How to Change the Background in Photoshop

8/6/2019 How to Change the Background in Photoshop

1/29

How to change the background in Photoshop CS3

1. Ctrl+J to get layer 1

2. Create a new layer between background and layer 1 and color it to what you

like
http://rainelaw.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cat-2.jpghttp://rainelaw.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cat-1.jpghttp://rainelaw.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cat.jpg


2/29

3. Click layer 1 and then click image> adjustment> Desaturate

4. image >adjustment > levels and use the eyedropper tool to pick the

color above the cat (remember to click the first eyedropper among those 3 in the

popup window before clicking the black background). Adjusting levels can

change higher saturation and more contrast as you can see the result.

5. Set the layer mode as screen then create a new layer on top of this layer.

Use history brush tool to get the outline of the cat
http://rainelaw.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cat-41.jpghttp://rainelaw.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cat-3.jpg


3/29

Finally

Personally, I got interested in Photoshop when I realized that it couldpluck a person out of a photo and then paste him/her onto a totallynew background. To this day there are many requests from friends

and family who want to do something similar with their photos. So Iwill be showing you a few techniques to get it done using Photoshop.

Photoshop has the excellent Extract filter built especially for such

tasks. Photoshop CS4 however, no longer features the Extract filter.So we will first look at how to use the extract tool to pull off the

maneuver, then briefly see how you can enable the extract filter in

CS4 or use an alternative to the Extract filter. Lets get workingstraight away, shall we?
http://rainelaw.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cat-7.jpghttp://rainelaw.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cat-61.jpg


4/29

Change the Background of a Photo with The

Extract Filter

If you have pre-CS4 version of Photoshop, you can find the Extractfilter under the Filter menu. The Extract filter is very useful to cut out

or extract a person/object from the photo and then use it on another

photo to change the background of the original photo. The tool is verysimple to use. Although it opens a giant dialog box there is really no

need to be intimidated by it.First off, go ahead and check the Smart highlighter box right away.

Now choose the highlighter tool and draw around the object you want

to extract. Make sure you cover the edges, this means that thehighlight stroke should roughly lie half on the object you want to

extract and half on the background. You dont have to be precise orwant a Wacom tablet. Photoshop will help you along. Somewhat like

this:

Ads by Google

Free Stock PhotosDreamstime.comCreate a Free Account and Download High ResolutionImages for Free.

Large Format Printingwww.EYP.phCapture Memories In Large Format Buy A Wide FormatPrinter Now

Design a Photo Collagewww.Smilebox.comCreate a Fun Collage for any Event. Create in Minutes. GetStarted...

Free Time TrackingYast.comSimple time tracker Try it for free now!
http://www.google.com/url?ct=abg&q=https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/request.py%3Fcontact%3Dabg_afc%26url%3Dhttp://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-change-the-background-of-a-photo-in-photoshop/%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dca-pub-5700237260308472%26adU%3DDreamstime.com%26adT%3DFree%2BStock%2BPhotos%26adU%3Dwww.EYP.ph%26adT%3DLarge%2BFormat%2BPrinting%26adU%3Dwww.Smilebox.com%26adT%3DDesign%2Ba%2BPhoto%2BCollage%26adU%3DYast.com%26adT%3DFree%2BTime%2BTracking%26gl%3DPH&usg=AFQjCNF13noL6ngbHlT7IQ64D5D0NDLylwhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=B4u5ClQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJ-bSZ9QH5luqWAsCNtwHwogQQARgBIOOHgA0oBDgAUOqah7EFYOHEuoWYGqABgZbo_gOyARF3d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbboBCjMzNngyODBfanPIAQHaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb20vdGFnL2hvdy10by1jaGFuZ2UtdGhlLWJhY2tncm91bmQtb2YtYS1waG90by1pbi1waG90b3Nob3AvgAIByALZnsABqAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=1&sig=AGiWqtygdWbT_m9Dj62_Jpjvv64J7fTSaQ&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.dreamstime.com/ref3_stockphotoshttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=B4u5ClQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJ-bSZ9QH5luqWAsCNtwHwogQQARgBIOOHgA0oBDgAUOqah7EFYOHEuoWYGqABgZbo_gOyARF3d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbboBCjMzNngyODBfanPIAQHaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb20vdGFnL2hvdy10by1jaGFuZ2UtdGhlLWJhY2tncm91bmQtb2YtYS1waG90by1pbi1waG90b3Nob3AvgAIByALZnsABqAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=1&sig=AGiWqtygdWbT_m9Dj62_Jpjvv64J7fTSaQ&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.dreamstime.com/ref3_stockphotoshttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BV_ZYlQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJv4bxkwKHjNKgIcCNtwHA7LgEEAIYAiDjh4ANKAQ4AFC7nf_x_P____8BYOHEuoWYGrIBEXd3dy5tYWtldXNlb2YuY29tugEKMzM2eDI4MF9qc8gBAdoBUmh0dHA6Ly93d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbS90YWcvaG93LXRvLWNoYW5nZS10aGUtYmFja2dyb3VuZC1vZi1hLXBob3RvLWluLXBob3Rvc2hvcC-AAgGpAh6o2Xcnl1g-qAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=2&sig=AGiWqtyg-ETjhT5Snex4-xFqgc_enCFUpQ&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://bizshowcase.eyp.ph/multistiqhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BV_ZYlQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJv4bxkwKHjNKgIcCNtwHA7LgEEAIYAiDjh4ANKAQ4AFC7nf_x_P____8BYOHEuoWYGrIBEXd3dy5tYWtldXNlb2YuY29tugEKMzM2eDI4MF9qc8gBAdoBUmh0dHA6Ly93d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbS90YWcvaG93LXRvLWNoYW5nZS10aGUtYmFja2dyb3VuZC1vZi1hLXBob3RvLWluLXBob3Rvc2hvcC-AAgGpAh6o2Xcnl1g-qAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=2&sig=AGiWqtyg-ETjhT5Snex4-xFqgc_enCFUpQ&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://bizshowcase.eyp.ph/multistiqhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=BGz71lQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJu6nngQKz1rbzF_e77fkSsOoBEAMYAyDjh4ANKAQ4AFDU4-7h_P____8BYOHEuoWYGqABxabT_QOyARF3d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbboBCjMzNngyODBfanPIAQHaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb20vdGFnL2hvdy10by1jaGFuZ2UtdGhlLWJhY2tncm91bmQtb2YtYS1waG90by1pbi1waG90b3Nob3AvgAIByALLlLsDqAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=3&sig=AGiWqtzKMvz8IAtcDOcLs6-rpDouPJ_ZQg&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.smilebox.com/anytime-collages.html%3Fpartner%3Dgooglerow%26campaign%3Dglobal_collage_phillipineshttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=BGz71lQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJu6nngQKz1rbzF_e77fkSsOoBEAMYAyDjh4ANKAQ4AFDU4-7h_P____8BYOHEuoWYGqABxabT_QOyARF3d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbboBCjMzNngyODBfanPIAQHaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb20vdGFnL2hvdy10by1jaGFuZ2UtdGhlLWJhY2tncm91bmQtb2YtYS1waG90by1pbi1waG90b3Nob3AvgAIByALLlLsDqAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=3&sig=AGiWqtzKMvz8IAtcDOcLs6-rpDouPJ_ZQg&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.smilebox.com/anytime-collages.html%3Fpartner%3Dgooglerow%26campaign%3Dglobal_collage_phillipineshttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=Bzss2lQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJr-7g9wHf08uIKO-U6OZK0LRHEAQYBCDjh4ANKAQ4AFDo2syxAmDhxLqFmBqgAfmS3d8DsgERd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb226AQozMzZ4MjgwX2pzyAEB2gFSaHR0cDovL3d3dy5tYWtldXNlb2YuY29tL3RhZy9ob3ctdG8tY2hhbmdlLXRoZS1iYWNrZ3JvdW5kLW9mLWEtcGhvdG8taW4tcGhvdG9zaG9wL4ACAakCkz6y861ciD7AAgHIArfemR2oAwHoA8EE6APmA-gDwAj1AwIAIEQ&num=4&sig=AGiWqtx6FViwZUrn4ptXNVtGdxsT3fapHw&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.yast.comhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=Bzss2lQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJr-7g9wHf08uIKO-U6OZK0LRHEAQYBCDjh4ANKAQ4AFDo2syxAmDhxLqFmBqgAfmS3d8DsgERd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb226AQozMzZ4MjgwX2pzyAEB2gFSaHR0cDovL3d3dy5tYWtldXNlb2YuY29tL3RhZy9ob3ctdG8tY2hhbmdlLXRoZS1iYWNrZ3JvdW5kLW9mLWEtcGhvdG8taW4tcGhvdG9zaG9wL4ACAakCkz6y861ciD7AAgHIArfemR2oAwHoA8EE6APmA-gDwAj1AwIAIEQ&num=4&sig=AGiWqtx6FViwZUrn4ptXNVtGdxsT3fapHw&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.yast.comhttp://www.google.com/url?ct=abg&q=https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/request.py%3Fcontact%3Dabg_afc%26url%3Dhttp://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-change-the-background-of-a-photo-in-photoshop/%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dca-pub-5700237260308472%26adU%3DDreamstime.com%26adT%3DFree%2BStock%2BPhotos%26adU%3Dwww.EYP.ph%26adT%3DLarge%2BFormat%2BPrinting%26adU%3Dwww.Smilebox.com%26adT%3DDesign%2Ba%2BPhoto%2BCollage%26adU%3DYast.com%26adT%3DFree%2BTime%2BTracking%26gl%3DPH&usg=AFQjCNF13noL6ngbHlT7IQ64D5D0NDLylwhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=B4u5ClQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJ-bSZ9QH5luqWAsCNtwHwogQQARgBIOOHgA0oBDgAUOqah7EFYOHEuoWYGqABgZbo_gOyARF3d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbboBCjMzNngyODBfanPIAQHaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb20vdGFnL2hvdy10by1jaGFuZ2UtdGhlLWJhY2tncm91bmQtb2YtYS1waG90by1pbi1waG90b3Nob3AvgAIByALZnsABqAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=1&sig=AGiWqtygdWbT_m9Dj62_Jpjvv64J7fTSaQ&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.dreamstime.com/ref3_stockphotoshttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=B4u5ClQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJ-bSZ9QH5luqWAsCNtwHwogQQARgBIOOHgA0oBDgAUOqah7EFYOHEuoWYGqABgZbo_gOyARF3d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbboBCjMzNngyODBfanPIAQHaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb20vdGFnL2hvdy10by1jaGFuZ2UtdGhlLWJhY2tncm91bmQtb2YtYS1waG90by1pbi1waG90b3Nob3AvgAIByALZnsABqAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=1&sig=AGiWqtygdWbT_m9Dj62_Jpjvv64J7fTSaQ&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.dreamstime.com/ref3_stockphotoshttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BV_ZYlQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJv4bxkwKHjNKgIcCNtwHA7LgEEAIYAiDjh4ANKAQ4AFC7nf_x_P____8BYOHEuoWYGrIBEXd3dy5tYWtldXNlb2YuY29tugEKMzM2eDI4MF9qc8gBAdoBUmh0dHA6Ly93d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbS90YWcvaG93LXRvLWNoYW5nZS10aGUtYmFja2dyb3VuZC1vZi1hLXBob3RvLWluLXBob3Rvc2hvcC-AAgGpAh6o2Xcnl1g-qAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=2&sig=AGiWqtyg-ETjhT5Snex4-xFqgc_enCFUpQ&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://bizshowcase.eyp.ph/multistiqhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=L&ai=BV_ZYlQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJv4bxkwKHjNKgIcCNtwHA7LgEEAIYAiDjh4ANKAQ4AFC7nf_x_P____8BYOHEuoWYGrIBEXd3dy5tYWtldXNlb2YuY29tugEKMzM2eDI4MF9qc8gBAdoBUmh0dHA6Ly93d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbS90YWcvaG93LXRvLWNoYW5nZS10aGUtYmFja2dyb3VuZC1vZi1hLXBob3RvLWluLXBob3Rvc2hvcC-AAgGpAh6o2Xcnl1g-qAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=2&sig=AGiWqtyg-ETjhT5Snex4-xFqgc_enCFUpQ&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://bizshowcase.eyp.ph/multistiqhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=BGz71lQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJu6nngQKz1rbzF_e77fkSsOoBEAMYAyDjh4ANKAQ4AFDU4-7h_P____8BYOHEuoWYGqABxabT_QOyARF3d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbboBCjMzNngyODBfanPIAQHaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb20vdGFnL2hvdy10by1jaGFuZ2UtdGhlLWJhY2tncm91bmQtb2YtYS1waG90by1pbi1waG90b3Nob3AvgAIByALLlLsDqAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=3&sig=AGiWqtzKMvz8IAtcDOcLs6-rpDouPJ_ZQg&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.smilebox.com/anytime-collages.html%3Fpartner%3Dgooglerow%26campaign%3Dglobal_collage_phillipineshttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=BGz71lQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJu6nngQKz1rbzF_e77fkSsOoBEAMYAyDjh4ANKAQ4AFDU4-7h_P____8BYOHEuoWYGqABxabT_QOyARF3d3cubWFrZXVzZW9mLmNvbboBCjMzNngyODBfanPIAQHaAVJodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb20vdGFnL2hvdy10by1jaGFuZ2UtdGhlLWJhY2tncm91bmQtb2YtYS1waG90by1pbi1waG90b3Nob3AvgAIByALLlLsDqAMB6APBBOgD5gPoA8AI9QMCACBE&num=3&sig=AGiWqtzKMvz8IAtcDOcLs6-rpDouPJ_ZQg&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.smilebox.com/anytime-collages.html%3Fpartner%3Dgooglerow%26campaign%3Dglobal_collage_phillipineshttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=Bzss2lQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJr-7g9wHf08uIKO-U6OZK0LRHEAQYBCDjh4ANKAQ4AFDo2syxAmDhxLqFmBqgAfmS3d8DsgERd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb226AQozMzZ4MjgwX2pzyAEB2gFSaHR0cDovL3d3dy5tYWtldXNlb2YuY29tL3RhZy9ob3ctdG8tY2hhbmdlLXRoZS1iYWNrZ3JvdW5kLW9mLWEtcGhvdG8taW4tcGhvdG9zaG9wL4ACAakCkz6y861ciD7AAgHIArfemR2oAwHoA8EE6APmA-gDwAj1AwIAIEQ&num=4&sig=AGiWqtx6FViwZUrn4ptXNVtGdxsT3fapHw&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.yast.comhttp://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=Bzss2lQj8TffJMMmbcMqUpZwJr-7g9wHf08uIKO-U6OZK0LRHEAQYBCDjh4ANKAQ4AFDo2syxAmDhxLqFmBqgAfmS3d8DsgERd3d3Lm1ha2V1c2VvZi5jb226AQozMzZ4MjgwX2pzyAEB2gFSaHR0cDovL3d3dy5tYWtldXNlb2YuY29tL3RhZy9ob3ctdG8tY2hhbmdlLXRoZS1iYWNrZ3JvdW5kLW9mLWEtcGhvdG8taW4tcGhvdG9zaG9wL4ACAakCkz6y861ciD7AAgHIArfemR2oAwHoA8EE6APmA-gDwAj1AwIAIEQ&num=4&sig=AGiWqtx6FViwZUrn4ptXNVtGdxsT3fapHw&client=ca-pub-5700237260308472&adurl=http://www.yast.com


5/29

You can change the brush size of the highlighter for greater precisionin corners and smaller areas. Then choose the fill tool from the extract

filter toolbar and click once inside the area you want to keep. Hit thepreview button and you will be shown what the final image will look

like once extract finishes its work. Click OK if the results seem close towhat you are looking for, or else you can start over once again.

Expert Tip:

Duplicate the layer before starting the extract filter. That way, you stillhave the original image when extract finishes. Now Ctrl + Click on the

extracted layers thumbnail to load it as a selection. You can now useSelect > Refine Edges to improve the selection and hence the extract.

Once done hit Ctrl + C and then Ctrl + V to get the extracted-refined

object on its own layer.


6/29

The Extract Filter in CS4

As I mentioned earlier, the extract filter is no longer present in

Photoshop CS4, the latest offering from Adobe. You can simply copyand paste the ExtractPlus.8BF file from your CS3 installations Plug-

ins/Filters/ folder to the corresponding folder in CS4 install directory.

Oh, you can also download it from Adobes site if you dont have a CS3installation handy. My Bad!

When you fire up Photoshop the next time, you will see the extract

command under the Filter menu. You can now use it as detailed above.
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4048http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4048


7/29

Alternatives to Extract Filter

There are always more than one way to achieve similar results inPhotoshop. So if you would like to ditch the extract filter altogether

you can use the improved quick selection tool. It does a pretty good

job of detecting edges. In case it goes wrong, you can always add to(Shift) and subtract from (Alt) the selection. As an added advantage, it

gives you a selection you can easily refine, so you wouldnt have towork extra to get the selection as we did in the expert tip above.

You can also use the freeware InstantMask to mask out a person orobject from any photo. It uses a slightly different approach that

reminds one of the commercial plug-in Mask Pro from OnOne softwarebut the results vary hugely.
http://clipping-path-studio.com/instantmask/http://clipping-path-studio.com/instantmask/


8/29


9/29

And create this photo:

Introduction: This tutorial is to help you learn how to change the

background of a photo to something more interesting if you choose.There are many ways of getting this done, but this technique is

probably one of the easiest and most effective. Ok, so once you

open two similar photos (preferably the same size) that you would

like to combine in photoshop:

1. Adjust the Levels and Brightness and Contrast of both pictures

so they are just about as similarly adjusted as possible. If you need

more explanation of this visit our Photo Touchups Tutorial.

2. Then working with the photo that has the background that you

want to use, Select the whole thing (Select>All), Copy the wholething (Edit>Copy), and then working with the photo that has the

foreground that you want to use, Paste the previous photo onto a

new layer (Edit>Paste). Your layers menu for the for your photo

should now look similar to the picture to the left. With the

background photo on top of the foreground photo.


10/29

3. Now, add a Layer Mask to the upper layer that Hides All,

(Layer>Add Layer Mask>Hide All). Your Layers menu should now

look like similar to the picture below.

4. Click on the Brush Tool,

5. (make sure the colors you are working with are black and white).

6. Then (with the mask on the upper layer selected) simply brush

where you want the new background to show through. You will


11/29


12/29

photos, such as the one above. The perfect definition between the red car and thewhite background means that making a selection is a piece of cake. Or let's say Iwanted to change the background in this photo of a guy wearing a polo shirt:

The studio quality of the photo makes itextremely easy to select the black and change it to whatever color I want(although I must admit that in this case the hair might pose a problem).

So let's get real. In your own non-pro, non-studio, real-world photos, you willhave to deal with textures and color variations that make selecting and changinga color a lot more problematic than some would have you believe. My goal in thistutorial is to give you a way to change a background color in a real-life setting.

The tutorial
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahH4mcEdqI/AAAAAAAABDs/1822Fy3kD7c/s1600-h/poloshirt.jpg


13/29

In the photo above, the wall has a stuccotexture that gives it variation in color. The suit provides a fairly good contrast, butnowhere near what you get in a stock photo. Shadows from the guy and the chaircreate darker areas on the wall which will create a halo of the old color if notmeticulously selected. If you read my last tutorial, you know that I want you toget results without the meticulous work routinely performed by pro retouchers.So here are the steps:

1. Open your image and copy the your background layer and work on that layerfor good measure (Mac: CommandJ; PC: CtrlJ). From the top menu, chooseSelect-->Color Range and you will get the following dialog box:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahKGFAQCXI/AAAAAAAABD0/-50CBP6huOI/s1600-h/ashwallbefore.jpg


14/29

With the "Selection" option active(in the box below the photo), click in the photo (either the big one or the one inthe dialog boxboth work) on the color you want to change. Here is what oneclick got me:

Everything you see in
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahQoFTz1bI/AAAAAAAABEE/Unm2NmuINQA/s1600-h/firstclick.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahMIkmsaCI/AAAAAAAABD8/wU7cJSfhcwU/s1600-h/Picture+27.png


15/29

white is selected. Clearly, I am not done.

2. Because the wall has variations in color, I need to add to my selection. In thedialog box, check the eyedropper tool with the + sign after it. This means that youcan now click as many times as you like and add to the current selection. I clicked

once on a darker part of the wall and got the following result:

Not bad, but still notdone.

3. At this point, you have two choices: continue to click until you have a goodselection or play around with the "fuzziness" slider. Here is what happened whenI increased the fuzziness slider to "60":
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahShGMBFAI/AAAAAAAABEU/QFciA-sLqDk/s1600-h/secondclick.jpg


16/29

Better, but I still haven'tselected all of the wall. Your best bet is to continue to add to your selection bothby clicking AND by changing the fuzziness slider.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: You will notice that my selection has already picked upthe shoes, the pocket square, and the reflections in the windows. And as Icontinue to select more color variation in the wall, this problem will only get

worse. But have no fear. Over-selecting is far better than under-selecting. We willdeal with the problem areas later.

4. Once you have a good selection, click OK. You will now see the "dancing ants"(as they are sometimes called) all around your selected area. At this point, theselection still needs some fine tuning. In the toolbar at the left, click on one of theselection tools such as the lasso tool (L) or the quick selection tool (W). You aren'tgoing to use those tools, but you are going to steal a feature that they activate.With one of those tools selected, look for the "Refine Edge" button in the menubar at the top:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahTJZmUWeI/AAAAAAAABEc/LSmWJaCQPCk/s1600-h/fuzziness.jpg


17/29

Click on it to get a dialogbox that will help you better define your selection:

Here, you can seeexactly what you have selected and you can adjust the radius of the edge, thecontrast, the smoothness, etc. The nice thing about having a preview mode is thatyou can see the effects that the sliders produce. But why complicate things? I

recommend sticking mainly to the "Contract/Expand" slider. What I want to dohere is make sure that no shadow (say, around his hair) is left unselected. Iexpanded my selection a lot (71%), clicked OK, and was left with an even betterselection of the wall and an even worse side-effect of unwanted selected elements(look at the shirt and tie, for example). What to do?

5. With those dancing ants still doing their thing, hit CommandJ (Mac) or CtrlJ (PC) to put your selection on a new layer. If you turn off visibility in the other
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahaD8zlanI/AAAAAAAABE0/JdsASxT7MZI/s1600-h/Picture+33.pnghttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahWY_IOCbI/AAAAAAAABEk/I6vrJdD2jCk/s1600-h/Picture+41.png


18/29

layer(s), you will see exactly what you saw in the "Refine Edge" dialog box: theselected part of the image. As you do the next steps, you can toggle the visibilityof the other layer(s) as needed.

6. Time to change the color. This is where it gets fun. With your top layer

selected, go to Image-->Adjustments-->Hue/Saturation to get the followingdialog box:

As you can see, I left thebottom layers visible so I could see what the wall color would look like against the

windows. In the dialog box, make sure that "Colorize" is checked in the lowerright-hand corner. You are now free to experiment with hue (i.e. the color),saturation (the intensity), and lightness/darkness (I'll stop insulting yourintelligence on this one). This stage is simple and fun, but you will notice that Istill haven't dealt with those shoes, shirt, and other areas I don't want to change.We'll take care of that next. First, settle on a color and click OK.

7. With your top layer selected, go to the layers palette and add a layer mask:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahbULsha-I/AAAAAAAABE8/3ds8Kfsf7Po/s1600-h/Picture+35.png


19/29

Now you will want to make only the

colorized layer visible:

8. With the mask selected,choose a brush (sized according to the areas of color you want to eliminate) andsimply paint out the parts of the image where the color change is unwelcome:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahdQkRcpCI/AAAAAAAABFM/JoNYhwJJsoQ/s1600-h/Picture+38.pnghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahdA3JVJbI/AAAAAAAABFE/V5FwzmBT1VQ/s1600-h/Picture+12+copy.png


20/29

In the image above, I ampainting (with black set as the foreground color in the left menu bar) over theshirt and tie. I will then paint out the shoes and the windows, and I am left with anew wall color that retains the texture and variations of the natural wall.

Here is the BEFORE:

And the AFTER:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahegsAVmdI/AAAAAAAABFc/SfbM20e1BMk/s1600-h/ashwallbefore.jpghttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/Sahd-DqxXzI/AAAAAAAABFU/mZEySK3OnRk/s1600-h/ashmask.jpg


21/29

Conclusion

Whether the actual color change is better or worse is up to you, but I hope I havegiven you some practical techniques that work for real-life photos.

A few final words of advice:

If your saturation and lightness/darkness settings are too extreme, youwill begin to lose the natural texture and variation that make a backgroundrealistic.

My photo had a decent amount of contrast between the background andthe person. Imagine if he had blond hair and was wearing a beige suit.Similar colors would require more precise selections and masking. Unlessyou are a person of infinite patience (and if so, consider a job as aretoucher), you might want to avoid such situations.

Experiment. Deviate. The beautiful thing about Photoshop is that there area dozen ways to do almost anything. The important thing is to get a resultthat you like.

PHOTOSHOP CS3 TUTORIAL: THE ERASE

BACKGROUND TOOL. REMOVING COMPLEX

BACKGROUNDS.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyWDmsRqo3E/SahenUIH07I/AAAAAAAABFk/QaV_onk5ZDw/s1600-h/ashwallafter.jpg


22/29

The erase background tool is powerful, but good results are only possible if you

understand how it works. In this tute, we will look at all the options in the tool and

use them to extract backgrounds from our images.

The tool works best if the background is all a similar colour, for example,someone against a solid colour or a bright sky.

1I have deliberately chosen a difficult image, as the girl has flyaway hair that i

want to keep.

2From the toolbox, select the background eraser tool

3When the tool is

selected, the control palettewill display the default settings. Select the 3rd

button, Sampling:Foreground SwatchThis will only erase the foreground colour.

Set the toleranceto 25%


23/29

Make sure Protect Foreground Colouris ticked.Selecting the

option Sampling:Foreground Swatchallows you to sample the background colour

most prominent in your image, so the eraser will ignore contrasting colour pixels.

Choosing to Protect Foreground Colourallows you to sample a foregroundcolour to protect from the eraser.

4Now we need to sample the background colour to erase. Select the background

swatch in your toolbox, and double click to bring up the colour panel.

5Select the background colour with the eyedropper, right click to select a 51X51

average. This will make sure that the area sampled will be larger than just one

pixel, so many shades of light blue will be included instead of just a singular blue

pixel.

Next, select the foreground to protect (we will start with the girls hair) I will use a

11X11 average for this. Notice the colours on my background and foreground

swatches.

6Choose a nice big size for the brush. Use CTRL (CMD) and the bracket keys({})

to change the brush size.


24/29

7Think of the brush as a sort of magic wand tool, that erases selections based on

the colour it clicks on. The more a colour is prersent under the radius of the

brush, the more photoshop will think it is the background colour, and erase it.

8You can now get nearer the edge, just remember that you want more of the

colour to be erased, less of the protected colours, under the brush!


25/29

9Notice that to select the more fiddly edges, I am positioning the centre of thebrush on top of the light blue, notthe hair.

10These settings will remain true for similar areas, as soon as we get to areas

with different colurs, for example the girls blouse, we need to select different

colours to protect use the eyedropper to select the new foreground colour,

right click to select a 51X51 pixel average.


26/29

11 You will need to change foreground and background colours often as you

work through the image.

12Now open another image, perhaps an outdoor image like a beach or busy

street.

Paste the selection of the girl above it, resize to fit and get rid of any stray white

areas with a soft brush eraser.


27/29

13To tidy up any stray white edges around the hair, we will darken some parts of

the imageSelect the Burn Tool

14From the Rangedropdown options, select highlightsand an exposure of 25%

or thereabouts.

15Now go over the edges of the hair to darken (burn) any stray highlights or

white halos on the edges.


28/29

16The finishing touches:

Image>adjustments>levels to increase tonal contrast on the background to

match the girl image. This is a quick and dirty fix, As this tute is about the

background eraser tool, not levels

Position the girl so her eyes are aligned with the horizon, to make the perspective

credible.

Youre done!


29/29

How to Change the Background in Photoshop

Documents

Transcript of How to Change the Background in Photoshop