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This lesson demonstrates how to extract people from their backgrounds. To work along you will find the image I am working with Here. Unzip the file and open it onto Photoshop’s workspace ready to use.
Undo and Navigation Steps
Two ways of undoing steps are from the top menu, Edit then Step Backwards. Alternatively, click a previous snapshot in the History Palette.
Navigate (zoom in and pan) your image using the Navigator Palette,
or the Zoom Tool. 
Activate The Hand Tool by tapping the Spacebar, keeping the Spacebar pressed, pan your image in the usual way. 
Background removal - your tools and choices - Background Removal Tutorials
Removing backgrounds is a slow and steady process (there is no magic button), undoubtedly, you will require patience, and time. Having said that, there are many tools that will assist you. Alternative precision tools include - The Extract Filter Command,
The Polygonal Lasso, The Eraser Tool, The Magic Wand, The Magnetic Lasso Tool, The Lasso Tool, The Background Eraser Tool, The Pen Tool and Masking.
Tip
Click the Channels tab (found in the Layers palette), and find a good contrast between the element and it’s background, before you begin. Channels Tutorial Here!
For precision, zoom into your image, and (if necessary) remove difficult areas pixel-by-pixel - this is especially important when removing backgrounds from human, or animal hair. Experiment with all of the aforementioned tools and discover what works best for you and your needs - different images require different combinations of tools.
The most important tool for this type of background removal is patience!
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Open your image onto Photoshop’s workspace.
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Then from the top menu, choose Layer then New then choose Background From Layer, there is no need to name it, select OK
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From the top menu, choose View then choose Zoom In.
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Then from the left-side toolbar, activate the Magic Eraser Tool.
And set the following attributes into its Options bar.
The Magic Eraser Tool works by removing same-coloured pixels from a designated area and needs to be used with care - especially if the background and image share the same coloured pixels - as they do in my image (red pixels).
Beginning on the left-side of the photograph, hover your curser over the white stripe, as shown here.  Then left-click.
You will notice that all white pixels within the block have been removed from the image.
Now, hover your curser over the yellow block, and left-click. 
Most of the yellow will be removed - you may need to click more than once.
If parts of the colours remain, simply click over the colour to remove it fully.
 
Continue to remove the background; if however, you find part of the woman in the image is also being removed, reduce the Tolerance percentage slightly, then from the top menu ,choose Edit then choose Step Backwards and start again.
Important
Do not click on the red band as it will remove the woman’s red dress also, as demonstrated here.
Tip
When removing areas of an image with this tool ensure that the tiny (sparkle) black icon above the eraser (shown below) does not touch any part of the image you wish to keep.
Once you have removed as many of the outside (background) pixels that is possible with the Magic Eraser tool, your image may resemble mine below.
Note: Because of similar pixels colours, you will not be able to make a clean background removal using just the Magic Eraser Tool - additionally, remember to err on caution and keep away (as much as possible) from similar pixel colours and the woman. If you remove too much, simply step backwards, and reapply your last step - or steps.
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We will change our tool - therefore, from the left-side toolbar, activate the Polygonal Lasso Tool. Polygonal Lasso Tutorial Here!
And set the following attributes into its Options bar.
Tip - retracing your steps
Whilst you are stretch-clicking the line, and before the marquee is applied, to go back one step, press (either) the Delete or the Backspace key of your keyboard - press your chosen key for however many steps you want to go back - this is for Window PC
users - presently, I am unfamiliar with Mac’s.
For accuracy Zoom In further to the image, then beginning on the outside of the woman’s head.
left-click where I have indicted above, then release the mouse button. Now, stretch and click a lasso line across the red band and left click - the first part of the lasso has been applied.
Now left-click and stretch the lasso line (downwards) as shown below.
Complete the circuit by stretching your lasso line towards where you began, in a triangular shape. Then pass your cursor over where you started the line, and left-click to complete the circuit. Your line will immediately change to a selection marquee (moving dotted lines).
Important - displaying the selection marquee (moving dotted lines)
To display the selection marquee either complete the full circuit with the lasso by passing your curser (lasso line) over the exact point where you started the lasso, and
left-clicking. Your line will immediately change to a marquee. To cancel the marquee at any time, simply double-left-click, or press the Backspace or Delete key of your keyboard.
 
You will know when you have passed the starting point by the immediate presence of the marquee, shown here.
This technique improves with practise.
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When the marquee (moving dotted lines) is complete, from the keyboard - press the Delete key, and the area inside the marquee, is deleted.
Being careful to avoid the subject, continue deleting the background using the Polygonal Lasso until your image looks something like mine (below right).
Note
You must remove the previous marquee before applying the next, to do that - from the top menu, choose Select then choose Deselect.
  
We will now complete the background removal, this time, removing the pixels closest to the subject - first Zoom into the image.
 
Then, whilst retaining the Polygonal Lasso Tool settings, carefully remove the background pixels close to the image, in the same way as described in the last chapter.
Tip - Magic Wand Tool
Another way to remove pixels (for example next to the hairline), left-click a pixel with the Magic Wand Tool.
Then right-click the image and from the drop-down menu choose Similar.
Then press the Delete key of the keyboard and all pixels of the colour you have surrounded, should be deleted.  Again, this requires practise.
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Once you have carefully removed all visual pixels surrounding the subject, finish with the Eraser tool, and being very careful not to touch the subject, mop away remaining pixels.
 
Tip - remove ragged edges
To smooth ragged edges, from the toolbar activate the Blur Tool.
And set the following attributes into its Options bar.
And carefully apply the blur tool to the edges of ragged lines, as shown below - experiment with the Strength and Mode settings.
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Finally, to ensure all background pixels have been removed, follow Chapter 5 of my Background Eraser Tutorial Here! and create a new layer, then fill the new layer with a contrasting colour - this displays stray pixels enabling complete removal using the same background removal tools.
Now you have removed the background, you can open a second image onto Photoshop’s workspace, and drag this image onto it, to do that activate the Move Tool and simply drag the subject onto the second image, as shown below. 
Note
You will notice the red dress is much lighter than its new background, this can be altered (toned down), using various tools - including Layer Blend Modes, and various tools, including Brightness/Contrast. Tutorials Here!
Removing backgrounds from hair/animals
You are able to remove backgrounds from complicated elements with care and patience - as I have with Sacha (our hairy canine), at the top of this tutorial. This takes time, patience - I employed all of the mentioned methods - utilising various brush tips and zooming in, to remove difficult areas - such as hair - pixel by pixel. You may find The Extract Filter, or Masking a better alternative.
Finally, from the top menu, choose Layer then choose Flatten Image, then link here to save your work.
Wendi E. M. Scarth - Top of Page - Home.
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