214
1
Start by duplicating the layer you
want to cut out. Then make a new
layer between the two filled with a
strikingly different color, so you can see
exactly where you’re erasing.
4
Using the Background Eraser Tool,
hold O A and click to sample
the skin tone as the foreground color,
then drag the tool over the edge of the
face, so that the crosshair starts inside
the blue background, to erase it where
it’s adjacent to the skin.
Don’t try to complete the whole
cutout in one go. Keep holding O A
to sample the foreground color as the
‘keep’ color changes – over the hair, the
dress, and the white lace at the throat.
2
Open the History Panel, and click
next to the last step. This will ‘pin’
the history at that point, so you can
revert to it later if you need to – and you
almost certainly will.
5
Large chunks of background, such
as those missed out in the previous
step, can be selected with the Lasso tool
and simply deleted.
Although the colored background
helps to see where you’re erasing, it
can also hide stray background pieces.
Change the color of that layer to white,
and you’ll more clearly be able to see
background pixels that have got left
behind.
T
HE COMBINATION OF THE QUICK
Selection Tool and the Refine Edge
dialog (see page 218) has made it easier than
ever before to cut hair from its background.
But for some fine, detailed hair, Refine Edge
just isn’t up to the job. And that’s where the
Background Eraser comes into its own.
The Background Eraser Tool is found
beneath the Eraser tool in the Toolbar. It’s
a powerful implement, but it needs careful
handling to get the best out of it.
It’s also wise to prepare the ground first,
using the History Panel to safeguard against
future disaster.
Detailed hair cutting
IMAGE: STOCKBYTE
8
Heads and bodies
SHORTCUTS
MAC WIN BOTH
215
6
There’s a fairly simple way to
erase these stray pixels. Usually,
they’ll be individual tiny dots at a low
opacity. Load the layer as a selection
by CL-clicking on the thumbnail
in the Layers Panel, then Inverse the
selection (CSi LSi).
Switch to the regular Eraser Tool, set
to a hard-edged brush, and manually
paint out the stray pixels – but be careful
not to erase too close to the hair. Most of
the errant dots will disappear this way.
3
The Background Eraser Tool works by sampling the color
under the crosshair in the center, and erasing all similar
colors within its radius. It has a number of variables on the
Options Bar that you need to take a look at. The Sampling
method is key: choose Once for maximum control. Choosing
Continuous will sample the colors under the crosshair all the
while you drag the tool, and if the crosshair strays into the
hair area that color will be inadvertently sampled. Try to avoid
using it. For the Tolerance, start at around 50% and increase or
decrease as necessary while you erase.
7
It’s easy to miss stray pixels of a
light color when viewed against
a white background. So Invert that
background color, and check the cutout
again for any pixels that shouldn’t be
there.
If you find that the inversing process
in the previous step didn’t allow you to
erase all the unwanted pixels, repeat the
process and then Expand the Inverted
selection by 1 pixel. This will allow a
wide range of pixels to be inverted.
8
Once all the background has been
removed, try changing the color
of that background to check that no
parts of the face or clothing have been
removed accidentally.
If they have, all is not lost. Select the
History Brush y, and, using a small,
hard-edged brush, paint them back in:
because the History was pinned at an
early stage, painting with this brush will
selectively revert the image where you
paint, so you can recover anything that
has been mistakenly erased.
Brush size: Always work with a
hard-edged brush. It sounds odd,
but it performs much better.
Discontiguous: Will find and erase colors similar to the sampled color even if
they’re bounded by a different color.
Contiguous: Will find and erase colors similar to the sampled color only if
they’re joined together.
Find Edges: Actively separates hard edges within cutouts.
Continuous: Samples
the color beneath
the crosshair
constantly. Only
useful when you have
a very variegated
background.
Once: Samples
the color beneath
the crosshair only
where you first
click. This generally
produces the best
results.
Background: Uses
the background
color as the color
to be erased.
Used only in rare
cases.
Tolerance: Sets
the range of
colors erased
based on the
sampled color.
Protect Foreground Color:
Prevents the foreground
color, sampled by
OA-clicking, from
being erased.
HOT TIP
When you use
the History
Brush to restore
accidentally
erased areas,
it’s best to use a
hard-edged brush
at 100% opacity.
When painting
back the lace at the
throat, though,
you may find it
easier to build up
a transparent lace
effect by lowering
the opacity of the
brush somewhat.
How to Cheat in Photoshop CC
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