How To Remove Extremely Difficult Backgrounds in Photoshop
TLDRIn this Photoshop tutorial, Vertic Designs demonstrates an advanced technique for removing complex backgrounds using the Calculations method. The tutorial focuses on creating high contrast between the subject and background by manipulating channels and blend modes to isolate elements effectively. Techniques such as adjusting curves, using the brush tool in overlay mode, and refining edges with polygonal lasso are detailed, ensuring elements like bridges retain detail while adjusting the background's brightness and color. This in-depth guide is ideal for users looking to enhance their skills in handling challenging photo editing tasks.
Takeaways
- 🖼️ Use the 'Calculations' feature in Photoshop to create a high contrast between the background and the subject by manipulating the color channels.
- 🌟 Select the appropriate channel (e.g., Green or Blue) that best separates the background from the subject.
- 🔄 Utilize the 'Add' blending mode with a high offset value (e.g., -255) to enhance the contrast further.
- 📐 Employ the Polygonal Lasso Tool for making precise selections around the subject to protect it from being removed.
- 🎨 Fill the selected areas with black to ensure they are retained while the background is processed.
- ➡️ Deselect the selected areas using Ctrl+D (or Command+D on Mac) to prepare for the next steps.
- 🔍 Use the 'Curves' adjustment to fine-tune the contrast between the background and the subject.
- 🖌️ Apply the Brush Tool in Overlay mode with a large size and white color to manually brighten the background.
- 🔄 Invert the color to black and repeat the process to darken the ground or other unwanted areas.
- 🔄 Adjust the opacity and hardness of the brush to maintain details in areas with subtle or faded features.
- 📏 Use the Rectangle Tool to recreate any lost details or lines in the subject, matching the width and color appropriately.
- 🔄 Duplicate and align the recreated shapes to fill in any gaps or missing parts in the subject.
Q & A
What is the first step to remove a complex background in Photoshop?
-The first step is to go to Image > Calculations in Photoshop to bring up a window that will help you separate the background from the image.
How do you choose the right channel to separate the background from the image?
-You should look through each channel (red, green, and blue) to determine which one provides the best contrast between the background and the image you want to keep.
What blending mode is most effective for enhancing the contrast between the background and the image?
-The 'Add' blending mode is the most effective for this purpose.
How do you use the polygonal lasso tool to select the areas you want to keep in the image?
-You use the polygonal lasso tool to make a selection around the edges of the image you want to keep, ensuring you include the majority of it. Then you fill in the selected area with black to ensure it won't be removed.
What is the purpose of adjusting the curve in the Curves adjustment layer?
-Adjusting the curve enhances the contrast between the background and the image, making the background brighter and the image more distinct.
How do you fill in the sky with a brighter color without affecting the bridge in the image?
-You use the brush tool in overlay mode with a white color to fill in the sky, which will not affect the bridge since the mode is set to overlay.
What should you do if you notice that some lines in the image have become faded after applying certain effects?
-You can use the polygonal lasso tool to make a selection of the faded area and then use the Levels adjustment to make the lines more visible and bold.
How do you recreate missing or faded lines in the image?
-You can use the rectangle tool to draw a shape that matches the width of the missing line, fill it with a color, and then lower the opacity to blend it in with the rest of the image.
What is the final step to remove the background from the image?
-The final step is to use the polygonal lasso tool to make a selection around the image, copy the selection, and then use it to create a mask on the background layer to remove the background.
How do you remove a color cast from the bridge in the image?
-You can create a new layer, use the brush tool to sample a color from the bridge, and paint over the blue areas to neutralize the color cast.
What is the last adjustment made to the image to ensure the colors match the bridge?
-The last adjustment is to add a color overlay with blending options on a layer above the bridge, setting the color to match the bridge and adjusting the opacity for a more natural look.
Outlines
🖌️ Removing Complex Backgrounds in Photoshop
This tutorial explains how to remove complex backgrounds in Photoshop using the 'Calculations' method. The key steps involve selecting appropriate channels (like the blue channel for high contrast) and adjusting settings such as blending and opacity to enhance the separation between the background and the main image. The tutorial covers the use of tools like the polygonal lasso tool for refining selections and filling in areas with black to ensure they are not removed, followed by adjustment of curves to finalize the contrast enhancements.
🎨 Advanced Editing Techniques for Background Separation
Continuing from the previous setup, the tutorial details how to adjust curves to further refine background separation. Specific values for output and input are suggested to perfect the image contrast. Following this, the brush tool's settings are adjusted to selectively brighten and darken areas without affecting the main image. This part of the tutorial focuses on fine-tuning areas within the image, such as a bridge, to ensure detailed areas do not lose their integrity while adjusting background visibility.
🛠️ Final Touches and Detail Enhancement
The tutorial concludes by addressing finer details and imperfections in the edited image. Techniques such as recreating faded areas with shape tools, duplicating and aligning shapes for uniformity, and applying level adjustments to bolden lines are explained. The process of layer masking is detailed to eliminate unwanted background elements and to apply color corrections to areas affected by previous edits. This section ensures that the final image maintains quality and detail post-editing.
🌉 Enhancing and Correcting Color on Edited Images
This segment provides instructions on how to finalize the image by correcting color casts using the brush tool and blending options. Specific attention is given to setting appropriate opacities and removing unwanted areas with the eraser tool. It concludes with a review of the overall editing process, offering a comparison between the original and edited images to demonstrate the effectiveness of the techniques used throughout the tutorial.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Photoshop
💡Complex Backgrounds
💡Calculations
💡Channels
💡Blending Modes
💡Polygonal Lasso Tool
💡Quick Selection
💡Curves
💡Brush Tool
💡Overlay Mode
💡Smart Object
Highlights
Introduction to removing complex backgrounds in Photoshop.
Go to Image > Calculations to start the process.
Select the source image and layer to work on.
Choose the best channel (red, green, blue) for separating the background.
Use the blue channel for the best contrast.
Set the blending option to 'Add' for better results.
Adjust the offset to -255 for optimal contrast.
Create a new alpha channel from the selection.
Use the polygonal lasso tool to select areas to keep.
Fill the selected areas with black to protect them from removal.
Use Curves (Ctrl+M) to enhance contrast between background and image.
Use the brush tool in overlay mode to brighten the background.
Adjust brush settings for size and hardness for detailed work.
Use Ctrl+L (Levels) to make faded lines more visible.
Recreate missing details using the shape tool.
Duplicate and adjust shapes to match lines accurately.
Create a mask and remove the background using the alpha channel.
Correct color cast using the brush tool with a sampled color.
Set the color layer's opacity to blend correctly with the image.
Final review and cleanup of the edited image.