The EASY Background Remover Hidden in Photoshop!
TLDRThis video tutorial reveals a lesser-known tool in Photoshop for background removal that is both powerful and easy to use. The tool, found under the eraser tool group, allows for highly accurate background erasure with customizable settings. The video explains how to use the tool effectively, including the importance of brush size and softness, and how to deal with complex areas like hair. It also addresses the tool's main drawback, which is its destructive nature, and provides a solution to work non-destructively. The tutorial covers various settings such as sampling, limits, and tolerance, and concludes with a method to create a non-destructive mask for further editing flexibility. The video emphasizes that while this tool is a hidden gem, different techniques have their own place and it's up to the user to decide which one works best for their specific needs.
Takeaways
- 🎨 **Photoshop's Background Eraser Tool**: There's a hidden tool in Photoshop that can erase the background without using selections or masks.
- 🖌️ **Customizable and Easy-to-Use**: The tool is powerful, customizable, and surprisingly easy to use, with accuracy that can be impressive.
- 🚫 **Major Drawback**: The tool operates destructively, meaning it doesn't allow for non-destructive editing like other selection methods with masks.
- 🔄 **Sampling Options**: Users can choose between continuous, one-time, and background swatch sampling for different effects on the erasing process.
- 🔍 **Limit Settings**: Limit options like contiguous and discontiguous affect how the tool samples and erases, with contiguous only erasing colors physically attached to the sampled color.
- 🔄 **Find Edges**: This limit setting helps Photoshop find and maintain edges more accurately, although it may not always work perfectly.
- 🌈 **Tolerance Levels**: Tolerance determines the range of colors affected by the tool; higher tolerance means a broader color range is included in the erasing.
- 📉 **Non-Destructive Editing**: To make the tool non-destructive, duplicate the layer, use the eraser tool to remove the background, and then apply a mask to the duplicate.
- ✅ **Mask Modification**: After applying the mask, users can modify it non-destructively, allowing for smoothing, blurring, or other adjustments.
- 📝 **Technique Comparison**: The Background Eraser is a valuable tool, but it doesn't render other selection tools like the Quick Selection or Select Subject useless; each has its own use case.
- 🔧 **Fine-Tuning**: For critical areas, use a lower flow rate in overlay mode for fine-tuning, and switch between black and white foreground colors to add or remove details as needed.
Q & A
What is the main tool discussed in the transcript for removing the background in Photoshop?
-The main tool discussed is the 'Eraser Tool' under the tools group in Photoshop, specifically the one labeled 'Background Eraser'.
What is the major drawback of the 'Background Eraser' tool?
-The major drawback is that it works destructively, meaning that once the background is removed, there is no way to recover it without using a mask, which is not available with this tool.
How can you make the 'Background Eraser' tool non-destructive?
-To make it non-destructive, you can create a copy of the background layer and use the tool on the copy while preserving the original layer.
What are the different sampling options available in the 'Background Eraser' tool?
-The sampling options include 'Continuous', 'Once', and 'Background Swatch'. 'Continuous' samples colors as you paint, 'Once' samples a color once when you start painting, and 'Background Swatch' samples the color from the background swatch.
What does the 'Limits' setting control in the 'Background Eraser' tool?
-The 'Limits' setting controls where you can paint with the tool. It has options like 'Discontiguous', which allows painting across different areas of the same color, and 'Contiguous', which restricts painting to physically connected pixels of the chosen color.
How does the 'Tolerance' setting affect the 'Background Eraser' tool?
-The 'Tolerance' setting determines the range of colors that are affected when erasing. A higher tolerance means more colors will be included in the erasure, while a lower tolerance is more precise and affects fewer colors.
What is the recommended approach when using the 'Background Eraser' tool for complex areas like hair?
-For complex areas like hair, it is recommended to use the 'Discontiguous' sampling option and start with a lower tolerance, adjusting it as needed to avoid erasing unintended areas.
How can you recover accidentally erased areas using the 'Background Eraser' tool?
-To recover accidentally erased areas, you can switch the foreground color to white, use the 'Overlay' blend mode, and paint over the areas that were erased to restore them.
What is the benefit of using a solid color adjustment layer when working with the 'Background Eraser' tool?
-A solid color adjustment layer, placed beneath the layer being erased, allows you to see the erasure effect more clearly. It also provides a temporary background that can be easily removed if needed.
Can the 'Background Eraser' tool be used in combination with other selection tools in Photoshop?
-Yes, the 'Background Eraser' tool can be used in combination with other selection tools like the 'Quick Selection Tool' or 'Select Subject' for more complex and precise background removal.
What is the final step to ensure the background removal process is non-destructive?
-The final step is to create a mask on a copy of the original image layer after erasing the background, allowing for non-destructive editing and the ability to fine-tune the mask as needed.
Outlines
🎨 Introduction to Photoshop's Background Eraser Tool
This paragraph introduces a powerful yet underutilized tool in Photoshop that allows users to erase the background of an image. The tool is described as highly customizable, advanced, and user-friendly, capable of producing accurate results. However, it also has a significant drawback, which is its destructive nature. The speaker proposes to explore whether this limitation can be overcome to enhance the tool's utility. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to learn more about the tool's settings and capabilities.
🖌️ How the Background Eraser Tool Works and Its Limitations
The second paragraph delves into the operational mechanics of the Background Eraser Tool, explaining how it samples colors and removes backgrounds based on the color selected. It discusses the different sampling modes: continuous, one-time, and background swatch, each with its use cases and potential issues. The paragraph also covers the 'limits' settings, such as discontiguous and contiguous, which control the areas affected by the tool. The concept of tolerance is introduced, which determines the range of colors selected for removal. The speaker provides practical advice on selecting the appropriate tolerance level to avoid unwanted areas being erased.
🔄 Making the Background Removal Process Non-Destructive
The third paragraph focuses on how to use the Background Eraser Tool in a non-destructive manner. It guides through the process of creating a copy of the background layer and using it to apply a non-destructive mask. The paragraph explains how to adjust the tool's settings for different parts of the image, such as hair and body, to achieve the best results. It also covers how to fine-tune the mask using overlay mode and how to recover accidentally erased areas by switching the foreground color to white. The paragraph concludes with a demonstration of how to finalize the mask and offers tips on further refining it with tools like blur.
📝 Recap and Comparison of Background Removal Techniques
The final paragraph provides a recap of the key points covered in the tutorial, including the different sampling modes and limits of the Background Eraser Tool, as well as the concept of tolerance. It emphasizes the non-destructive approach to using the tool by creating a mask from a copied layer. The speaker addresses common questions about whether this tool is superior to other selection methods like masks or the quick selection tool, stating that each technique has its own merits and should be chosen based on the specific needs of the image and the user's situation. The paragraph ends with a call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and enable notifications for the channel, along with a thank you note to supporters on Patreon.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Background Eraser Tool
💡Solid Color Adjustment Layer
💡Sampling
💡Limits
💡Tolerance
💡Non-Destructive Editing
💡Layer Masks
💡Blend Modes
💡Flow
💡Foreground and Background Colors
💡Blur Tool
Highlights
Photoshop has a hidden tool that can erase the background without using selections or masks.
The tool is powerful, customizable, advanced, and easy-to-use, offering amazing accuracy.
The major drawback of the tool is that it works destructively, unlike selection masks.
The tool allows you to tell Photoshop the background color and it will analyze and remove it.
Sampling options include continuous, one time, and background swatch, with one time sampling being the preferred method.
Limit settings restrict where you can paint and are categorized as discontiguous, contiguous, and find edges.
Tolerance determines the range of colors affected, with higher tolerance affecting more colors.
To remove the background, start with a low tolerance and increase until the background removal looks correct.
For critical areas like hair, use a lower tolerance and discontiguous setting to avoid affecting the hair.
For areas with hard edges, use find edges or contiguous to keep the edges sharp.
Making the tool non-destructive involves creating a copy of the layer and using a mask to refine the removal.
You can modify the mask in non-destructive mode to blur, smooth, or fine-tune the edges.
The background eraser tool is a hidden gem in Photoshop that, when used properly, can be highly effective.
Different techniques and tools in Photoshop have their own place and are useful depending on the image and situation.
A quick recap of the tool's features, including sampling times, limits, and tolerance, is provided to summarize the process.
The video concludes with a reminder to like, subscribe, and ring the bell for notifications to not miss future content.