Post by Zaxinou on Jul 12, 2011 20:17:12 GMT 10
PR given by Corez
Some pretty old articles I wrote for the magazine at ProVision, hope you guys learn something from them.
Some pretty old articles I wrote for the magazine at ProVision, hope you guys learn something from them.
Last time I gave you all hints on how to fix depth, lighting, and focal points in your signatures. And at the end of the article I said that I would do the next Graphic Hint on blending, flow and something else. We're not going to do those yet because, well, I don't feel like making signatures today. 
So instead I'll be teaching you how to cut an object out of a photo, but not with the pen tool. Because I know that the pen tool is kind of hard to master- there is a somewhat easier method to cut out your own 'renders'.
It's called extracting (or, that's the filter used to do this method). The up-side is that it's easier to master and doesn't demand any prior knowledge to do it. Down-side, it will take maybe the same amount of time as when cutting out with the pen tool and it can get messy if you don't take the time to do it perfectly (note: if you have a tablet then this will probably be easier for you).
Okay first off choose a photo (check sxc.hu or other stock sites; I'll be using this one), and open it in Photoshop (I'll be using CS3, I know that the filter is present in CS2 as well but I don't know about the other versions..). High quality photos are always better, but it really doesn't matter. If your photo is big and the object you want doesn't take over the whole photo then I suggest you crop the photo, this'll make your computer lag less. Now that you've done that go to "Filter" > "Extract.." (or click ALT + CTRL + X). A new window should have popped up now with your image in the middle.
Click here for example 1
On the left there is a tools palette. The first tool is the "Edge Highlighter Tool" and that is what we use to 'select' the object we want. If you want, you can fix the preference on the right side, but don't make the brush size too small or too big. Now use the tool to trace around the object's edges, if you want you can zoom in to make the tracing more precise. Although that will take more time, it will look less choppy once you're done. If you do something wrong you can always use the Erase Tool located below the Paint Bucket Tool to erase what you've done wrong.
Click here for example 2
Once you're satisfied with the tracing, you can then use the Fill Tool (or Paint Bucket Tool) to fill the content inside the highlighted part. Click Preview on the top right side to see how your object turned out. Some parts may look like low opacity, but this can be fixed by playing around with the Edge Touchup Tool and the Cleanup Tool.
Click here for example 3
Click OK if you think you're finished, and voila, you've got your object!
Click here for example 4
Now I know this might not be one of the 'cleanest' methods, but it might be easier for those that don't want to learn the Pen Tool. If you're not satisfied with the outcome you can always A) keep practicing or B) learn the Pen Tool because in the end it's basically the best tool for cutting images out, and it really isn't that hard to learn. I used to use this method at first, but then I started using the Pen Tool and it all worked out just fine.
So instead I'll be teaching you how to cut an object out of a photo, but not with the pen tool. Because I know that the pen tool is kind of hard to master- there is a somewhat easier method to cut out your own 'renders'.
It's called extracting (or, that's the filter used to do this method). The up-side is that it's easier to master and doesn't demand any prior knowledge to do it. Down-side, it will take maybe the same amount of time as when cutting out with the pen tool and it can get messy if you don't take the time to do it perfectly (note: if you have a tablet then this will probably be easier for you).
Okay first off choose a photo (check sxc.hu or other stock sites; I'll be using this one), and open it in Photoshop (I'll be using CS3, I know that the filter is present in CS2 as well but I don't know about the other versions..). High quality photos are always better, but it really doesn't matter. If your photo is big and the object you want doesn't take over the whole photo then I suggest you crop the photo, this'll make your computer lag less. Now that you've done that go to "Filter" > "Extract.." (or click ALT + CTRL + X). A new window should have popped up now with your image in the middle.
Click here for example 1
On the left there is a tools palette. The first tool is the "Edge Highlighter Tool" and that is what we use to 'select' the object we want. If you want, you can fix the preference on the right side, but don't make the brush size too small or too big. Now use the tool to trace around the object's edges, if you want you can zoom in to make the tracing more precise. Although that will take more time, it will look less choppy once you're done. If you do something wrong you can always use the Erase Tool located below the Paint Bucket Tool to erase what you've done wrong.
Click here for example 2
Once you're satisfied with the tracing, you can then use the Fill Tool (or Paint Bucket Tool) to fill the content inside the highlighted part. Click Preview on the top right side to see how your object turned out. Some parts may look like low opacity, but this can be fixed by playing around with the Edge Touchup Tool and the Cleanup Tool.
Click here for example 3
Click OK if you think you're finished, and voila, you've got your object!
Click here for example 4
Now I know this might not be one of the 'cleanest' methods, but it might be easier for those that don't want to learn the Pen Tool. If you're not satisfied with the outcome you can always A) keep practicing or B) learn the Pen Tool because in the end it's basically the best tool for cutting images out, and it really isn't that hard to learn. I used to use this method at first, but then I started using the Pen Tool and it all worked out just fine.
