How familiar are you with cutting out images in Photoshop? Did you know that you can use the selection tool, pen tool, or channel cut out to remove a section in your image? In this article, not only, will you get to know how to cut out an image in photoshop, but also to ensure it remains as natural as possible.
Photoshop is an ideal software that you can use to edit your images to suit your preference. However, imagine you want to cut out a certain part in your image or change the image's background. What will you do? Moreover, you will want your image to remain as natural as possible without interfering with how it looks. In this article, we will share with you how to cut out an image in Photoshop. We will teach you how to use the selection tool, pen tool, channel-cut out, and choose a subject.
1. Selection Tool
Photoshop has many selection tools such as the magic wand tool, quick selection tool, the lasso tool, and the magnetic lasso tool. They are all suitable for simple image matting with strong color contrast and sharp edge separation. Even if you are not always the accurate one when cutting out images, the tools make it easier to cut, and if you leave out a part, there are modifying tools you can use. This method is suitable for photos where the subject and background color are distinct.
Step 1: Choose the appropriate tool according to the image style. For example, the lemon photo has two distinct colors; yellow and white. Hence, it will work best with the magic wand tool.
Step 2: Click on the blank space, and the dotted line will automatically fit in the edge of the lemon. If the selection is not accurate, you can change it by adjusting the upper threshold.
Step 3: If there is something wrong, you can adjust it by holding down Shift and Alt keys and use “Tolerance” at the top. If you want to decrease the selection, hold “Alt” and click on the selection. However, if you want to increase the selection, hold “Shift” and click on the selection. This will help extend the selection.
Step 4: Once you are satisfied with the image, add a background at the end to see how the image matting works. Also, ensure the background you add contrasts with the image. This helps ensure the image looks original.
2. Channel cutout
This works for a range of colors, such as a white cloud in a blue sky or a green tree in nature, to create a good translucency effect.
Step 1: Select a picture with white clouds, and we will pull out the clouds. You will find it difficult to select a good white cloud outline using the magic wand or the pen tool. Hence, the best method will be using the channel cutout.
Step 2: Open the image in Photoshop. Duplicate the layer with the image. You will find the channel option on the left taskbar. Hence, in the channel panel, select the three alpha channels, red, green, and blue.
Step 3: Select them one by one to find the channel with the greatest contrast. If you try them all, you will see that the red channel has the greatest contrast.
Step 4: Hold down Ctrl + left mouse button and click on the copied channel. Alternatively, you can also use Ctrl + L to adjust the levels to increase the contrast.
Step 5: Go back to the Layers panel and duplicate the selection selected by Ctrl + J.
Step 6: Create a blue background to see the effect of the pulled clouds.
Step 7: You will have various layers there that you can use to see the cut-out image and the blue background.
3. The pen tool
This is mainly used for pictures with complex edges that are not distinguishable from the background—for example, this photo of a car. As you can see, there is a part of the shadow that cannot be deducted using the magic wand tool. Hence, the pen tool can help closely cut out the car from the image.
Step 1: Place the photo in Photoshop cc, and create an anchor point on the edge of the car.
Step 2: Drag the Pen Tool along the edges of the Object (car) so that the path fits the contour.
Step 3: In places where there is no perfect fit, the anchor points can be added or adjusted.
Step 4: Keep ticking until the initial point. Moreover, ensure you capture all the areas and try to be as accurate as possible. However, if you destroy a part, you can still use the pen tool to check some of the edges' areas are not clear enough. This will ensure you get a clean image at the end.
Step 5: Press Ctrl + J simultaneously, and the car will be pulled out perfectly.
Step 6: Create a background layer to look at. You will note that there won’t be any extra background image on edge.
4. Choose the subject
This method is mainly aimed at editing the character’s hair. Therefore, there are a lot of interlaced pictures with complex backgrounds. Nevertheless, this is a great method when there is only one character in the image.
Akia Original Image:
Step 1: Using the Quick Selection Tool or the Magic Wand Tool, select the ‘subject’ option in the top right taskbar. If the selection is not accurate, you can adjust it by yourself. This is mainly for some hair that may be left out.
Step 2: Click “Select and Cover” to change the view mode to Overlay, and drag the transparency slider to increase the opacity, so that you can see if the task edge has been erased.
Step 3: Select the Refine Edge Brush Tool on the left, set the Tool Brush Size, and smear on the edge of the hair to see whether the white edge of the hair is decreasing.
Step 4: Apply it carefully, and do not erase too much of the hair until the white edge is completely removed.
Step 5: Add a little flat degree and emergence value appropriately, and click OK.
Step 6: Create a new black background under it and check if it is erased.
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