How to Extract an Object From a Photo Using Adobe Photoshop

Extract the foreground, get rid of the background in Photoshop

"Extract" is one of those magic Photoshop functions that accomplishes a great deal without much work on your part. It's a sophisticated way to extract objects and people from photos, or to isolate foreground objects from backgrounds in order to make separate color and focus adjustments on each. "Extract" is found in the drop-down under "Filters," from Photoshop 7 to the present-day CS series versions.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Photoshop Graphics Software Version 5.5 and up

Instructions

1. Open Photoshop. Click "File" then "Open." Browse for the picture you need to work on, select it, and click "Open."

2. Click "Layer," then "Duplicate Layer" so you will have an active layer.

3. Click "Filter," then "Extract." A workspace will open with the "Highlighter Tool" selected in the upper left corner.

4. Choose a large highlighter brush size to outline a general selection, and then go to a smaller brush (about six pixels) for touch-up work.

5. Click the "Highlighter" and outline the object, person or foreground you want to extract.

6. Click the "Fill Tool" (looks like the Paint Bucket) to paint the areas you want to retain.

7. Click "Preview" on the right to see the image with the object removed,

8. Use the "Eraser Tool" to clean up any bits remaining that were not extracted. Use the other tools to paint-in or paint-out parts of the image as needed for corrections.

9. Click OK to apply the extraction and return to the regular Photoshop workspace.

Tips & Warnings

• Your outline should overlap the background and the foreground. The "Extract" function finds the difference in the pixels and that's how it does its job.

• Patch the hole where the object used to be by replacing it with another object, or extending the background with the "Clone Stamp Tool."

• You will see a short description and recommended action beside each tool in the Extraction workspace.

• The fatter brushes make selecting easier, but also sloppier, which just means more touch-up work for you.

References

• Photoshop Tips & Tricks; Improving Photos Using the Extract Filter; The Design Center, DT&G