#photoshop tutorial Cutting out images the old fashioned way

Cutting out an image from its background is at times a sheer necessity, but many users of photoshop find this difficult. There is an absolute horror of the Pen Tool, while the Quick Select Tool is not found in all versions of photoshop. Photoshop offers the Lasso Tools as selection tools but they are not good for making accurate selections, or are they not? You can make selections also with the Lasso Tools. See how in this tutorial.

This is an image cut out from its background with the Lasso Tools and pasted on a black background.

The original is below.

I will be using this stock image. You can find it here

It belongs to faestock

Step 1 : These are the three Lasso Tools in Photoshop.

Step 2 : The icons at the top give the methods to use the Lasso Tools. Note that I have set a feather of 10 pixels. The feather will depend on the resolution of the image. The higher the resolution the higher the feather and the lower the resolution the lower the feather.

Step 3 : I have made a loose selection around the image with the Lasso Tool. It is not at all an accurate selection. Also note that though the upper half  of the image has a good contrast with the green foliage, the lower half lacks contrast. The lower half presents a problem.

Step 4 : Press CTRL+J. The selection is copied and pasted on Layer1.

 

Step 5 : Press CTRL and click the New Layer icon.

Step 6 : A new Layer 2 forms below Layer 1.

Step 7 : The Foreground/Background colors should be set to the default Black and White.

Step 8 : Press CTRL+BACKSPACE to fill with the Background Color which is White. Layer 2 fills with White.

The image looks like this.

Step 9 : Click on Layer 1 and CTRL+CLICK the layer thumbnail.

Step 10 : A selection of marching ants appear.

Step 11 : Press CTRL+ to zoom into the image.

Step 12 : Click the Magnetic Lasso.

Step 13 : In the top panel click on the Subtract from selection icon.

Step 14 : Click in the white area. Click and drag with the Magnetic Lasso to select. Press delete to delete the last point if you go wrong. Press Esc to begin again.

Step 15 : Click and drag and then click back on the first point.

Step 16 : A portion has now been selected accurately. This is how it is done. First I have made a loose selection with the Lasso Tool then subtracted from the selection with the Magnetic Lasso.

Step 17 : Press the Space Bar to scroll down or move in the image while being fully zoomed in.

Step 18 : Click with the Magnetic Lasso on the white portion and click and drag another portion before returning to the first point.

Another portion has been selected accurately. This is how the selection is being modified. Work with small portions and your selection will be quite accurate.

Step 19 : Once the entire selection is in place press CTRL+0 to zoom out.

Step 20 : Press CTRL+J to copy and paste the selection on Layer 3.

Step 21 : Press CTRL+New Layer icon.

Step 22 : A new Layer 4 forms below Layer 3.

The Foreground/Background colors are set to the default Black/White.

Step 23 : Press ALT+BACKSPACE to fill with the Foreground Color which is Black. Layer 4 is filled with Black.

The image now looks like this.

Step 24 : Click the New Layer icon. A new Layer 5 forms above Layer 4.

Step 25 : Click the Brush Tool. 

Step 26 : To make the Brush large press ] (right square bracket) and to make it small [ (left square bracket). To make it hard press SHIFT+] and to make it soft SHIFT+[.  These are the shortcut keys.

Step 26 : I have set the Brush Size at 700 px and Hardness to 0.

Step 27 : Click the small bent arrow to switch the Foreground Color to White or press x on the keyboard.

Step 28 : Lower the Opacity of the Brush in the top panel to 30%.

Step 29  : Click around the edges of figure with the Brush.

Step 30 : Lower the Opacity of the Layer 5 to 55%.

The finished image.

Other photoshop tutorials are here

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#photoshop tutorial Resizing facial features

Facial features can be enhanced by making them bigger (or smaller) with the help of simple selections in Photoshop no matter which version you may be using. So go ahead making the eyes subtly larger, nose longer and lips fuller. 

The eyes, lips and nose in this image has been resized with selections. The changes are subtle and not  dramatic The original is below.

I will be using this stock image. You  will find it here

It belongs to Albert-Smirnov

Step 1 : I will be using the Lasso Tool. The Magnetic Lasso can also be used or the Polygon Lasso Tool.

Step 2 : In the top panel click the relevant icon to make a new selection, add to selection, substract from selection and intersect with selection.

Step 3 : The selection has a feather to fade out hard edges.By default it is set to 0. Make it 10 pixels.

Those using a more advanced version of photoshop can use the Refine Edge. It is grayed out right now as there is no active selection.

Step 4 : Click the add to selection icon and draw a selection.

Step 5 : I deliberately selected a larger area than needed and am going to decrease the selection by clicking the Subtract from selection icon. You can see how it is done.

Step 6 : I am again subtracting from the selection.

Step 7 : I am further subtracting from the selection. These steps are to show how you can get the selection you want. 

This is my modified selection.

Step 8 : Press CTRL+J to copy copy and paste the selection to a new layer (Layer 1) . Double click where shown to rename the the layer 'left eye'. It helps to rename the layers to what is on a particular layer.

Step 9 : Click back on the Background Layer.

Step 10 : Make a selection of the right eye and modify the selection.

Step 11 : Press Ctrl+J to copy the selection to a new layer. Rename it right eye.

Step 12 : Make a selection of the nose.

Step 13 : Click on the Background layer.

Step 14 : Press CTRL+J. Rename the layer nose.

Step 15 : Make a selection of the lips.

Step 16 : Click on the Background layer.

Step 17 : Press CTRL+J. Rename the layer lips.
We have the eyes, nose and lips on separate layers.

Step 18 : Click on the left eye layer.

Step 19 : Press CTRL+T. A selection forms.

Step 20 : Press CTRL+SHIFT and drag the left bottom corner handle down. (You can drag any of the corners to resize).  The changes should be subtle. You would not want unrealistic looking large eyes. Press ENTER.

Step 21 : Click on the right eye layer.

Step 22 : Press CTRL+T. A selection forms. Press SHIFT+ALT and drag down the left bottom corner handle to resize the right eye. Press ENTER.

Step 23 : Click on the nose layer.

Step 24 : Press CTRL+T. Press SHIFT+ALT and drag down the middle bottom handle to increase the length of the nose slightly. Press ENTER.

Step 25 : Click on the lips layer.

Step 26 : Press CTRL+T. Press SHIFT+ALT to resize the lips. Hover the cursor near a corner, a bent double headed arrow appears. You can rotate the selection with it if you want. Press ENTER.

Step 27 : To see the before and after effect to the changes made ALT+CLICK on the eye icon on the Background layer.

The finished image. The eyes, nose and lips have been resized with selections.
No other tool has been used.
Other photoshop tutorials are here

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