The 4 Best Ways To Cut Out And Remove Backgrounds In Photoshop

In this tutorial, Brandon from Bewellcreative.com shares four top tools for cutting out images and removing backgrounds in Photoshop. The Quick Selection Tool is ideal for quick and simple selections, while the Pen Tool is perfect for detailed and custom selections around complex edges. The Select Color Range option is great for selecting a specific color to remove, particularly useful with solid backgrounds. Lastly, the Channels method is showcased for intricate selections like hair, where contrast between the subject and background can be utilized effectively. Brandon demonstrates how to combine these tools for refined selections and a perfect cutout, making this a valuable resource for photographers and photo editors.

Takeaways

• 🖌️ The Quick Selection Tool is great for quickly cutting out images with simple edges by painting over the area you want to select.
• ➖ Holding Alt/Option while using Quick Selection Tool allows you to subtract from the selection, refining the edges.
• ➕ Similarly, holding Alt/Option with the plus icon lets you add back to the selection, ensuring precise coverage around the subject.
• 🖋️ The Pen Tool is ideal for making custom and refined selections, especially for intricate edges or when high precision is needed.
• 🔄 You can adjust the curvature of the path in the Pen Tool by dragging out the control arms, which helps in following the subject's edge more closely.
• 🎨 The Select Color Range option in Photoshop is perfect for selecting a specific color to create a selection, useful for solid color backgrounds.
• 📈 Adjusting the fuzziness in the Color Range tool helps to soften the edges and remove any fringing, making the selection more realistic.
• 👔 For complicated edges like hair, the Channels option can be used to separate the subject from the background due to high contrast.
• 🖍️ After using channels to select the hair, you can use the Brush Tool in Overlay mode to refine areas and mask out unwanted grays.
• 🔍 Inverting the selection in the Color Range dialog box saves time as it eliminates the need for additional adjustments on the layer mask.
• 🧩 Combining different selection tools like Channels and Quick Selection Tool can create perfect selections, compensating for the limitations of individual methods.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is about the best tools to cut out images and remove backgrounds in Photoshop.

Who is the presenter of the video?

The presenter of the video is Brandon from bewildcreative.com.

What are the four tools discussed in the video for cutting out images in Photoshop?

The four tools discussed are the Quick Selection Tool, the Pen Tool, the Select Color Range option, and the Channels.

How does the Quick Selection Tool work in Photoshop?

The Quick Selection Tool works by painting the selection rather than a color. It is similar to the brush tool and can automatically snap to edges based on color similarity or contrast in the photo.

What is the purpose of the Pen Tool in making selections?

The Pen Tool is used for making custom and refined selections around an edge, especially when precision is needed, such as cutting out a person or dealing with a complex background.

How does the Select Color Range option help in cutting out images?

The Select Color Range option allows you to select a certain color and turn that into a selection based on that one color, which is useful for images with solid colored backgrounds.

What is the advantage of using the Channels for cutting out complicated edges like hair?

The Channels provide a way to cut out complicated edges by leveraging the contrast between the subject and the background in a specific color channel, which can be especially useful when other tools fall short.

How can you refine the selection made by the Quick Selection Tool?

You can refine the selection by holding the Alt/Option key and painting over the areas you want to remove or add back in with the minus or plus icon, respectively.

What is the process of using the Pen Tool to create a selection?

Using the Pen Tool, you click to add anchor points and drag to create curves. You can adjust control arms individually by holding the Alt/Option key and clicking on the control arm. Once the path is complete, you can right-click, make a selection, and then use a layer mask to cut out the image.

How does the Select Color Range tool handle multiple hues in an image?

The Select Color Range tool allows you to sample different colors by holding the Shift key and clicking on various hues. It adds these to the selection area, but it may not work well if the hues are not consistent or if they appear in both the subject and the background.

What blending mode can be used with the Brush Tool to refine edges without affecting the black areas?

The Overlay blending mode can be used with the Brush Tool to refine edges by painting over gray areas, which will mask them out without affecting the black areas.

How can you check for any transparent spots in the subject after cutting out the image?

You can hold Alt/Option and click on the layer mask to view the selection. Any black areas within the subject would indicate transparency, which you can then paint over with a white foreground color to make them visible.

Outlines

00:00

🖌️ Introduction to Cutting Out Images in Photoshop

The video begins with an introduction to the topic of cutting out images and removing backgrounds in Photoshop by Brandon from Bewildcreative.com. He emphasizes the popularity of this technique and introduces four top tools for the job. The Quick Selection Tool is highlighted as a long-time favorite for its simplicity and efficiency, which works by painting selections rather than color. Brandon demonstrates how to use the tool, refine edges, and create a selection around a subject. He also explains how to apply the selection to a layer mask to cut out the image non-destructively.

05:00

✒️ Using the Pen Tool for Precise Selections

The Pen Tool is introduced as an ideal choice for making custom and refined selections, particularly when precision is needed, such as cutting out a person or dealing with a complex background. Brandon explains how to access the Pen Tool and create anchor points and paths to form the selection outline. He demonstrates how to adjust control arms for curves and refine the path to match the edge of the subject closely. The Pen Tool's advantage is its ability to make clean, precise selections when the user manually defines the edges, which is particularly useful for complicated edges or when a perfect selection is crucial.

10:01

🎨 Selecting by Color Range for Simple Backgrounds

The Select Color Range option is presented as a powerful tool for selecting a specific color and turning it into a selection, which is especially useful when working with solid-colored backgrounds. Brandon shows how to access the tool, use the eyedropper to sample the background color, and adjust the selection preview. He discusses the importance of sampling different shades of the color and adjusting the fuzziness for a more realistic edge. The selection is then inverted to make the subject visible and transparent, which is a time-saving method when the background color is consistent and easily distinguishable from the subject.

15:02

📏 Utilizing Channels for Complex Edges

The Channels option is introduced for cutting out complex edges, such as hair, where other tools may fall short. Brandon navigates through the different color channels (red, green, and blue) to find the one with the highest contrast between the subject and the background. He duplicates the channel with the most contrast and uses the Levels adjustment to enhance the contrast further. With the improved channel, he paints over areas that need to be fully selected and uses blending modes to refine the edge. Finally, he turns the channel into a selection, inverts the layer mask, and uses additional tools like the Quick Selection Tool to clean up and refine the selection around the shoulders. The video concludes with a demonstration of how to fix any remaining transparent spots using the Brush Tool.

Keywords

Quick Selection Tool

The Quick Selection Tool in Photoshop is a selection tool that works similarly to a brush, allowing users to 'paint' over the area they want to select. It's used for quickly identifying and selecting objects or areas in an image based on color and contrast. In the video, Brandon uses this tool to select the sky around a building, demonstrating how it can automatically snap to edges, and how to refine the selection by holding the Alt/Option key to subtract from the selection.

Layer Mask

A Layer Mask in Photoshop is a non-destructive way to hide or reveal parts of a layer. It allows for the cutting out of an image without permanently removing the pixels. In the video, Brandon applies the selection to a layer mask to cut out the image of a building, and then inverts the mask to achieve the desired result.

Pen Tool

The Pen Tool is used for making precise, custom selections by creating paths that can be converted into selections. It is ideal for detailed work where the edge needs to be very specific, such as cutting out a person or an object with a complex background. Brandon demonstrates the Pen Tool by creating anchor points and paths around a building, showing how to adjust control arms for curves and refine the selection.

Select Color Range

The Select Color Range option in Photoshop is a tool that allows users to select a specific color in an image and create a selection based on that color. It's particularly useful for images with solid color backgrounds. Brandon uses this tool to select the blue sky and cut out palm trees, showing how to adjust the fuzziness for a more realistic selection.

Channels

Channels in Photoshop represent the color information in an image, typically divided into red, green, and blue. They can be used to make selections based on color contrast. In the video, Brandon uses the Channels to cut out a person's hair, demonstrating how to duplicate a channel, adjust levels for contrast, and use a brush tool to refine the selection.

Refining Edges

Refining Edges is a process in Photoshop that improves the quality of a selection, particularly useful for complex or detailed areas like hair. Brandon discusses this in the context of using the Quick Selection Tool to refine the edges around a person's shoulders after using the Channels to select the hair.

Inverting Selection

Inverting a selection in Photoshop means reversing the selected and unselected areas. This is often done when creating layer masks. Brandon inverts the selection when using a layer mask to cut out an image, ensuring that the desired part of the image is visible and the background is masked.

Feathering Selection

Feathering a selection in Photoshop softens the edges of the selection, creating a gradual transition between the selected and unselected areas. Although not explicitly mentioned in the script, it's an important concept when refining selections for a more natural look. Brandon mentions adjusting the feather radius to 0 pixels for a hard edge.

Blending Modes

Blending modes in Photoshop determine how layers interact with each other. Brandon changes the blending mode of the brush tool to Overlay when painting over gray areas to refine the edge, which only affects the gray areas and not the black ones, helping to mask out unwanted details.

Non-Destructive Editing

Non-destructive editing refers to making changes to an image without altering the original pixels. This allows for greater flexibility and the ability to revert changes. Using layer masks, as demonstrated by Brandon, is a prime example of non-destructive editing in Photoshop.

Photoshop

Photoshop is a powerful image editing software developed by Adobe. It offers a wide array of tools for photo manipulation, including those for selecting and masking parts of an image, as discussed in the video. Brandon uses various tools within Photoshop to demonstrate how to cut out and remove backgrounds from images.

Highlights

Learn about the four best tools to cut out images in Photoshop with Brandon from bewildcreative.com.

Quick Selection Tool is a popular and simple tool for making selections by painting over the desired area.

Use the Alt/Option key to refine edges and remove unwanted selections.

The Pen Tool is ideal for making custom and refined selections, especially for intricate edges.

Create anchor points and paths with the Pen Tool for precise selection outlines.

Adjust control arms individually for curved lines in selections using the Pen Tool.

Select Color Range is a powerful tool for selecting and cutting out images with solid color backgrounds.

Use the Eyedropper Tool within Select Color Range to sample and select specific colors.

Channels are perfect for cutting out complicated edges like hair due to their high contrast with the background.

Duplicate and adjust levels of a color channel to increase contrast and isolate the subject from the background.

Paint over gray areas in a channel with a black foreground color to ensure complete selection.

Use the Overlay blending mode with a brush to refine edges and mask out unwanted areas.

Combine different selection methods like Channels and Quick Selection Tool for complex subjects.

Quick Selection Tool can be used to clean up and refine selections around clear edges.

Invert the layer mask to cut out the image non-destructively using the selected tools.

Brush Tool can be used with a white foreground color to add back details that were cut out by mistake.

Check the layer mask for any transparent spots and paint over them to make the subject fully visible.

Use a combination of tools and techniques to achieve perfect selections for cutting out images in Photoshop.