Select the Paint Bucket Tool, choose red as your foreground color, and click inside the circle.
• Method 2 (Fill Command): Make sure the circle is selected, go to Edit > Fill, choose "Foreground Color" (assuming your foreground color is red), and click "OK".

Remember to create a new layer if you want to fill an area without affecting the original image directly.