Masks/alpha channels. The Quick Mask is actually a alpha channel thing, so that would be it. For hard edged forms (cars for instance) with large sides that scream for vectors I use the pen. I will make a selection of that pen path and turn that into a mask, most of the time. And of course if the image has to be imported in Quark XPress or InDesign with a clipping path. I never use the lasso tool and the direct Quick Mask. The lasso is too loose for me. I'd rather paint with alternating black and white in a mask or a channel, to REALLY get that selection in-sync with the pixels. When using a layer mask or alpha channels (different channels for different parts of what you want to select, for instance a different one for the hair, on which you do some blurring) the selecting is the last thing one does, after building the masks. Hope this is a start, debate-wise.