To feather a selection means to give that selection a soft edge.  This is perfect when you are copying and pasting between files, as the soft edge aids the blending of motifs.

If you are working on a project which includes a lot of copying and pasting, you may choose to apply a default feather amount to all of your selections.  To do this, follow these simple steps;

1. Go to Window > Feather.  The following window will open:
2. Enter your desired feather amount.  A common amount is 2 or 3 pixels, but it depends entirely on how soft you want the edge of your selections to be.
3. Press ⮐ (return key) on the keyboard. Now all selections you create will expand by your chosen amount, and selected motifs will have a soft edge:

The image on the left was copied and pasted using a feathered selection. The image on the right was made using a regular selection.

 

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Applying a feather to specific selection

It is not always appropriate to feather all of your selections.  You may just need to feather one or two selections during your workflow.  To do this, follow these simple instructions;

1. Create you selection using the Lasso Tool, Rectangular Selection Tool, or the Magic Wand Tool.
2. Go to Edit Menu > Select > Feather.
3. Enter your desired feather amount:
4. Press ⮐ (return key). Your active selection will now include a soft edge.