
Simulating the lighting conditions of the original image will help your subject really inhabit the world of the image. Position your adjustment layer above a layer, then hold down alt as you click to adjust just that layer (Image credit: Future, Matt Smith) You can combine this with the Pen tool by performing each process on a separate layer and merging the layers later on (selecting the layers and right clicking in the layers panel). You can then use this selection to either mask out or delete the background until you have removed as much of the background as possible and the hair looks natural.Ĭonfirm the selection and then either press the mask button in the layers tab or reverse the selection (right click and Select Inverse) and delete. It is then a matter of trial and improvement, experimenting with Radius, Contrast and Shift Edge until you have removed as much of the background as possible. Then click on the Select and Mask button in the taskbar to refine your selection. Use the Quick Selection tool to roughly select the head and hair of your subject, using the square brackets keys to change the size of your brush. But the quickest and most effective method is Select and Mask (previously known as Refine Edge). Each designer has their own ‘tried and tested’ trick for dealing with this, including any combination of masks, brushes and alpha channels. The Pen tool is excellent for hard, sharp lines, but unsuitable for anything that has rougher edges, such as hair or fabric.

MAKING AN IMAGE CLEANER IN PHOTOSHOP HOW TO
When learning how to Photoshop someone into a picture, you'll need to consider hair.

Experiment with the controls in 'Select and Mask' until you are left with just the head and hair (Image credit: Future, Matt Smith)
