Retouch yourself into the picture

Step 6 Neatly cut out

If you're happy that these few tweaks has brought the image into the same colour cast and grainyness as the original base image and that the angle is right and the lighting matches, then now is the time to do a neat cut out.

Using the lasso, with striaght lines carefully and slowly click round the image to be cut out. USe straight lines because they are easier, but use very short lines so that you can follow the curves. Pay attention to hair, and don't take too much off. Ideally you will have shot the image on a back ground that has a similar colouring, very important for hair and such like. Unfortunately for me I only had this wall and that was it so my background is rather too light. But as you can see it is possible, with patience, to cut it out.

I cut the head and neck out and discarded the clothes, because I wanted to use Moody's jacket. Every picture is different and you may be dropping you whole body in to the picture. Either way, pay attention to detail. If you can set the cutting tool to have a slight feathered edge (1 or 2 pixel blur) then do so, so that the edge is a little less distinct.

If there are things that should be in front of you, that are currently in the background, don't worry about them for now, we will get them to come on top later.

I zoomed in to the image to make sure that I cut it out nice and neatly. Once you have outlined the image with the masking tool, delete the YOU image background See second image. Now at this stage the cut out may not be perfect and the odd bit of the old back ground might show, especially on the hair. Don't worry too much about that we will blend that in later

Comments

[Win7Maniac]

Magic Wand tool!! ;P Sadly it doesn't work the best all the time. . .