106 PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY
1
Openyourshotandfindyoursubject
In Photoshop,go toFile>Openan d navigateto the
sh otwiththesubjectyouwantto separatefromits
background.Thistechniqueworksbeston an imagewitha good
contrastbetweenthetwo,whetherthat’scolouror highlights
an d shadows.Withtheimageloaded,clickon anyof theQuick
SelectionToolsor pressW. In theToolOptionsbar,clickon Select
SubjectandPhotoshopwill automaticallymakea selectionbased
onwhatit believesto be thesubjectin yourimage,outlinedby
marchingants.To checkhowaccuratetheselectionis, zoominto
yo ursubjectwiththeZoomTool(Z).HoldtheSpacebar,andclick
an d dragaroundyourimageto inspecttheedges.If theselection
lo oksperfect,skipto Step4, butif it needssomerefinements,
moveon to Step2.2
Tidyup thesubjectwithobjectselection
It’sunlikelythattheautomatedselectionwill be perfect
all around your subject, particularly in areas where
contrast between the subject and background is a close match,
or on more detailed edges as above. This is where the new
Object Selection Tool comes in. It’s found in the same place as
the Quick Selection and Magic Wand Tools (W). Activate it and
in the Tool Options bar change the Mode drop-down menu to
Lasso. Hold the Shift key, which lets Photoshop know you want
to add to the selection, and draw around the area that you want
to include in the selection. If the Lasso Tool proves too fiddly,
hold down the Alt key to change it to the Polygonal Lasso Tool,
which allows you to draw in straight lines for improved accuracy,
and again hold Shift and click to add to the selection.PhotoshopCC 2020 bringsa wealth of updates,includingthe brand-newObject Removal Tool.
KirkSchwarzshows youhowto use it.Place a subject on
a new background
W
ITHTHELATESTFREEUPDATETOADOBE
Photoshopcomessomeintriguingfeatures,
one of whichis theObjectSelectionTool.
Thisnewquickselectiontoolis idealforplacingsubjects
on a new background, and works with the improved
back-end recognition algorithms to make intelligent
selections. It also promises accurate results in a fraction
of the time it would take to use the Pen or Lasso Tools.
This is the perfect accompaniment to the Select Subject
fe ature, which is a long-standing function of Photoshop
that has also benefited from the same level of improvements.
Using the Object Selection Tool and Select Subject in
conjunction allows you to make sweeping selections based
on the artificial intelligence, and then refine them until you
have the perfect cut-out.WHAT
YOUNEED
nPhotoshopCC 2020
nAny shotwhereyou’d
liketo separatethe
subjectfromthe
background