Photoshop Elements: Much helped needed

[kristen]

I am trying to cut out certain things in a picture. I have used the lasso tool, now how do I cut it out so that it's the only thing in the picture....

For instance, I have a picture of a staples on top of papers... I want to cut the stapler and forget the papers....

[Icebear]

Select inverse. Erase.

[kristen]

Select inverse. Erase.

That didn't do it.... I have to erase the entire background and then it still isn't correct. I need to cut out exactly what I select and forget the rest. Am I doing something wrong with the erase?

I HAVE NO CLUE IN PHOTOSHOP, just got it... so please speak slowly. HEHE

[SloYerRoll]

Your best bet if your a nOOb at PS is using the Extract command.

Filter>Extract

This brings up a big window w/ the entire image in it.

I reset everything to default so you would see it the way you first opened up this tool.

1. This green area is where you paint your outline. Everything on the inside of this stays, everything on the outside is removed when this process is done.
2. This is the fill area. After you paint out the area you want to keep/remove. You "fill" it w/ the paint bucket tool "G". Whichever are if filled w/ this "paint" is the area Ps will keep.
BIG NOTE: You need to make sure all the green brush areas are touching. If there is a gap in the paint line. The paint fill bucket will "pour" into the ret of the area. Play w/ it a few times and you'll see what I'm saying.
3. Make sure smart highlighting is turned on. By default it is turned off.
4. Preview. This will show you exactly what it will look like if you hit OK w/o the repercussions of actually selecting OK.

The preview doesn't need to be perfect. Unless it's a HIGH contrast subject. It rarely will be. Just get results to satisfactory and we'll move onto the next step.

After you select OK, you'll probably see all kinds of jaggy's and crooked edges. What you want to do is zoom WAY in and select one of two tools. The eraser tool "E" or the history brush tool "Y".

Go in and "erase" any of the pixels that were left that you don't want. Use the history brush to bring back the pixels that were erased.

When in doubt, use a larger history brush size and erase back what the extra that you brought back.

I went into a bit of detail, but not a huge amount. Let me know if you have troubles w. this. You just have to promise you'll really try before you come back and ask. :wink

[kristen]

Your best bet if your a nOOb at PS is using the Extract command.

Filter>Extract

This brings up a big window w/ the entire image in it.

I reset everything to default so you would see it the way you first opened up this tool.

1. This green area is where you paint your outline. Everything on the inside of this stays, everything on the outside is removed when this process is done.
2. This is the fill area. After you paint out the area you want to keep/remove. You "fill" it w/ the paint bucket tool "G". Whichever are if filled w/ this "paint" is the area Ps will keep.
BIG NOTE: You need to make sure all the green brush areas are touching. If there is a gap in the paint line. The paint fill bucket will "pour" into the ret of the area. Play w/ it a few times and you'll see what I'm saying.
3. Make sure smart highlighting is turned on. By default it is turned off.
4. Preview. This will show you exactly what it will look like if you hit OK w/o the repercussions of actually selecting OK.

The preview doesn't need to be perfect. Unless it's a HIGH contrast subject. It rarely will be. Just get results to satisfactory and we'll move onto the next step.

After you select OK, you'll probably see all kinds of jaggy's and crooked edges. What you want to do is zoom WAY in and select one of two tools. The eraser tool "E" or the history brush tool "Y".

Go in and "erase" any of the pixels that were left that you don't want. Use the history brush to bring back the pixels that were erased.

When in doubt, use a larger history brush size and erase back what the extra that you brought back.

I went into a bit of detail, but not a huge amount. Let me know if you have troubles w. this. You just have to promise you'll really try before you come back and ask. :wink

I think your direction were wonderful.... IF I COULD FIND THE FIRST STEP!
Do you think we have different version? I have found a magic extractor, but it's no the same thing at all.

When I go to filter I get Filter Gallery, Correct Camera Distortion, Adjustments, Artistic, Blur... I searched all through and I'm not finding an extractor, other than the magic extractor. I am going to keep looking.

[SloYerRoll]

Are you using Photoshop?

[kristen]

Are you using Photoshop?

I have elements!

[SloYerRoll]

err umm ehhh.... Not sure how to help then. Sorry!

Maybe play w/ the magic extractor. Sounds like the same thing.

There are some elements buffs in here though. I'm sure someone will step in.

If it's just one image. I'll process it for you. If it's a repetative thing. You'll need to find a better solution.

[kristen]

err umm ehhh.... Not sure how to help then. Sorry!

Maybe play w/ the magic extractor. Sounds like the same thing.

There are some elements buffs in here though. I'm sure someone will step in.

If it's just one image. I'll process it for you. If it's a repetative thing. You'll need to find a better solution.

You're great! Well, it could be one image, but I haven't gotten that far. I am working on a collage for my border of my web site. Thank you for all your help. Maybe someone will help me figure it out. MUCH APPRECIATED!

[kristen]

err umm ehhh.... Not sure how to help then. Sorry!

Maybe play w/ the magic extractor. Sounds like the same thing.

There are some elements buffs in here though. I'm sure someone will step in.

If it's just one image. I'll process it for you. If it's a repetative thing. You'll need to find a better solution.

Maybe I'm doing this wrong. See you can help me out at all with this:

I want to make a header that looks the one on this page.

//http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1801307/1/89792582/Medium (http://www.dgrin.com//http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1801307/1/89792582/Medium)

This is why I was trying to cut the photos after I organzied them. ANYONE? HELP? ANYONE? :D

[SloYerRoll]

//http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1801307/1/89792582/Medium (http://www.dgrin.com//http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1801307/1/89792582/Medium)

Link doesn't go anywhere. :dunno

[Pupator]

She means this:

http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1801307/1/89792582/Medium

It might be helpful if a moderator could change the title of this thread to "PS Elements Help Needed." This would make the PSE folks aware that they were needed.

[SloYerRoll]

I don't see any images that are extracted from the bg on this though:dunno

Maybe I'm jsut reading the post wrong. It would be a big help if a mod added "elements" in the title. Since Ps knowledge can't help in here.

[Eric&Susan]

Not sure if this is what you are going for or not but I think it is:

In elements, I use PSE5, open your image.

Open the magic extractor

Follow the on screen instructions and play with it till you get what you want, the preview button is your friend as it will show you quickly what it will look like.

You should get something like this:

http://photosbyeric.smugmug.com/photos/241299111-XL.jpg

The red area will stay, everything with blue will go away.

Doing that will give you something like this:

http://photosbyeric.smugmug.com/photos/241299118-L.jpg

Obviously with more time and effort your end result will look better this was just a quick how to.

Hope this is what your after,

Eric

[kristen]

I haven't had the time to try this out yet but THANK YOU. I will make time tonight or this week-end to try this out so that I can respond to you! THANKS

[Juergen D]

If I understand you correctly, you want to cut out a subject from one picture and then transfer that selection to another background / image.
All you do is to select the subject with one or more of the Selection Tools and place it on a new layer (>Layer >New >Layer via Copy or CTRL-J). Next you can drag that layer onto the new background.

Juergen

[kristen]

If I understand you correctly, you want to cut out a subject from one picture and then transfer that selection to another background / image.
All you do is to select the subject with one or more of the Selection Tools and place it on a new layer (>Layer >New >Layer via Copy or CTRL-J). Next you can drag that layer onto the new background.

Juergen

That worked great. THANKS!!!! :thumb

[kristen]

That worked great. THANKS!!!! :thumb

Maybe you can help me with this one as well....

My header on my page was created by someone else. How would I do something similar? I want to make it in a different text......

THANKS!

[Juergen D]

Sorry, but no. I don't know my way around SmugMug yet. I'm sure someone else will be happy to help you out. :dunno

Juergen

[SloYerRoll]

I'll drop this in here. But won't answer any other questions for you unless you go into the Dgrin "SmugMug customization" forum. This is where questions like this belong.

Go into your control panel>customization and navigate to your CSS and drop this in:

#myslogan {
text-decoration:underline;
color:#dda0dd;
font-family:courier;
}

You'll see that this changes the text, color & font family (see screen grab below). Below are some other options you can change w/ CSS. This screen grab is just showing you what the CSS did to your page. **Don't worry, I didn't mess w/ your page. Everything is the way you last saw it:thumb

<style type="text/css">
h3 {font-family: times}
p {font-family: courier}
p.sansserif {font-family: sans-serif}
</style>

NOTE: If you don't use firefox and web developer tools. You need to get them right away. They are truly awesome for making code like this super easy! Just ask away in the forum I mention and they will get you sorted out w/ any other questions about customization.