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Since November 6, 2026, Figma has simplified one of those small repetitive actions that, added up over time, eat into your day. The Select area tool, which lets you isolate or erase part of an image using AI, now comes with automatic object detection. In practice: you click on an element visible in an image, Figma understands its edges, and selects it for you. No more tracing pixel by pixel to isolate a logo, a character, or a product in a photo.
This improvement is currently available only on the Figma desktop app for macOS. If you work in the browser or on Windows, you will need to wait, or switch to the Mac app to use it.
Select area already existed, but it required you to trace the area to isolate yourself, a bit like a manual lasso tool. On a complex image (a product visual with multiple elements, a detailed illustration, a photo with a busy background), that step could quickly become tedious, especially if you had to redo it several times to refine your selection.
With automatic detection, Figma brings in a mechanic already familiar from some professional photo editing tools, but built directly into your design workspace. You no longer need to leave Figma to clean up an image or isolate an element before adding it to a mockup, a presentation, or a brand visual.
| Before this update | With automatic detection |
|---|---|
| Tracing the object’s outline by hand | A single click on the object is enough |
| Risk of imprecision on complex shapes | Edges detected by AI |
| Time spent scales with image complexity | Time savings especially visible on busy visuals |
| Available on all platforms | Available only on the macOS app for now |
At Mazette.co, we handle visuals all day long, whether for website mockups, brand materials, or product screens. And honestly, this kind of update does not make headlines, but it saves precious time on tasks we repeat constantly.
The idea itself is not revolutionary, AI object detection has existed elsewhere for a while. What matters is that Figma builds it directly into the workflow, without forcing you to juggle multiple pieces of software. That is exactly the kind of improvement we appreciate: discreet, concrete, and one that removes a daily friction rather than adding a gimmicky feature.
Our only reservation: the macOS exclusivity. Not every team works on Mac, and it is frustrating to see such a practical feature limited to only part of the user base. We hope Figma extends it quickly to browser and Windows, as is often the case with this kind of new feature.
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This update reflects a broader trend at Figma: automating repetitive micro tasks in visual editing so teams can spend more time on creativity and brand consistency, and less on technical manipulation. If you work on macOS, the tool is available right now in the desktop app.
If you are looking to professionalize your brand visuals beyond this kind of one off tweak, support in visual identity and graphic design helps structure all your assets, logos, and variations into a coherent system built to last.
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You open the Select area tool on an image in Figma, then click directly on the object you want. Figma detects its edges automatically and selects it for you, no need to trace a shape by hand. You can then isolate or erase it in a single move.
Not yet. According to Figma’s release notes, this Select area feature is only available on the macOS desktop app. You will need to download the Figma app for Mac to try it, while waiting to see if it rolls out to other platforms.
Select area is an AI powered image editing tool that lets you select a specific part of an image to isolate or erase it, directly within Figma. The new automatic object detection speeds up this selection, which previously required drawing the outline by hand.
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