Problem with magic erase

[joka]

I think I must be missing something very basic but I am trying multiple erases on the same image. I have removed what I want but now cannot get rid of the surrounding dotted lines. In fact the image has a number of them. If I click outside the screen outside the image they disappear but as soon as I start again they all appear. How do I get them to disappear so i can move on to do something else with the picture? The tool works well but it isn't very user friendly ( or not to me).
Help please -- thanks

[xtom]

When you use a different tool on the image they should disappear. You can also flatten the photo group by right clicking on it with the select tool and select the Flatten Photo Group option, this will make it a new image with all your changes made permanent up to that point.

[joka]

Thanks Tom but I am still having difficulty. When I select a different tool they do indeed disappear but if I want to erase something else they reappear (even my mistakes). I am not sure what flattening the group means nor how I get to the option. I take it that the select tool is the cursor and,if so,nothing at all happens when I right click. I have managed to save the image but when I start again and hit the erase key all the dotted lines re-appear again. I have not had a problem with Photoshop Elements, perhaps I should revert to using that program. It ius just that the magic ersae is so quick and effective in many situations.

[joka]

O.K. Tom Have cracked it and discovered the selector tool has to be clicked and then returning to the image I reveal the options you describe. Have flattened still not aware of what that means and gone on to use the clone tool again.
It is a problem of ignorance and age. Thank you

[amoore]

Welcome to the forum, Joka! Glad you got the issue sorted out.

Allison

[gwpriester]

Basically, any edits you make to a photo are non-destructive, which is to say the original photo remains intact and the edits are applied to a new object placed over the photo. So, if you hold down the Ctrl key and click on an edited portion of the photo, you can select that patch and delete it.

Or, if you love the image with the changes you have made, then flatten the image as Tom suggests. When you flatten the image (this option is in the Arrange menu as well), a new image is created with all your edits added.

One more tip for using the Magic Erase Tool. If you do not like the erase, press Magic Erase again, and as many times as necessary until you get the desired effect. You can use Edit > Undo to go back to previous erasures if you want.

And once you create your mask, you can also drag on a section of the photo that has a similar texture and that area will replace what is in the mask.