Efficiently removing people in Photoshop

The cut-out of people from a background can be an enormous challenge, especially when the background and the person's clothing have similar colors. In this tutorial, Gabor will show you two different methods for cutting out people in Photoshop. He will explain the advantages and disadvantages of each method, so you can find out which is best suited for you.

Main Findings

• The Quick Selection Tool is good for clear contours but may struggle with less contrasting subjects.
• The Pen Tool allows for more precise cut-outs but requires more time and patience.
• Test both methods to see which provides the best results for your specific project.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Start with the Quick Selection Tool

To begin, activate the Quick Selection Tool. This tool is one of the easiest methods to make a selection. Using the "Auto-Enhance" option, you can refine the edges as you move over the person. This works especially well with highly contrasting subjects.

Move the cursor over the contours of the person to create the selection. Be careful to work particularly precisely on hard edges, such as dark clothing. In difficult color combinations, like gray clothing against a gray background, it can be more challenging to achieve a clean selection.

If the selection becomes too inaccurate, you can press the "Cmd+Z" key at any time to undo the last step. It is helpful to work in small steps and take breaks often. This method saves your intermediate steps, allowing you to go back without having to redo everything.

2. Create a Rough Selection

If you are not satisfied with the initial selection, you should work with the ALT key to deselect areas. This gives you more control and allows for a more precise adjustment of the selection.

When you have a rough selection of the upper body and head, go to the RAW layer and click on the Mask icon to implement your selection. You can now pull a solid color underneath the selection to visually check the results.

3. Refine the Edges

Here it becomes clear that the edges are often too sharp or inaccurate. One way to soften this sharpness is to edit the mask. You can use a brush with medium hardness (about 50%) to refine the edges and remove unwanted parts of the background.

You can adjust the brush settings depending on how much you want to take back from the edges. Work carefully along the areas, for example, the hair, where overlaps with the background often occur.

4. Use Alternatives – Pen Tool

An alternative method recommended by Gabor is the Pen Tool. This method requires more patience but provides greater precision. It is important to activate "Shape" instead of "Path" in the tool menu.

When using the Pen Tool, trace the contours of the person as precisely as possible. Use the spacebar to move the view without changing the tool. This helps you keep track of where you're working while also accurately hitting the contours.

5. Completion and Fine-Tuning

Once you are done cutting out, you can create the selection by right-clicking on the path in the Pen Tool. Check the mask and make further adjustments if necessary. Intermediate steps of the mask should be considered as thoughts for refinement.

Test your final result by adding a suitable background to see if it looks appealing. It is normal that you may still have small areas that need further adjustment.

Summary – Easy Cut-Out of People in Photoshop

In this video tutorial, you learned how to cut out people in Photoshop using both the Quick Selection Tool and the Pen Tool. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, and it's important to experiment with which is best for your workflow. The key is in patience and precise work to optimize your images.