Image Extract Tutorial

After seeing loads of crap, poorly extracted images which is used by our beloved Mr Lim for his cheap publicity stunt, I decided to write down a detailed tutorial on image extraction;

Image Extract Tutorial (Using the pen tool)

Difficulty: Varied (depends on the image)
Program used: Adobe Photoshop 7 (applicable to later versions)

This is my first simple tutorial for those who are new to Photoshop. I'll make this one as detailed and simple(?) as possible. If the pic shown ain't clear, click on the thumbnail to view em full size.


1. Find an image. Here, I used the image of Milfuelle from the anime Galaxy Angels (thanks to Project Zen). Let's say I wanna make a wallpaper out of her but I don't want the background. So, I need to extract her from the whole pic. START!

2. In the layers pallete (bottom right position), double click it the 'Background' layer to open a dialogue.


3. Give a name to the layer. Here, I just name it as Layer 0.

4. You can use pen, lasso, eraser or magic wand for the extraction. Here, I use the pen tool (just shoot me).Zoom into the desired position and click on any position in the image for a starting point.


5. Beware, once you selected a starting point, a new layer will be created automatically. This is not the case for Photoshop 6 and below.


6. From the starting point, just follow the outline of the image. Like tracing a drawing.



7. Note: This is for Photoshop 7 and above users. Just skip this step if you're using version 6 or below.
But hold on a sec! See that black coloured filling? If you keep on going like this, the whole image will be covered
with black. It'll make things difficult, trust me. See the Opacity field in the layers palette? Reduce it to 0%. This way, the black filling will be rendered invisible. Then, just proceed with adding the anchor point at desired position along the character.


8. After you're done, connect to the starting point to close the path. Now, you see a a shape around the girl.


9. Click the Paths tab and click the dotted circle (labeled as load path as a selection). You'll see the dotted lines around the image.


10. Next, go to the Select menu and click Inverse. You'll see the dotted lines will appear around the background you want to get rid off. Select Layer 0 and hit the Delete key to remove the unwanted background.


11. See? The background is gone. Before you proceed further with the image (to make a wallpaper or whatever), make sure the extraction is done nicely. Use the eraser tool to delete those small unwanted pixel. Then, save it as a PSD (for future use) if you want to.

Okay, that's it for the extraction tutorial. Remember, you need lots of patience and practice to extract the perfect image. Have fun!

If you guys like this tutorial, I'll post one on how to touch up an image. BTW, the images are hosted by Geocities. If you guys don't see any images, it means that it had exceeded the max bandwidth. Come back later to view em.