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Extract

The document provides a guide on using the Extract feature in Adobe Photoshop to isolate foreground objects from their backgrounds. It details the steps for outlining transitional areas, filling the subject, previewing the extraction, and compositing the extracted image into a new background. Additionally, it offers tips for retouching and refining the extraction process using tools like the History Brush and Eraser.

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EDU SUMMIT
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25 views2 pages

Extract

The document provides a guide on using the Extract feature in Adobe Photoshop to isolate foreground objects from their backgrounds. It details the steps for outlining transitional areas, filling the subject, previewing the extraction, and compositing the extracted image into a new background. Additionally, it offers tips for retouching and refining the extraction process using tools like the History Brush and Eraser.

Uploaded by

EDU SUMMIT
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Adobe Photoshop

Using the Extract feature in Photoshop with Julieanne Kost


Software needed Adobe Photoshop 5.5 or later.

The Extract command provides a sophisticated way to isolate a foreground object from its background.
Previously, this was best handled by complex channel operations or tool combinations. Now, even objects
with whispy, intricate, or undefinable edges can be removed from their surroundings with a minimum of
manual effort or technical know-how. While objects that differ in color from their surroundings are the
easiest to extract, even the most challenging extraction can always be finessed with the help of the History
Brush and the Eraser.

Open the file. Open the image containing the


subject that needs to be isolated from its sur-
roundings. By default, when a file is opened,
Photoshop creates a Snapshot. Look at the His-
tory Palette. If you don’t have a Snapshot, click
on the black arrow and select New Snapshot.
Accept the defaults and click OK. Note: The
snapshot will enable you to finesse the extrac-
tion with the History Brush in areas where there
might be small imperfections in the Extraction.

Extract the subject. In the Extract dialog box,


select the Edge Highlighter tool. Define the
transitional areas by painting over the areas
that contain both foreground and background
information. In this example, the transition
area is made up of both the woman’s hair and
of the white drop cloth background. For the
best results, use a smaller brush size when the
edge is sharper and a larger brush size for less
defined areas. Use the zoom tool as needed.

Finish painting the transition. Continue out-


lining until the highlight “paint” fully encloses
the transitional areas of the subject. Note: the
resulting outline must be a closed region. In this
example, the edge of the document window is
serving as the border for the bottom of the out-
line. Also, the more precise the outline, the more
exact the extraction will be.

1
Fill the subject area. After outlining the tran-
sitional areas, select the Fill tool and click
in the subject area. If you want to keep the
foreground, click inside the outline. To keep
the surroundings, click outside the outlined
area. Note: If you accidentally fill the wrong
area, click again with the Fill tool to undo the
fill. If the paint fills the whole image, there is
probably a gap in your outline.

Preview the extraction. Click the preview


button. If the extraction isn’t perfect, modify
the outline using the Eraser and Edge High-
lighter tools. Then re-preview the extraction
to view the improved results. When finished
with adjustments, click OK. Note: you can use
the different preview options to simulate your
image on a variety of different colored back-
grounds.

Composite the extracted image. Use the Move


tool and drag and drop the image into the new
background file. Note: composite images work
well when both of the images are taken under
the same lighting conditions and have the same
color temperature. It also helps to have the back-
ground fall slightly out of focus to separate the
subject from the background.

Retouching areas. Depending on the color


similarity between your subject and surround-
ings, it might be necessary to use the History
Brush or the Eraser to clean up some small
imperfections. From the Tool palette, select
the History Brush. In the History palette, set
the brush to sample from the snapshot and
paint in the missing areas. To delete stray
pixels from the image, from the Tool palette
select the Eraser and erase the extra data.

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