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Photoshop & Paint Shop Pro
Detailed Tutorial #1 |
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Use Any Photo, Erase Background, Resize
Digital Backdrops, Copy & Paste Subject |
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| Copyright © 2004 Photobacks.com. All Rights Reserved. |
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Introduction:
In this tutorial, we show you how to erase the background behind the subject of your image, resize the digital backdrop that you choose so it fits your original photo size, and paste your subject onto the resized digital backdrop. For this tutorial, we will use a person photographed inside a home, but of course, this tutorial can be applied to all photos, whether they're taken in studios, outdoors, with families, or with dogs, etc. You'll see the basic principle of erasing what you don't want in a photo and copying over what you do want to a new digital background. (Please wait for all of the images below to load.) |
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Step #1: Getting Started
Start your software and open the photo of your choice, in which you want to remove the background -- we will call this the "subject photo." Immediately, save your subject photo as something else under a new name, so you do not accidentally ruin the original photo. And, save the image as the preferred file type for the software you're using -- for example, if you're using Photoshop, save your photo as a ".psd" file, or if you're using Paint Shop Pro, save as a ".psp" file, etc. This is important as it will keep the quality of your photo at 100% while you work. (If you're using another type of software, and you're unsure of what file type to use, search its Help menu for file types. It's best to have a file type that allows you to work in layers with transparent backgrounds, without losing any data due to compression.) |
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Next, before we begin, if necessary, adjust the color or brightness of your photo, if it needs it, to your liking. It's best to have clear, bright photos to put against backdrops.
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We will work through this tutorial with you with our own example, and we begin as shown below in Fig.1a with our subject photo ready to go, and no other images are open. It's also suggested that you have your Layers window and Color palette open...if they're not, find the menu option for it in your menu bar. |
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Fig. 1a
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Step #2: Promote Background Layer, If Necessary
Before you start cutting out the background of your photo, you'll want your photo on a "transparent background" in your software, so that when you use the Selection Tool or Eraser Tool to remove part of your photo, what's left is a "transparent background" (usually shows as gray/white checkerboard) and not a solid color. We highly recommend this for this tutorial for the best results in the end. There are many ways to do this, depending on the software that you're using, and your software might already start you off on a transparent background layer. Look at your Layers window, and see what it says next to your photo. If it says background, you'll need to promote the layer. In Photoshop, go to Layer in the top menu bar, then New, then Background from Layer. In Paint Shop Pro, go to your Layers menu at the top, and select Promote the Background Layer. (Fig.2a) Most softwares will have a selection for this. (Search the "Help" menu of your software for more information on making Layers and Transparent layers, if necessary.) If you can not figure this out, you can still go forward without a problem. Either way, this tutorial will cover both scenarios as we go along, with or without working with a transparent background. |
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Fig. 2a
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Step #3: Cut Out Excess Parts of Background
Now, you'll want to start cutting out or erasing the excess parts of your background, that won't be needed in the final product. Use your Selection Tool or Lasso Tool to highlight parts of your photo, being careful to get close to your subject but without hitting them at all -- you can leave a little breathing room. After you highlight your selection, press the delete key on your keyboard, and your highlighted selection should erased from your photo. (See Fig.3a.) We recommend zooming in on different parts of your photo as you're doing this, for greater accuracy and ease. (You'll notice in Fig.3a that we're working on a transparent background, so after we erase our original background, we see a gray/white checkerboard around our subject, indicating that our new background is transparent where we've erased. If you see a solid color background when you erase, and you're not working with transparent layers, that's fine too.) Remember, if you ever make a mistake, go to the Edit menu and click Undo. At the end of this step, your photo should look like Fig.3b below, and you'll notice that some of the original background still exists around our subject. |
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Notes: You'll also notice in Fig.3b that we've cropped the size of our photo, in order to cut off the bottom, where we didn't need and didn't want what our subject was holding in the final product. Compare our subject's position in Fig.1a to Fig.3b. This part of the step is entirely up to your desire. We suggest cropping your subject photo early on, as we did here, so you don't waste time working on parts that you won't need anyway in the end. (And, remember, right now, you should be working on a copy of your original photo, as you have already saved your original under a new name, so you're not cropping your original photo.) And, don't forget to constantly be saving your work. |
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Fig. 3a
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Fig. 3b
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Step #4: Using Eraser Tool Up Close
Now that you've cut away a lot of your background of your original photo, we need to get up close and erase away all of that excess background that's surrounding and touching your subject. We need to do this in detail, because in the end, we do not want any suggestion of the original photo to exist. So, first, click on your Eraser Tool in your tools palette. Then Zoom In on the part of your subject photo that you'd like to start on, and begin carefully using your Eraser Tool to erase the background near your subject. (In Photoshop, you may have to zoom in first, and then select your Eraser tool.) You'll also want to adjust your Eraser Tool settings at different times, in order to help you erase more efficiently, by choosing different settings of brush type, shape, size, hardness, opacity, etc. (See Fig. 4a) In Photoshop, we recommend using a Soft Round brush and adjusting its size and opacity as necessary. Play around with the settings to find a way to erase that works best for you and the part of your photo you're working on. For example, for up close work, zoom in and use a smaller size eraser. Or, for hair, use a lighter brush that's more thin and diagonal in shape, to get between the hairs that go out into the background.
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You don't necessarily want to use an eraser setting with 100% hardness or high opacity. When you start to erase, the background touching your subject should not cut out sharply in contrast, as the background should really begin to fade out. (See Fig. 4b) You'll notice that some of the background is still around our subject, but it's getting lighter. We'll continue to go over that background until it's gone, but the edges of our subject will sort of fade into the clear empty background, instead of being harshly cut out. (See Fig. 4c) In the end, this will give our subject a much more natural look on the new digital backdrop.
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Notes: This will take some practice, in order to get close to your subject without erasing parts of them, to make it look natural in the end. Take it easy and slow, and play around with your different eraser settings until you're really comfortable with your eraser tool, and getting at the hard details of your subject photo. We recommend zooming in and out of your photo, to periodically check your work at its true size, as you erase. If you make a mistake, you can always go to your Edit menu and Undo your action, or in most softwares, press Ctrl+z on your keyboard to Undo your last move. Also, don't forget to erase the parts of the backgrounds that show through between the arms, legs, or hair, etc.
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At the end of this step, your photo should look like Fig.4d below. If you're not erasing on a transparent background, your photo will look like Fig.4e, either on a white background or some other solid color. |
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Fig. 4a
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Fig. 4b
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Fig. 4c
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Fig. 4d
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Fig. 4e
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Step #5: Save Your New Image
Once you have your old background cleared away, save your image under a new name -- we'll call this your new subject cut-out photo. This new subject cut-out photo is very important, because in the future whenever we want, we'll come back to this photo again and again to use on as many different digital backdrops as we like -- and since it's saved with the new clear background, we won't have to go back and erase the original background again. We've saved our image at this point under the name "subject-cut-out-01.psp." |
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Step #6: Opening a Digital Backdrop & Resizing
Next, with your subject cut-out photo still open, open up the digital backdrop of your choice. So now, both your subject cut-out photo and your digital backdrop should be side-by-side. (See Fig.6a)
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At this point, you'll want to make sure that your digital backdrop file is similar in resolution and dimension (in either pixels or inches) as your subject cut-out photo. This way, in the next step, when we bring the two images together, your subject cut-out will look to be the right size on your backdrop (and not really really small or too big). But, remember, there is no right or wrong here, because every subject photo is different in size, so it may need some experimenting. Just press Undo to try again.
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First, you always want to make your larger image smaller, as you can size down and preserve image quality, but you really can't make smaller images bigger without losing quality. (So, you'll most likely always resize your digital backdrop image and make it smaller, to fit your smaller subject cut-out photo. That's because our digital backdrop files are so large to accommodate high quality large photos.) Here's what we did for our example below, and you can follow similar guidelines. First, we look at the image information of our subject cut-out photo -- most softwares have a menu choice for Image Information, image details, or properties. You're looking for information similar to Fig.6b below. (Make sure you're on the right image before getting its information. You can switch between your open images on your screen by clicking on their title-bars.)
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In our example, we find that our subject photo, including the blank background, is 9.9 x 13.5 inches in print size (your size could be in pixel dimensions, which is fine), and our image's resolution is 72 pixels per inch. We find this information in Photoshop by going to Image menu tab at the top, then Image Size. In Paint Shop Pro, go to Image, then Image Information. Since our digital backdrop image will be the "setting" for our subject, we want our digital backdrop to be a similar size. So, we make sure we're viewing our digital backdrop image, by clicking on its title bar. Then, in Paint Shop Pro, go to Image, then Resize menu option. In Photoshop, go to Image, then Image Size. We then adjust the Resolution of our digital backdrop to match our subject photo's, so we set our resolution, or ppi at 72. Then, since our subject cut-out photo is 9.9 x 13.5 inches, we figure our digital backdrop image (which will be the new background) should be about 10 x 12.5 inches in print size. (See Fig.6c). IMPORTANT: We have our aspect ratio locked on our resize, so when we typed in 10 for the width on the digital backdrop, the height automatically adjusted properly to 12.5 -- we did not have to calculate this number ourselves; we just picked a width near our subject photo's and thought the calculated height was okay. Yes, 12.5 inches is smaller in height than our subject cut-out photo at 13.5 inches, but our subject cut-out also includes a lot of blank background which won't need when the two images come together, as that extra space will just be cut off by our smaller height on the digital backdrop, as you'll see as we continue. If we didn't like the height that was calculated for us, we would have just adjusted our width to be larger. It is important to maintain your aspect ratio so your images do not get distorted when resized.
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We then press Okay, and we're done resizing. Now, on your screen, you won't see a change in the sizes of your images (unless you're zoomed in or out differently now), but that's just fine. At the end of this step, your screen should still look like Fig.6a again. |
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Notes: Be careful when you're resizing that your comparing apples to apples...inches to inches or pixels to pixels, don't mix the two because they're very different. (For more on understanding Resolution & Picture Size, see our Tips Menu above.) Also, remember that the numbers in our photos may be VERY different than yours, and that's fine, just follow the process, not our exact numbers. Also, your images may already be equal in resolution, which is great, so just adjust the image dimensions as necessary. And again, always remember to maintain aspect ratio when resizing -- your image may not resize to the exact height or width you want at this point, but you can always crop your image a bit once the size is close to where you want it. |
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This step can be a guessing game, so don't worry if you're not too sure about your sizes right away. As you preform the next step #7, you'll get a better idea of what you need to resize. Just remember, it's important that you do not resize larger, only smaller, to save image quality. So, if you're photo is larger than your digital backdrop, make your photo smaller to fit. If your digital backdrop is larger than your photo (which will most likely be the case), then make your digital backdrop smaller. Don't forget, you can always Undo and try again. Resolution and Image Size can be tricky, so be careful not to resize your final projects too small, with a low resolution, or your prints will be lower in quality than the original. Again, see our Tips Menu above for more on Resolution and Picture Size. The only time its a major problem for quality loss is if you're trying to take a subject that's really small from your original photo and make them very big against a backdrop. Otherwise, if your subject size doesn't change much throughout the process, you'll be fine.
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Fig. 6a
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Fig. 6b
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Fig. 6c
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Step #7: Preparing the Subject to move to the Digital Backdrop
If you erased the background of your subject photo and now have a transparent background (as in Fig.4d above), skip this step and go to Step #8. If you erased the background of your subject photo and now have a solid color background (as in Fig. 4e above), continue with this step. |
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Since your subject image is against a solid color background now, your next step is much like if you photographed your subject against a Chromakey background or Green Screen, or any other solid color background. We just have to take your subject off the color screen image/background and put them onto a digital backdrop image. |
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Now, you should have your images up as shown below in Fig.7a-1 with both your subject photo and digital backdrop open, side-by-side. Next, if you can do the following in your software, create a new raster layer in your digital backdrop image, which in your Layers window/palette should be above your background layer, or first layer. (This is a good idea that will make the final stage of this process easier, but it is not necessary, so just move on if you can't figure out how to do it. Also, remember that you can switch between your open images on your screen by clicking on their title-bars.)
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Next, go to your subject cut-out photo and select your Magic Wand Tool, and click on the solid background color, which in our example is white. Your solid background around your subject should now be highlighted. Also, if you have any areas where your solid color background is showing through, like between arms, legs, or hair, you'll want to hold down your Shift Key (which works in most softwares,) and click on those areas with your Magic Wand Tool as well. (If holding done Shift doesn't work, search your software's Help menu for how to highlight multiple areas at once.)
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Now, after you do this, you may notice that your highlighted selection isn't "clean" around you subject, but perhaps is too large (selecting too much of the solid color as well) or just cut off part of your subject's shirt or hair, etc. If this is the case, you'll want to adjust the settings of your Magic Wand Tool. If your software has it, which it should, adjusting the Tolerance setting on your Magic Wand Tool is key. Also, make sure anti-alias is selected. Play around with your Tolerance setting, and you'll see how it affects what your Magic Wand Tool selects/highlights. You'll want to get your selection pretty tight on your subject, leaving no background outside the lines of the highlight, so we suggest setting your tolerance quite high, even if some of your subject gets a bit cut off, like in Fig.7a-3 below.
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Next, go to your menu options and Invert your Selection. Now, the subject in your photo should be highlighted and not your background -- it may be hard to tell the difference unless you look closely. If you didn't set your tolerance high enough before this Invert move, you may see that your highlight around your subject, when you zoom in, includes too much of the background color. We want your highlighted selection around your subject to be as tight as possible, without covering too much of your subject, but not to include any of the background solid color. See our example in Fig.7a-2. And, we don't mind if after we invert that our selection, some of our subject isn't covered/highlighted (like in our example in Fig.7a-3), because we can adjust that next. (If your highlighted selection still includes too much of the solid color background, or cuts off too much of your subject, press Undo until your image isn't highlighted (or deselect your image), go back and adjust your Magic Wand Tolerance setting, and try this step again. See how we handled our subject in our example below.)
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Here's what we did for our subject, and you can follow along, trying different settings. We used a Magic Wand with a tolerance of 85, and clicked on the white solid background. Then, we held down our Shift key and also clicked on the white background showing through our subject's arm. You'll see in Fig.7a-2 and Fig.7a-3 how close and far in our selection is on our subject, where even part of our subject's hair is cut off. We are not worried about that yet. Next, we Invert the Selection, and we get Fig.7a-4. Next, because part of our subject's hair is not highlighted (as you can see in Fig.7a-3 and Fig.7a-4), we need to highlight it so its included in our entire selection covering our subject. So, we go back in with our Freehand Selection Tool (or any Selection Tool that works best for you besides the Magic Wand now), hold down the Shift key, and select more of our subject's hair to include in our overall highlighted selection. Basically, we're adding to our overall highlighted selection, without losing what's already been selected (by the Magic Wand and then inverted). (Again, if holding done Shift does not work, search your software's Help menu for how to highlight multiple areas at once. Also, if you do accidentally unselect what's already been selected, and your entire subject is no longer highlighted, just start this step over with the Magic Wand, etc.)
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Now that we're done selecting and highlighting all of our subject with our Selection Tools, our image looks like Fig.7a-5, and you'll notice that her hair is now included in the selection, compared to Fig.7a-4 below.
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Fig. 7a-1
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Fig. 7a-2
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Fig. 7a-3
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Fig. 7a-4
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Fig. 7a-5
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Step #8: Move Subject onto Digital Backdrop
Now, your screen should still look like Fig.6a above, with both your subject cut-out photo and digital backdrop open, side-by-side. Next, go to your subject photo (by clicking its title bar if necessary) and highlight the image, by pressing Ctrl+a on your keyboard. Next, copy your highlighted selection by pressing Ctrl+c on your keyboard, or from your Edit menu. Then, go to your digital backdrop image. Then, go to your Edit menu, and click Paste. In Paint Shop Pro, it's best to click Paste, then Paste as New layer. Use the paste option that allows you to paste your selection into another image, and not as a new image altogether. Then, reposition your subject to where you want them on the digital backdrop - in Photoshop, you will need to swith to your Move tool on the toolbar menu, then click and drag your subject to the desired spot. Deselect your subject by pressing Ctrl+d on your keyboard if necessary. At this stage, your digital backdrop image should look like Fig.8a.
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There is a chance that your subject might look really really small on your digital backdrop, or really really big. If this is the case, just Undo the Paste action and resize your digital backdrop accordingly. Then, go back to the Paste option and paste your subject back on the digital backdrop, and see if the new sizing fits better. At this point, this can be a guessing game until you get it right, but you should be able to judge it right in short time. If you resize and it doesn't fit, press Undo, and try again until it works.
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Fig. 8a
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Step #9: The Final Touches
Now, you're just about done. You'll want to look over your final combined image and see if there's anything that sticks out or looks unnatural. For example, if too much of the original background is showing on the edges of the subject, you may want to go back to the original subject and erase around the edges a little more. If you're using layers, you can just erase right on your subject over your digital backdrop, as long as you make sure your subject's layer is selected in your Layers window, so you don't erase the digital backdrop by accident.
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If you are not using layers, or if you were working with a solid color around your subject, go back and try to readjust your Magic Wand Settings in Step #7a. If that doesn't work, and color is still showing through, we would take our Paintbrush or Airbrush Tool, adjust the tool's settings, and carefully paint over the unwanted color showing through on our combined photo with appropriate colors that matched our digital backdrop in that area.
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Don't forget, you have your software's tools at your finger tips, as any part of your image can be tweaked. You can Airbrush color in for smoother transitions from subject to background, or use the Soften tool in the same way, or Smudge hair where it needs to be filled in. The options are up to you. |
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Step #10: Saving Your Work
Now that you've finished your digital backdrop photo project, you need to save the final version. We recommend saving at least two or three copies of your final version in different file types. First, save your file under whatever type of file type you've been working with. Then, go to Save As... menu option and save your image as a ".tif" or ".tiff" file. So, if your photo is titled abc123, save it as abc123.tif, or abc123.tiff -- this format saves your image in its original form with no quality loss, and it's the best for printing, especially when you're not printing at home, because just about every photo processor or computer will recognize the "tif" format. (This format can be saved with LZW compression or without. Either way is fine, but some photo processors might not recognize images that are compressed in this format.) Then, if you'd like to e-mail your photo, or use it on a website, we recommend saving the file as a ".jpg" -- this file type will compress your image and it may lose some quality, but the file size is small and it is what's used for photos on websites or for e-mail. This is not the best file type for printing, only online sharing, but it can be printed.
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Two final tips: Your subject will look different on different backdrops, so try many and have fun. Don't forget, now that you've created and saved your subject on a blank background, as in Step #5, just reopen the subject cut-out photo file again, save it under a new name for a new project, and repeat Steps 6 - 9 with different digital backdrop files. You'll be amazed at how you might not have to do much tweaking in the end with certain digital backdrops, as your subjects will blend differently with different digital backdrops. And our final tip for this tutorial is to try throwing a drop shadow behind your subject on the digital backdrop, just to see what kind of effect it has. Before you deselect your subject cut-out image in Step #8, go to your menu and choose Drop Shadow effect, and adjust to the desired settings. Giving your subject a little shadow can make a great difference. See our example below in Fig.9a.
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Fig. 9a
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| For more examples of what we did with this subject cut-out photo, take a look at the Users Gallery! And, don't forget to add your photo creations as well!
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