Extracting Objects in Photoshop

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The following tip is a basic extraction for irregular objects (simplified).

1.) Boot Photoshop, and open image. (If you select a background layer, it will become a normal layer after extraction.)To avoid losing the original image, duplicate the layer, then turn off the eye icon in the layer below.

2.) In the Layers palette, select layer with object to be extracted.

3.) Choose (Alt+Ctrl+X)

(The Extract dialog box will appear).

4.) Select Smart Highlighting. (This action works well with images with a well defined edge.)

5.) Select the highlighting tool, Click and drag along the edges of the object, being careful that the highlight overlaps both object and background. You do not have to highlight the areas where the object touches the image boundries.

6.) Select the Fill tool, and drag it inside the highlighted area and click on the object.

7.) Click OK to extract object (background will be removed). If necessary, repeat the extraction to improve the results. At this point, you may use the eraser tool in the Photoshop palette to clean up any unwanted residue.

8.) Place new background, just be sure to place it below object in the Layers palette.

For a complete explanation of the Extract Dialog Panel, Click Here.

Thanks for reading.