Quick Question: How do you center a selection in CS5

I have an 11x14 canvas size. I want to select a 6x9 area in the center of the 11x14. This will give exactly 2.5 inches all the way around the selection. I have my selection set a "Fixed Size", but I am finding problems "eyeballing" the exact center of the 11x14.

Is there an easy way to force a selection into the center of the canvas?

Thanks,

Rad

I am using CC. (I do have CS5 but it won't open unless I change my Java version and I'm not going to do that.)

When you have the move tool selected, do you see the tools that the yellow are is pointing to? These will align your selection (top, center, bottom, left, center, right).

Shoot, not on CS5, but thanks for the response.

Rad

First, go to View>New Guide, and add a vertical guide at 50%.

Then repeat, adding a horizontal guide at 50%. This gives you your exact centre point.

Then, with the Marquee tool, enter your "Fixed Size" in the options bar. I assume you've already done this?

Then, instead of simply clicking on the image to create the marquee selection, Alt-click on that exact centre point.

The most accurate way is to press CTRL+A to select the full image and then from the menus SELECT > TRANSFORM SELECTION. Then just type in the width and height required in the options bar (make sure that the reference point is set to the centre )

John posted the way it is "supposed" to be done, if there is such a thing. It is probably fastest too. Guides are a little goofy in PS because you can place them on top of a pixel which would give you an aliased edge in most situations, and lead to inconsistant selections. May or not be a problem.

Photoshop pastes things in the center of whatever is showing on your monitor. If you have the whole image showing (command-zero on Mac, control-zero Windoze), your pasted pixels will go right in the middle. You could make a new document at 6x9 and copy paste it into the larger document as a layer or even a mask while in the channels palette. Sounds like you might need a mask anyway.

Thanks all for the guidance.

Rad