Hi all,

I need to cut out an object from a photo and place it onto a white background. I was just wondering which approach people think is best for tackling something of this nature.

Cheers.

Minty.

You need to post a picture showing what you want to cut out because there are lots of different ways of doing this but they are dependant on the background that you need to separate your image from.

Shane

true. based on how intricate the object is (just try getting all the stray hairs knocked-out and you'll know what i mean!!) there are a number of different methods. the most common one is to make sure the object is on it's own layer (not the background or all you'll do is make the background white) and use the  polygon lasso tool to click around the shape and delete the background. (if you completely click around from beginning point to end point closing in the object you'll need to invert your selection or you'll be cutting the actual object and not the background).

another method is to use the "extract" tool drawing around the outer edge of the object, filling the outlines shape and hitting the extract button. i don't often use it myself but it's a quick trick.

if you can do as shane suggests, and post the pic i'm sure everybody will give some good suggestions.

There's Extracting, Masking, Lasso Tool, Pen Tool - many ways to do it (and often a combo of techniques is what looks the most realistic), but we need to see what needs to be done.
Absolutely - post a pic and we can better help you cut the object out.
-Lew ;-)

Another method... is to go to channels, find the channel that gives most contrast to what is wanted to be saved in relation to the background... dup the channel, go to brightness / contrast and increase each to taste... then in my case... increase magnification and use the lasso to seperate out what I want... tdelete the dupped channel,  go back to layer mode and fine tune the marquee, copy to new layer.

as you can see from the replies minty there is more than one way to skin a cat (not to be taken literally, so no animal rights replies please...anyways, i have a cat...and she has her skin intact! )
you will want to find an approach (above suggestions) that will yield the greatest contrast between what you want saved and what you want cut out. if you can harness a good contrast then you can let ps do it's thing for you (lasso, channels)
otherwise you'll have to get down and dirty and do it yourself (pen tool). not that the pen tool is hard, it's rather easy. just will take longer but you will be assured of what you are cutting out.

one other helpful hint, don't always think/look at what you want saved. sometimes it's easier to think/look at what you want erased. the ying instead of the yang approach.

For example..sometimes I'll  Go to > Select > Color Range. and from that dialog...you have many selection possibilities presented (which could have a thread of it's own on how powerful that dialog can be)..

I agree...there are several means to the same end, when it comes to PhotoShop. 

For down and dirty cuts, I might use the Magic Wand Tool if  a reasonably good contrast between what I want cut already exist. (See Pic 3)
 
I typically use the Polygon Lasso (Or Magnetic Polygon Lasso) Tool for images with less contrast, or I need only a particular area cut, Like the trophy's in pic 2, the silly head in pic 4, or the Arm/ Jack Daniels Bottle group in pic 6.

I tend to use the method that most people dislike, but it works well for me. I use the lasso select tool to loosely select the object I want to cut out. I copy it and paste it onto a new background. Then I zoom in, a lot, and use the lasso tool with feathering set to zero, to cut away everything that isn't what I want.. Then, still zoomed in, I use the blur tool to soften the cut edges. Cut and pasted images just don't look right with those very sharp edges. You don't blur a lot, just enough to blend it in a little. I've been doing it that way since Photoshop 3, and I doubt I'd be comfortable or competent doing it any other way. It's a lot of work, but it works for me.

Thanks for such a wide range of replies (sorry I have not replied sooner but I have just walked back in the door after being in Rome for the week).

I'll be back online sometime this week. Cheers again for going to such great lengths to explain the possible ways to do this.

Minty.

LOL @  Hawkfyr !!!

Heh Heh...Ya like that on Thelby?

8 )

Tom

Oh Mel never looked Cooler, LOL!!!!!!!!

Tom

Very Cool Tom, and it was very easy for me to fallow !!

Attached Link: Tutorial

As said above the best method depends upon the photograph and time you have to do it.

Note: The link is to a 30Mb file - it is a 23 min. tutorial.

Thanks Richard. I'll check it out. Hair can be a real nightmare...I had a helluva time cutting out that golden retriever on my Taking a Leap pic...Wish I knew about a quicker method back then.

As for what I do...I cut it out roughly with the lasso, put it in it's own layer and then erase the parts I don't want...After that I use various filters and such to get the lighting right, etc...so that it integrates more realistically. But as already stated, there are many other ways to do this kind of thing.

PS LMAO at Tom/Hawkfyr!