Cut out image in Photoshop is an essential photo editing skill. If you use any photo editor, you will find it easy. However, doing it right like a professional requires patients and practice.
Here in this article, I am going to explain the step-by-step process to cut out images in photoshop. So, let’s start…
How To Cut Out Image In Photoshop
A valuable shot can turn into wastage due to distracting background. If you are not satisfied with the image background, you need to cut out objects from the background. Then place it onto a clean, transparent background to attract the audience called cut out the image.
E-commerce owners, photographers, models & celebrities, suffer a lot from a distracting background. It is not possible to re-arrange photoshoots because it needs both time & money.
If you are looking for how to cut out image in Photoshop from the environment without any pixel loss. Cutting out images is challenging depending on its backgrounds. Because there is a risk of reducing your image quality if you try it in the wrong way.
In this article, you will find some significant cut out image methods. It will help you to solve your problem. You can choose the suitable process based on your requirements.
Why is cutting out images important?
While you are browsing giant E-commerce Amazon, Shopify, you see eye-grabbing product photos. It must make you tempted to buy the products. Besides, in a newspaper, while you see celebrity pictures you can’t take away your eyes to another heading quickly. Here the trick of grabbing your eye is a transparent solid background. It makes the subject appealing & focusing.
Suppose the product photo or celebrity image contains distracting background or unwanted objects. That makes the customer or viewers distracting from the original subject. An appropriate background is a key to grab focus on the main subject.
It is time-consuming & costly to do a photoshoot in an ideal background. Cut out images is the best solution to remove unwanted background & replace it with a solid black white one. It helps to increase your sales & brings more audiences.
Cut out images help to focus on model styles & lifestyle. It will be easy to make the advertisement more memorable & attractive to the viewers.
A product image with unwanted objects can create a bad impression for your shops. But a cut out image helps to make your image appealing, clean & professional. While you organize your website with this type of high-quality image it increases your traffic.
Yes, some exceptional products don’t require cut-out images. Such as Wallpaper, tiles will be given the best results in lifestyle shots.
Cut Out Image In Photoshop – Step By Step Guide
I will share three easy & quick cut out photo techniques that help to protect your image quality. A most critical part of removing any object is hair & fur. I am sharing the Quick Select with the masking method to do this type of critical task with perfection.
Suppose you are a wild photographer. Cutting trees is a challenging task. It contains lots of branches, lines that are difficult to select. But follow my color range strategy, you will be able to do it without expertise helps. However, if you have more complicated images & chase for perfection then follow the best & advance Pen Tool Method.
Photoshop is the best tool to derive excellent results. So, here I am also showing you step-by-step cut-out image methods in photoshop. Let’s learn the process & make your masterpiece.
Method 1: Cut Out Image Using Quick Select with masking
To apply this method, you can choose any photo. If your pictures contain hair & fur, then it is the best way to remove the background. I am taking the below model picture with curly hair. Usually, cutting out a curly hair picture is more complicated. So, I am working with a hard image to explain to you every detail.
Open Image
First, open your photoshop cc 2020. Please remember this method is only applicable for the Photoshop CC version. Then select File-Open -choose an image.
Make Selection
Now check the left toolbar box & pick the quick selection tool to make your selection. Here the majority of people make the mistake of trying to select the subject. The subject contains lots of lines, small details, hair that is impossible to select without pixel loss.
Instead of selecting the subject, you should be a bit strategic. Try to select the background & you will be glad to know It’s a 1-minute task. However, if your picture contains a complex background with an easy subject, then do vice-versa. Here the rule is simple, select the easiest one.
Now to make a selection drag your quick selection tool over the particular area. I guess you are afraid if you come out of the area. Don’t worry, enter Alt/Option to deselect the extra space. It helps to make an accurate selection.
Inverse Selection
After completing the selection now, it’s time to inverse the selection. As a result, you will be able to select your complex subject. From the top Option Bar, click on Select-Inverse, or to shortcut you can enter Cmd/Ctrl Shift+ I. I know the result will surprise you. Isn’t it?
Refine Selection
Now it’s time to polish your selection to avoid pixel losing. You need to give attention & dedication in this step to cut out the subject entirely. Choose Select-> Mask from the menu bar & It will open a mask workspace window.
Now increase the underneath transparency to make the background layer invisible. It is actually for checking your subject selection accuracy.
Then modify the View option based on the best output. You can switch white or black depending on the edge accuracy.
Choose Refine Brush
From the left toolbar, choose a refined brush. Now check your picture carefully to find out the flyaway hair. Find out all the hair edges & endpoints to paint over the area of the flyaway hair.
It helps to differentiate the hair & background in photoshop. While you are refining the edges, you must impress with the elegant selection & the selection turns into the best one.
The best part is I am going to share a secret weapon to make your selection outstanding. Simply turn on the Decontaminate colors. It helps to get rid of color fringing. To save the final output, now choose New layer with a layer mask & select Ok.
Final Output
Here is our final cut-out image in Photoshop. I guess you notice that removing the background won’t reduce its image quality. Instead, It becomes attractive. Moreover, you will find a layer mask on the final layer. It is basically for further correction or refining the cutout if you are still not satisfied with the result.
Method 2: Cut Out Image In Photoshop using Color Range Strategy
This method will give you the best result if you want to cut trees, transparent objects like glass, smoke or liquid, etc. We take an image with big trees to apply this method.
For example, you have a very complicated subject that contains multiple holes with a solid color background. To cut out this type of complex subject this method is unbeatable.
Open Image
First, open your photoshop. Fortunately, this method is workable for any version of photoshop. Then choose File-> Open -> Select Image.
Make Selection
You need to apply the color range to do the selection in photoshop.
Now click Select-> Color Range.
It will appear in a new popup window on the screen.
Use the Eyedropper Tool
From the left toolbar, pick the eyedropper tool.
Now from the pop-up window choose the common color from the image that is close to the subject. For the below image I choose sky blue. In the picture, you can notice some white space that is the selection area.
Refine Selection
Now it’s time to turn your selection accurate to derive perfection. You need to polish the selection edges to maintain image quality.
Choose the eyedropper tool from the toolbar. Then drag with the eyedropper crosswise the background to affix to the original selection. In this tutorial, I drag to the right side of the tree to add all blue & white in my selection.
There is a chance of missing tiny bits so I repeat the dragging on the white area. Now check the pop-up window, you will see a black & white combination. It indicates you are close to the final output.
Fix Fuzziness
To make your selection more accurate you need to adjust the fuzziness slider. It will help to make your subject more appealing to a white background.
Adjust the Fuzziness slider & select Ok.
Now see we have selected the background.
Mask the Selection
You are already done with the selection for the background. Now just need to cut out the selection to finish your task. First, we need to invert the selection area to get our target output. We need to hide the background & make the subject visible. To do so press the Alt/Option key & choose a new layer mask.
Now select the layer mask icon. You will find a clear nice subject image without distracting background.
Method 3: Cut Out Image In Photoshop Using Pen Tool
To make advance cut out & hard selection this pen tool is an outstanding tool. If you know how to use it then you can derive something exclusive. To do critical cut out pen tool is the best option to make your images eye-catching.
But using a pen tool needs a bit of experience & skill. Without that, you can’t perform this method. So, give some effort to learn how to use a pen tool. If you already know how to use the pen tool then skip these below steps.
How to use Pen Tool:
When you aim to achieve accuracy there is the only best option is the pen tool. You will be glad to know that learning the pen tool is not difficult. With little effort & appropriate guidelines, you can learn this powerful tool.
It must be lucrative for your business. But the skill depends on the experience that comes from practices. There is no alternative to practice to gain this skill. Dive into the article to know how to use the pen tool.
Paths
Photoshop is popular because it can influence the pixel to construct blocks & joint them tightly to derive a smooth digital photo. Moreover, this masterpiece tool is handy with vectors.
Moreover, the pen tool is the only option to get 100% clear edges. If your subject needs a crisp edge then this method will give the best output. It is one of the powerful tools in photoshop. So, it will be beneficial to learn how to use a pen tool. So before jumping on the tutorial let’s learn the pen tool.
Vectors are special lines that come with mathematically formulated curvature, thickness & length. The giant software alone does the calculation, you don’t need to do any math. Suppose, you want to draw a circle path just draw a circle. Photoshop itself fixes the center point & radius. You can also modify the color, thickness, radius based on your needs.
Though vector drawing is basically ideal for an illustrator, photoshop also allows us to use vectors & save them using layers. Vectors tools are suitable when you need to change your scene multiple times.
Pen tools path helps to make your cut out image in Photoshop easy & accurate. This great feature of Photoshop will make your task simple but efficient. You can cut any complex image background with this technique. Below we discuss a car’s example to apply this method.
If you want to make your background cut out efficient, reusable & controllable then the pen tool is the one & only method.
Draw Path With the pen tool
To make your subject path you need to learn a hand drawing path from scratch. It is similar to scissors. Suppose you like to collect your favorite sports person Messi’s picture from the newspaper. Generally, you pick scissors & cut out the image. The pen tool also follows this ordinary rule.
You can draw the path using points & adjusting the handlebar. You need to add a point on the required position to cover the object accurately. Gradually you will drag the handlebar or manipulate the point to derive the original path.
Now pick the pen tool from the toolbar & then choose any start point to add point & drag them to create a handlebar if you need to re-position the start point. To create any shape you just enter p or choose the pen tool then click on the page. Then drag the mouse to create another point.
If you want to create a straight path then you can keep the mouse on the points & enter alt to remove the handlebar. It helps to cover the objects accurately. To make the path smooth you can add multiple points based on the picture.
Zoom in the picture to draw the path efficiently. To finish the path you can enter Ctrl/cmd & click anywhere. Instead of it when you are cut out any objects click on the starting point to end the path.
Straight Line
You will be wondering to know the pen tool can also cover a straight line. If your complicated images also consist of a straight line then you can simply cover it with the pen tool.
You can choose the pen tool from the toolbar or enter P to draw a path or shape. Select from the menu bar with a path or shape based on your needs
Click on the beginning point & then enter Ctrl ->click Cmd ->click to end the line. To make your line straight you need to click Ctrl continuously.
So the pen tool allows drawing both curve paths, straight line, any line effortlessly. However, you can also choose different types of pen tools to get different outputs.
While you are covering complicated curves you need to adjust the line carefully. It needs practice. Never forget to drag the mouse after creating each point. While you are creating the path click & drag according to the desired shape. Dragging helps you to make the path closer to the original shape. Follow the below curve strategy to be the master of curves. It helps you to draw any complicated shape or path.
Draw U-Shape
Start practice with the U curve. You can increase the curve by dragging it more.
Follow the below steps to create a U curve.
- Click on the mouse on the page & drag it downwards. It will generate a handlebar to make further adjustments.
- Now move the mouse in front of the first points to create another point. Click & Drag the mouse upward parallel with the first point. It will make a U shape curve. Drag a further to increase the shape.
Are you not happy with the shape? Well, relax you can refine the shape. Just choose the convert point tool & move your pointer on the handlebar & pull it to refine the shape. It must give a perfect u- curve.
Draw Basic S Curves
Now try to create an S -curve. It is a little bit complex. As a beginner, you need to do some practice to draw it perfectly. Follow the below steps.
- Click on the page & drag the mouse left & it will fix your handlebar direction.
- Now take your mouse pointer below the first point. Click & drag to the left side again.
Now, see you can make an S shape curve. To adjust the shape or angle just pull the handlebar. Before starting pulling doesn’t forget to choose the convert point tool from the pen tool menu.
Draw Smooth S curve
You can create a smooth S curve easily with the pen tool. It needs a bit of practice to create a smooth S curve. This shape allows you to do more control to make your shape more accurate. Follow the below process-
- Click on the beginning point & drag it to the left.
- Now take your pointer under the first point & drag it to the right to set the handlebar direction.
- Finally, move your pointer under the 2nd point & click & drag to the left to fix the handlebar.
Now you are getting the S shape. See it is more smooth than the above basic S shape. Besides three points allows more flexibility to refine the path to make an accurate path.
To end the drawing just enter Ctrl+click that stops the path.
Draw M curves
It’s a bit strategic to create M shape curves. Follow the process carefully to make a smooth shape.
- Select your starting point, then click on the page & drag upwards. It will set your handlebar direction.
- Now take your mouse pointer to the right side & click & drag downward to set the handlebar direction.
- Finally to make the exact shape you need to switch the 2nd point handle direction. Now choose the convert point tool to reposition the handlebar direction. Based on your choice fix the direction.
- Now take the pointer on the right side from the 2nd point & click to create the 3rd point & drag it downward. To refine the shape you can use the convert point tool to make the curves sharper.
It is important to remember how to end your shape. If you want to stop the path, simple Ctrl + click away to finish the task.
Draw Closed Paths
To make a close path you can use the grid to make it more accurate. From the menu select View- Snap To- Grid.
A close path is essential to cut out any specific object from the background. You need to cover the whole object & end the shape. So, give more attention to draw this close shape. I am just making a love shape to show how to draw a closed path. Let’s learn the trick.
- Simply Repeat the M shape steps.
- Now move your pointer under the 2nd point & click here.
- Finally, take the pointer to the first point & click on it.
Now see you are making a love shape that is closed. It is actually allowed to cover any kind of complex shapes. You can still adjust the shape with the convert pen tool to refine it more accurately.
Here Grid helps you maintain equal distance it essential while you draw any shape but in case you are cutting any object then you can skip the grid.
Tutorial on cut out an image from the background
In this tutorial, I choose a bag image. I will cut out the bag from the background.
Make a Primary Edge
From the left toolbar, choose the pen tool. Now check the top option that it selects the path instead of shape.
Choose any particular area where you want to begin & click on it. Then gradually drag in the bag’s direction to create the path. After selecting the first curve in your subject, click again & drag it.
As a result, you will find an elastic line between these 2 points. You can drag close or away from the points to see the changes & you can also change the direction. As it’s a primary path, you don’t need a perfect selection. You can draw a rough path that entirely covers the objects.
In the time of creating a path in the right belt, I include ground so I don’t need any additional selection for the bottom area.
Do you worry about how to finish it? Simply take the cursor over the starting point to finish the task. While you hover you will find a little circle, just select that point to finish the path. You should try to make the path with the lowest points.
Refine The Path
A little strategy can give something greater. I prefer to do path perfection into two phases. Though some people try to achieve it in the first step. I guess my strategy will give you better output.
Now from the toolbar choose the path selection tool & then select the Direct selection tool. It’s easy to activate it with a random click on a point.
Firstly, zoom in closely then drag the points crucially into the right position. Then rotate the handlebars to modify the curve angles. Slide & pull the endpoints to re-position the slope of the curve. As a beginner, you may find it tough. But after a little practice, you can easily adjust the path.
It is better to pull one end side of the curve & hold down the Alt option until you are completed dragging.
Add Points
Often it is tough to adjust the selection by dragging a single point if it contains multiple curves. See in this mirror area we drag the endpoint to adjust the curve but unable to derive the right selection.
In this type of scenario, we need to add an extra point. Pick the pen tool & select the Add anchor point tool to add a point.
Just click on the line where you want to add the point. See you can find a few latest points on the line.
Now you may use the direct selection tool or you can use the pen tool also to adjust the path.
Just adjust the new points to create the perfect curve. Drag the handlebar to adjust it. Gradually pull & drag to refine the path.
If you find this method too confusing then take help from a professional Clipping path service provider.
Finish the Path
Once you are done with the bag’s path then you are close to the end. Now choose the outside point to cover the sky.
You need to repeat dragging until you have achieved the below path.
Path Selection
We re-name our path as a Work path. Now convert it into a selection. Enter Cmd/Ctrl & choose the work path in the path. As a result, you will see the upper outside part of the bags.
Now you need to invert it so enter the Alt/option.
Now see you can only find the cut out objects with sharp clean edges without any single pixel loss.
Pro Tips on Image Cut Out Techniques
The pen tool provides two modification options to adjust the path easily.
Auto Add/Delete:
From the top Options bar, you can activate this option. It will make your work more convenient. While you take your pointer on a path, it will display a + sign. That allows you to add a new point by clicking on the mouse. On the other hand, if you take your pointer on an existing point, you will find a – sing. That allows you to delete the point if you click the mouse.
It helps you to make the shape more accurate. You can re-adjust the existing point & add a new one to make a smooth path that covers the subjects efficiently.
Rubber band:
From the option bar, you can also activate the rubber band. It helps to derive a real-time preview of shape while you are moving the cursor around the curves. It helps you to create the right path. As a beginner, it is a very helpful feature. Don’t forget to turn on this amazing feature. You will get it under the Geometry Option.
Getting perfection in using a pen tool depends on your practices. Practice, practice & only practice can make you the pen tool master. Keep patience while you are drawing the path. It needs time & a keen eye to draw a smooth efficient path.
A wrong selection can hamper your important pixel. So, do the selection carefully to maintain quality & perfection. If you don’t have enough time & energy then it’s better to outsource clipping path services. They have experience & expertise to cut out image background & make it appealing.
It will be beneficial for your business. Nowadays, online business has become too competitive. It’s not easy to win the competition with a distracting image photo. Here the image is the only way to differentiate your brand & identity. So don’t take it lightly. Invest your effort in the right place to achieve success.
Final Thought on Cut Out Image In Photoshop
Cut out image in Photoshop sometimes need lots of time & expertise hands to draw the right path. Here I am sharing easy 3 methods for different types of images.
Are you struggling with the ugly background? Read through the article to learn the simple cut out image method for various objects. It will help you to derive amazing cut -out without compromising image quality. To save your money learn the cut-out image method with dedication.
Once you are learning the strategy it generally takes only 15 minutes to do the project. So, win your fear & start learning to derive a perfect photo.