Making Cutouts

[tracy lynn]

I know its here somewhere. How can I make a cut out of a certain part of a photo. Such as, flowers, people, buildings etc, without going thru the magic extracter.
Thanks all!!! :)

[Wendy]

Hi Tracy Lynn ..

making a selection

Select the lasso tool (just the orginary one)
Set it to "Add to" (those little boxes up at the top of the screen ..hover your cursor above then and you will see the one I mean)
Zoom in very close using the zoom tool (it looks like a little magnifying glass)
and start your selection.
Just go round the edge a little at a time and then do a sort of circle inside the person to join up to the beginning of the selection.
Now you can pause for a moment before continuing ..
To continue just start again and you will see that you are adding to the selection.


When you have gone all the way round stop and check your selection. Make sure that all of the person is selected.
If you have parts that need a little more adding in the use "Add to Selection" ... but if you need to remove a little then change over to "Subtract from Selection". Do this until you are happy with it.

Now do Edit>Copy then Edit>Paste
and you will have the person on their own layer
You can then add a new background behind them.

Hope this helps :)

Wendy

[Priss]

Don't forget to use ALL of the selection tools, (and don't be afraid to use them combination with one another too sometimes) If you are an elements user, Your most powerful selection tool is probably the magic selection brush tool in Elements (keystroke "A"). When the selection is made you can do just like Wendy said, (edit>copy...edit>paste) or you can just do a ctrl+j to pop that selection up onto a layer of its own then add your new background below. (I don't like the magic extractor very well in Elements either, and have better luck with an image by starting out with the magnetic lasso, then the magic wand (in the add-to-selection mode) if I can't get it with "a" painting.

[sabina_canada]

I have been trying now for two days to make a cutout and save it and can't seem to get it together. I will have to copy what Wendy said and maybe this will work.

Also pleease!!!!! can someone please please tell me (I am so dumb), so dumb, but when Linda talks about transferring files into PSE, what kind of files? My reason for asking is: I have some 100 props from a previous Easy Media Creator program and they are really perfect for some layouts. However, they are in .jpg format. Now I have tried and tried and tried to take the exact path that Linda indicated, but they still end up as .jpg's in the shape folder. Or the graphic one. I have tried.
Question is: Must I actually take each previous 'prop' and cut it out again, and then take the same path that Wendy just indicated in her posting?

I can't believe I am spending this many hours trying to figure PSE out or cutouts. Ughh.

Sabina.

[sabina_canada]

Wendy,
once I have created this cutout, can I then add it to a specific folder in PSE 5?

And must I absolutely cut out each of the hundred or so props that I kept from EMC 7 ? Ohh, I hate cutting out........Is there no other way?
Thank you,
Sabina.


Hi Tracy Lynn ..

making a selection

Select the lasso tool (just the orginary one)
Set it to "Add to" (those little boxes up at the top of the screen ..hover your cursor above then and you will see the one I mean)
Zoom in very close using the zoom tool (it looks like a little magnifying glass)
and start your selection.
Just go round the edge a little at a time and then do a sort of circle inside the person to join up to the beginning of the selection.
Now you can pause for a moment before continuing ..
To continue just start again and you will see that you are adding to the selection.


When you have gone all the way round stop and check your selection. Make sure that all of the person is selected.
If you have parts that need a little more adding in the use "Add to Selection" ... but if you need to remove a little then change over to "Subtract from Selection". Do this until you are happy with it.

Now do Edit>Copy then Edit>Paste
and you will have the person on their own layer
You can then add a new background behind them.

Hope this helps :)

Wendy

[roxyrenders]

I think only vector shapes can go into the shapes and cutout menus. If you want to use the jpg files from your other program. Open them in PSE . You may need to convert the background layer by Right clicking on the layer of your jpg. I'm guessing that since it was a 'prop" and is saved a jpg- your file will have a white background. Use the magic wand tool to select the white area- Delete. You should have a transparent background surrounding your prop. Save the file as PNG. It will be ready to use again and again. You would need to bring it into the workspace each time like a paper or photo. I'm not sure they can be actually loaded into PSE.

[sabina_canada]

thank you, thank you. I will try tomorrow morning or if I can't wait, alas, it will be tried in a few minutes. It sounds so easy that I will jump for joy and won't care if I cannot import them into PSE 5. I will just have to keep them in a separate folder.
I have spent the last four days trying to cut them out or erase them, making new layers, and fiddling around with these props, that my eyes are standing in the back of my head.
Thank you, I will try. Hopefully I can make it work.
Sabina.

[sabina_canada]

hi rde,
it worked. I cannot believe how easy it is. It actually worked. I just did a beautiful elephant as a .png and it is clear and can be used again and again. You are so right.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH. I can't tell you how tired I am from cutting props out, pasting, touching up, re-cutting..........

oh, am I ever happy.
Sabina.