Removing background

[Wyman]

Hello again -

I have several pictures I'd like to remove the background on and use my photo. Are there any tutorials or videos on how to do this? I've searched the forum for instructions on how to do this and found one topic but I tried it and it didn't work. If someone can guide me in the right direction I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

[frank abramonte]

Wyman, there a number of ways to do what you want. It would be quicker to guide you if you posted some samples of the photos.
Basically you have to select the background in order to eliminate it. You could, if it's easier, select the subject rather than the background and inverse it. Again, seeing the photos would give you the best advice.

[msbrad]

I'm with Frank. Post an example if you can. Do know, you will most likely, use more than one tool in achieving this goal.(I love the challenge of extracting).
Also, if you have Grant's tools to utilize his mask- that will come in handy too. They work great with elements 5.
m

[Wyman]

Hi Frank and Michelle - thanks for responding. I have attached a few of the pics. There are more but they're all similar.

Regards,

[Diana]

Hi Wyman,

Removing a background is basically a selection issue, because once you get your subject(s) selected, whether it be by using a particular tool or combination of tools, then you can easily copy the selected subject to its own layer with Ctrl-J. Then insert a new background in the image and drag the new background layer beneath the cutout subject layer.

You may have to tweak the edges of the cutout to make it look like it blends in with your new background. I often use the Blur tool (in with the Smudge & Sharpen tools) and run it around the edge of the cutout subject.

As far as selection methods, there are a few kind of "automatic" selection tools but because they don't always make a clean selection, I find I spend more time cleaning up the selection than if I just made the selection myself with my favorite selection tool, the Polygonal Lasso. I like the control it gives me to carefully click around the edges of the subject.

I zoom way in to 200% or more so I can distinguish the colors of the pixels between the subject and background. When selecting and you get to the edge of the workspace, hold the spacebar down and the Lasso changes to the Hand and you can drag to a new area of the photo to continue your selection.

I find it's less stressful to select in stages. Make sure the selection tool option (in the options bar at the top of the workspace) is set to "add to selection." Then select an area, say select around the head until the end point meets the start point, then start a new stage, say the shoulder and arm and complete that selection and then go on with other parts, remembering to connect all your selections, until the whole subject is completely selected.

One thing I find handy is to save my selection after completing each stage, in case something happens, so I don't have to start all over again. To do that, from the menu: Select > Save Selection > give it a name. I usually just name my selections with numbers after each stage of my selection, as I go.

I'm sure you'll get plenty of other good advice.
Everyone has their own preferred way of selecting (extracting) their subjects to add a new background. This is mine. I also sometimes use Grant's Tools layer mask to mask out the background.


Diana

[Diana]

Wyman, your portrait is so easy to select around - no wispy hairs to try to select, just nice rounded angles - a cinch. I hope you don't mind, I had some fun with your first example.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1wdNKqNyGT0w0KWAEqexEd6gS4mpjk1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1wdNKqNyGT0w0KWAEqexEd6gS4mpjk1)

Diana

[Wyman]

Wyman, your portrait is so easy to select around - no wispy hairs to try to select, just nice rounded angles - a cinch. I hope you don't mind, I had some fun with your first example.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1wdNKqNyGT0w0KWAEqexEd6gS4mpjk1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1wdNKqNyGT0w0KWAEqexEd6gS4mpjk1)

Diana

Diana - First of all thanks for your reply. Secondly, those pics look GREAT!! I don't mind you having fun with pics. :)

Could you tell me what tool you used to remove the background? I'm going to try it again tonight when I get home.

I viewed your galleries and you're quite the creative one. Seeing work like that only gives me the drive to keep trying. I'm not really creative and that's why I'm trying to learn PSE.

Thanks again for responding.

[Diana]

Hi Wyman, see my instructions in Post #5 above.

I used the Polygonal Lasso (click and hold on the Lasso tool and you'll see 3 versions. The bottom one is the Polygonal Lasso).

Zoom way in to at least 100%. The easiest way to get to 100% is to double click on the Zoom tool (looks like a magnifying glass) - at the lower left corner of the workspace, you can see the percentage view of the image.

To select, start clicking at the lower edge right on the edge of your shirt and click in smallish increments all around your shoulders, up around your head, and down the other side, then across the bottom to meet where you started.

Then press Ctrl-J to copy the selected area to its own layer. In the layers palette, click on the layer beneath your cutout layer.

Now open an image you want to use for the new background. To get both images displayed in the workspace, from the menu: Window > Images > Tile. Then select the Move tool (first one at the top). Click on the new background image and drag it over to the original image. It should come in as a new layer beneath the cutout.

You may need to resize the new background. It should have a bounding box around it with square "handles." You can resize it by dragging inward or outward on one of the corner handles. If you can see the edges of the new background because it is larger than your cutout image, with the Move tool selected, press Ctrl-0 (zero) and it will resize the image so you can see the edges of the new background.

Once you get the new background positioned, click on the cutout layer to make it active. Get the Blur tool (press R on the keyboard until you see the tool that looks like a big teardrop). In the options bar at the top of the workspace, set the strength to about 20%, and set the brush size to a small size, then hold the left mouse button down and run the Blur tool around the edge of the cutout until it looks more blended in with the new background.

Here is a link to a list of sites to download good photos to use for backgrounds:
http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=273718&postcount=7

Hope this helps.

Diana

[Wyman]

Hi Diana - after following your instructions, I attempted to do this myself. Please let me know what you all think. I welcome any constructive criticism and suggestions. No offense taken as I'm a beginner and you guys are the experts.

Regards,

[Diana]

Hey, that looks great!

Diana

[Wyman]

Hey, that looks great!

Diana
Thanks for the compliment Diana. Gotta another question for you, is that a template you used in the example you did of me? If so, where did you get it from?