How to Add a Background on Photoshop CS3

Part of the fun of using a graphics program is being able to add a new background to an existing photo. What you are going to do is extract a person or thing from one photo and place it in a whole new setting. Perhaps you want a more picturesque setting for a holiday portrait or want to create a piece of digital art. Whatever it is you want to do, achieve it by using the extract tool in Photoshop CS3.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Drawing tablet (optional)
• High-resolution images

Extracting an Image

1. Select your source and your background. You'll want high-resolution images for both the source (the image you are extracting from) and for your new background. It helps if the images are close in size and quality.

2. Open both graphics files in Photoshop. Select the image from which you want to extract the person or thing and then duplicate the layer by selecting "Duplicate Layer" from the "Layer" menu at the top of the page. Do this so that you won't harm the original image. Make sure you are using the duplicate layer and not the original when editing.

3. Select "Filter" and then "Extract" from the menu at the top of the screen. This will bring up a new window with your image and the extraction tools. Here you can select the brush size, the colors you want to use for highlighting and whether you want textured or smooth edges. Select the edge highlighter and drag your cursor around the image, pressing "CTRL" if you want the line to snap to the edges of of the image. Go slowly and get as close to the edge as you can.

4. To highlight the edges of the picture completely, use a larger brush to cover areas that blend into the existing background, such as hair. Erase any areas you didn't mean to cover. Use the fill tool to fill in your image. If the entire photo is filled with color, then you missed an area to highlight. Undo and re-outline the image until it is completely connected by the highlighting tool.

5. Extract the image. Once you've outlined the image with the highlighter and filled it in with the paint bucket, select "OK" to extract the image. Refine your extracting by re-highlighting and extracting again (following the same steps), cleaning up the edges and smoothing things out until you have the cleanest image possible. This is where the drawing tablet will come in handy. Zoom in closely and get the finest details with the stylus. Extract again until you are happy with the image.

6. Copy the final image and then paste it into your new background. Use the hand tool to position your extraction to where you want it. Now work with filters, channels and blending options until you get the desired effect.

Tips & Warnings

• For very simple images, use the background eraser tool. Make sure the highlighter overlaps the image and the background.
• The highlight must enclose the image you want to extract completely.

References

• Extraction Tool: Photoshop Essential Skills
• Extract an Object from its Background