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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> "die-cutting" around people
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 08/27/2006 11:50:54 AM · #1
I have a photo of a band that I want to cut the people out of and put them on a solid background, is there an easy way to do this? Any tips/tricks that can be done with Photoshop Elements 2? I only know to use the lasso tool to cut them out, and I don't think I can get it good enough that way. I want to eliminate the background all together.

JLThoams
 08/27/2006 11:58:11 AM · #2
Zoom way in and just keep adding to the selection one small chunk at a time. I'm not sure if PSE 2 has a magic wand, but I usually use the wand in PSE 4 to get portions of the background. It's harder to do when you have colors in the background that match colors in the foreground, but it's quicker than Lasso'ing it all.
 08/27/2006 12:11:49 PM · #3
Originally posted by _eug:
Zoom way in and just keep adding to the selection one small chunk at a time. I'm not sure if PSE 2 has a magic wand, but I usually use the wand in PSE 4 to get portions of the background. It's harder to do when you have colors in the background that match colors in the foreground, but it's quicker than Lasso'ing it all.


Thanks.

I do have a magic wand tool to help get sections at a time, but still wondered if there was an easier way.

Janet
 08/27/2006 12:14:08 PM · #4
The pen tool is the best method for me. It takes a whilet o master it, but it is the most versitle tool for complex seletions and paths.

There are masking tools and techiques that people use too.
 08/27/2006 12:30:21 PM · #5
Originally posted by scarbrd:
The pen tool is the best method for me. It takes a whilet o master it, but it is the most versitle tool for complex seletions and paths.

There are masking tools and techiques that people use too.


Ditto
 08/27/2006 12:33:54 PM · #6
Is there an extract tool? That's what I'd use.
 08/27/2006 01:01:01 PM · #7
alpha channels are the best way.

less work, better quality, more detail.
08/27/2006 01:07:19 PM · #8
If it's a fairly complex background, I would start by making rough outlines of the people with the lasso tool, and I mean out from their borders by a bit. Copy to new layer, then discard the background and concentrate on cleanup.
 08/27/2006 01:12:54 PM · #9
Originally posted by karmabreeze:
If it's a fairly complex background, I would start by making rough outlines of the people with the lasso tool, and I mean out from their borders by a bit. Copy to new layer, then discard the background and concentrate on cleanup.


what you are discribing is called a 'garbage matte', and is one of the first steps before doing an alpa channel extraction.
 08/27/2006 01:54:41 PM · #10
I find the easiest way is to fill a new layer with black and adjust the opacity way down (far enough to see the image underneath while still seeing the black). Then using a hard edged brush at 100% opacity paint the people back in. Use a larger brush to start with to get the larger areas taken care of, then progressively move to smaller brushes and tighter zooms until it is as exact as you want it.

When finished, use the new black and white layer as a mask to extract the people.

David
 08/27/2006 01:58:11 PM · #11
Originally posted by David.C:
I find the easiest way is to fill a new layer with black and adjust the opacity way down (far enough to see the image underneath while still seeing the black). Then using a hard edged brush at 100% opacity paint the people back in. Use a larger brush to start with to get the larger areas taken care of, then progressively move to smaller brushes and tighter zooms until it is as exact as you want it.

When finished, use the new black and white layer as a mask to extract the people.

David


any tool that you have to use to hand extract an image is alot of work.
 08/27/2006 02:06:43 PM · #12
Oops. wrong thread.

Message edited by author 2006-08-27 18:07:08.
 08/27/2006 02:11:07 PM · #13
What is an alpha channel extraction? (or, how does one perform it?)
 08/27/2006 02:16:06 PM · #14
I'll put my vote in for the Pen Tool - its the only way to make large selections of the type you are talking about. the best part is that the selection you make is editable and can be saved. And it is really good for selecting curves as well. Once you've created a path around your object you rename the path so that it is saved - and then you can load it as a selection, or create another path.
I tend to stay away from the hair and then use a combination of methods
and
08/27/2006 02:17:19 PM · #15
Originally posted by American_Horse:
alpha channels are the best way.

less work, better quality, more detail.


I agree!

Not sure if photoshop elements has that?
 08/27/2006 02:22:59 PM · #16
can you post the photo? maybe some people will try it and you can see results.
 08/27/2006 02:25:23 PM · #17
Originally posted by taterbug:
What is an alpha channel extraction? (or, how does one perform it?)


basically what David described above:

"I find the easiest way is to fill a new layer with black and adjust the opacity way down (far enough to see the image underneath while still seeing the black). Then using a hard edged brush at 100% opacity paint the people back in. Use a larger brush to start with to get the larger areas taken care of, then progressively move to smaller brushes and tighter zooms until it is as exact as you want it. "

only you create this "black and white" layer of information in a new alpha chanel layer. From a view of your main image layers, you can load the alpha layer as a cusom selection and use it to remove the unselected areas- i.e. background.

This way is a bit more precise than using tools like the lasso or magic wand because you have more control over what is selected.
 08/27/2006 02:29:26 PM · #18
Originally posted by American_Horse:

any tool that you have to use to hand extract an image is alot of work.


True, it is more work, but once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad. I guess it depends also on what the final output will be- if the image is going on the internet or is to be printed small, it may not make sense to be so precise, but if it's going to printed large- doing it by hand is the best way to insure that it won't look "cut out".
 08/27/2006 02:51:18 PM · #19
Okay, maybe I'm being slow here :-)

I totally understand about using the brush tool, and getting your selection and all that. But I'm still lost about the alpha channel layer. I've looked all over (CS 2) I can't find where to create an 'alpha channel layer'. ????
 08/27/2006 02:52:43 PM · #20
Originally posted by taterbug:
Okay, maybe I'm being slow here :-)

I totally understand about using the brush tool, and getting your selection and all that. But I'm still lost about the alpha channel layer. I've looked all over (CS 2) I can't find where to create an 'alpha channel layer'. ????


what he said.
 08/27/2006 02:57:07 PM · #21
This article addresses alpha channels a little, perhaps enough to give an idea? It's down the page a bit, run a Ctrl-F on "alpha".
 08/27/2006 03:08:14 PM · #22
Originally posted by xianart:
Originally posted by taterbug:
Okay, maybe I'm being slow here :-)

I totally understand about using the brush tool, and getting your selection and all that. But I'm still lost about the alpha channel layer. I've looked all over (CS 2) I can't find where to create an 'alpha channel layer'. ????


what he said.


Okay... trying to remember how it works...

photoshop stores information for every image in the Alpha Channels (it's a tab, usually in the same pallate as your layers). There is a different alpha channel for each color, i.e. red stores information aobut red in the image and blue, green, OR C, M, Y, and K, etc... Anyway, if you are looking at Alpha channels in the layers pallete, you can create a new one to "paint" on...

Like many things, there are several ways to accomplish basically the same thing in photoshop....

I'll see what I can dig up online for tutorials...
 08/27/2006 03:12:30 PM · #23
Ahh here is a good explanation of alpha channels...

//www.informit.com/guides/content.asp?g=photoshop&seqNum=61&rl=1

08/27/2006 03:27:25 PM · #24
First step: garbage matte=

click bg layer holding down the alt key at the same time to create a 0 layer.

take a tool like the polygonal tool and click up to the image to be extracted, then click outside of the the whole image beyond the borders, link up to the begining of the line until you see the little o. when you see marching ants, delete the 'garbage'. If done correctly, you will see a checkered bg.

repeat steps until image to be extracted is almost clean of garbage.

The less info you have competeing with the extraction, the easier the alpha channel.

Alpha Channel (simple version)=

Now you have a rough outline of the image to be extracted.

Go into channels.

turn off one of the RGB one at a time.

find within the Red Blue or Green layers which Black and White image has the best contrast.

Copy this channel layer.

Go to Image at the top of the menu.

Apply image.

In apply image in the channel box put one of the other channel layers of the Green, Blue, or Red that has the least perfect contrast.

Blending is screen.

press ok.

press control I to invert the image.

go back into image/adjustments and into levels.

slide the white and black sliders back and forth until the image you want to extract is as white as can be. This is your opportunity to get as much detail as possible especially hair, trees, bushes, fractles of many kinds.

white extracts the image, black does not.

press ok when satisfied.

go back into channels, making sure the copy of the channel you selected is highlighted

Click load selection.

Click your RGB channel layer to turn on.

Click on the layers tab.

Look at the marching ants to see if there is any clean up you need to do with what ever favorite tool you want. I prefer the polygonal tool to do whatever clean up there is.

Take out any other garbage left over.

What you have left is the image you want to extract without alot of hand drawing with a paint brush, or an extraction tool.

There are more advanced Alpha Channel extractions to use, but this is the down and dirty basic one.

I hope this helps.
 08/27/2006 03:38:55 PM · #25
Originally posted by American_Horse:
*snipped for length*


You should totally make that into a tutorial.

Message edited by author 2006-08-27 19:39:05.
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