Removing photograph background and copying objects
Open a photo with an interesting object like this tiger here. Close the Layers panel, it won't be needed this time. Switch to the Shape selection tool. Activate the Arbitrary coordinates mode.
Get comfortable with the way zooming and panning works. Zoom by turning the mouse wheel, pan by holding the mouse wheel down and moving the mouse.
Start tracing the outline of the tiger. Press the mouse button and move the mouse to place points around the edges. The selected region is shown normally, while the unselected region is greyed out. You can ignore that for now. Continue placing points around the object's edge. You will get more accurate and faster with experience. Consider watching the tutorial about the Shape tool to learn more about it.
Tracing the whole outline is a repetitive task, so let me speed the video up for a while.
This approach may not give the best results if you are working with objects that are mixed with background, like long hair in a windy weather. In this case, you may need to use a specialized tool. There are several plug-ins originally made for Photoshop, that also work in RealWorld tools and can help you in these more difficult cases.
The selection is complete, but look, there is a region that should not be selected. Right-click and select End sub-path. Then right-click again and select Start new sub-path. Place new points around the hole and it will be subtracted from the selection. When the selection is really complete, copy the selected object to the clipboard. If you only wanted to remove the background, you can now easily do that by clicking on Invert selection and then by pressing the DELETE key.
Let me open a different photo. Remember that the copied tiger is still on the clipboard. Paste it into this image. You can move, scale and rotate it.
Now this elephant is not alone anymore, it has a new friend to play with.
Thanks for watching.
Recent comments
Anonymous
on September 7th 2014
0
Thank you for the explanations !
I understand your financial/time/development restrictions. I will have to go on a "trust" basis and live with it ! You garantee that NO clipboard snooping (read/fetching content) is performed and I must take your word for it. If it you actually did, you surely would'nt tell me or anyone. I'll have to trust you and... cross my fingers π
Best regards, Benoit
Vlasta
on September 8th 2014
0
Well, I do not think a large amount trust is necessary in this case, just do not copy any sensitive information into the clipboard while the program is running and you are safe no matter what the program does with the clipboard. Clipboard is this public place and its purpose is to let programs communicate with each other. Putting passwords into a public place is bad in any case.
Anonymous
on September 9th 2014
0
Indeed !
But to adjust your beliefs, the clipboard is "public"... only to the pc itself ! NOT to the outside world... π
Best regards, Benoit
Anonymous
on November 28th 2014
0
Hey, I know this is a little off topic, but when I updated from RWPain 2011.1 to 2013.1, I couldn't find the 'Render Fractal' tool anymore. Can you help?
Vlasta
on November 28th 2014
0
Try re-installing the plug-in.
Anonymous
on December 16th 2015
0
I can not find the shape select. It's not listed in that box.
Spark
on December 16th 2015
0
Where is the shape select? It doesn't appear in the box.
robertj sullivan
on January 9th 2019
0
Thank you for the explanations !
Anonymous
on March 28th 2020
0
ho do i put images fom my pc (paste images)
Anonymous
on October 19th 2023
0
sung ningmouse culrsor
π π :-) π :-) π :-) π :-) π :-) π :-) π :-)
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