How to Cut People Out of Photos

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Removing Unwanted Individuals from Photos: A Step-by-Step Guide

Whether you’re looking to preserve family memories, eliminate distractions, or simply create a more curated visual experience, learning how to cut people out of photos is an invaluable skill for anyone with a digital camera or smartphone. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of photo editing and explore the best methods for removing individuals from your images.

Step 1: Choose Your Editing Software

The first step in cutting someone out of a photo is selecting the right editing software. There are numerous options available, each with its own unique features and capabilities. For this tutorial, we’ll be focusing on three popular choices:

  1. Adobe Photoshop (PS): Industry-standard for professional photographers and graphic designers.
  2. GIMP: Free and open-source image manipulatoin program.
  3. Canva: Cloud-based design platform perfect for beginners or casual users.

Regardless of the software you choose, it’s essential to ensure you have a basic understanding of its features, such as cropping, resizing, and selecting colors.

Step 2: Prepare Your Image

Before beginning the editing process, take some time to prepare your image. This includes:

  1. Ensuring the subject is in focus: Make sure the area where you’ll be cutting out the person is sharp and well-defined.
  2. Adjusting brightness and contrast: A properly balanced exposure can make a significant difference in both visual appeal and overall editing success.
  3. Correcting color cast: If there’s an unusual hue or saturation, adjust your colors to match the natural environment.

Step 3: Isolate the Area

The next step is isolating the area you want to remove. You’ll need to utilise a selection tool within your chosen software. There are several methods:

  1. Quick Selection Tool (PS and GIMP):
    • Draw around the person, using soft brushes for smooth transitions or more detailed selections.
    • Hold Alt/Option key for subtractive mode; hold Ctrl/Cmd while dragging with left mouse button to maintain selection size.
  2. Magic Wand (GIMP only): Utilize this powerful tool by clicking and holding on the area you want to select, adjusting the tolerance until it accurately detects edges and textures.
  3. Select and Mask (PS only):
    • Create a new document with same dimensions as your original image.
    • Use “Select” > “Subject Selection Tools” or manually draw around person using paths.

Step 4: Refine Your Selection

To ensure a smooth, realistic cutout:

  1. Refine Edge Tool (PS only):
    • Choose the ‘Detect Edges’ option and adjust sensitivity for improved results.
  2. GIMP’s Invert Selection: Activate this feature to remove any remaining artifacts or noise.

Step 5: Cut Out Your Subject

With your selection refined, it’s time to actually cut out the person:

  1. Copy Merged (PS):
    • Right-click > “Edit in new” and duplicate entire layer.
  2. Duplicate Layer (GIMP): Use “Layer” > “duplicate layer”
  3. Mask Mode: Activate ‘mask’ mode within Canva to edit a separate mask of your selection.

Once you have the duplicated/selected/masked area:

  1. Delete or Copy (PS and GIMP):
    • Simply delete the original layer, ensuring the new duplicate remains.
  2. Canva’s Mask Mode: Invert colors by switching between ‘normal’ and ‘mask’ modes within Canva.

Step 6: Fine-Tune Your Results

After cutting out your subject:

  1. Check Edges (PS and GIMP):
    • Inspect the selection edges using “Select” > “Edge Detection” or similar features.
  2. Invert Colors: In some cases, inverted colors might enhance the overall image quality.

Step 7: Save and Enjoy

With your masterpiece complete:

  1. Save as (PS): Export as JPEG, PSD, or other format depending on desired usage.
  2. Export (GIMP and Canva): Use respective file formats for saving edited images.
  3. Share: Share your newly modified photo with friends, family, or social media.

Removing unwanted individuals from photos requires a combination of skills including image preparation, selection tools proficiency, edge refinement techniques, and an understanding of editing software capabilities. By following these steps in our comprehensive guide to cutting people out of photos, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle even the most complex photo-editing tasks.

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