How To
6 MA XIMUMPC MAY 2005
ISOLATING THE SUBJECT
The first step is to remove the kids from the unwanted studio background
1
UNLOCK THE LAYER Open
the photograph in Photoshop.
At this stage, the background layer
will be locked. Double-click the layer
thumbnail in the Layers palette. A New
Layer window will open. Label the layer
“Kids.” Color the layer thumbnail blue
to make it easy to identify. Click OK and
you have an unlocked editable layer.2
INCREASE THUMBNAIL SIZE
Make the layer thumbnails a bit
bigger. A quick way of doing this is
to right-click an empty section in the
Layers palette. A small pop-up window
will appear with various thumbnail-size
options. Alternatively, go to the icon at
the top right of the palette and open the
Layer Palette Options window.3
CREATE A PATH THUMBNAIL
Click the Paths tab. Click the
Create New Path icon at the bottom
of the palette. Label the path “Kid
Path 01.” Select the Pen tool from
the floating toolbox. Select the path
thumbnail. You are now ready to begin
drawing a path around the children.4
PLACE ANCHOR POINTS Zoom
in on the boy’s head. Draw your
path’s first anchor point. As you place
your second point, hold down the mouse
button and drag it to control the Bezier
curve linking the two points together.
Use this technique to continue drawing a
path around the kids.5
PICK UP A PATH Unlike the Lasso
tool, you can stop selecting your path
to do something else and then carry on.
Select the Pen tool and place the cursor
over the last anchor point. The tool’s icon
will change, indicating that it’s ready to
pick up the path from that point.COMPLEX CONTOURS When you come to
more complex areas, such as the girl’s flowers,
you’ll need to place your anchor points closer
together. Continue dragging the mouse to
create small curves between each point.ACCURATE PATHS For
total accuracy, after drawing
a curve, Alt-click on the last
anchor point. The straight
line that passes through the
point, halves. Release the Alt
key and continue drawing.6
PURSUING PERFECT PATHS Continue to draw your path around the kids.
If you hit Caps Lock, you’ll replace the Pen tool icon with a more useful cross-
hair target icon. This will make it easier to accurately place the anchor points.BEZIER CURVES Photoshop
has an advanced set of Path-
related tools in the toolbox. Paths
are made up of anchor points.
Each anchor point has a handle
that lets you interactively adjust
the Bezier curve that joins two
points together. In this way you
can select large curved areas with
a minimum of anchor points.