The Truth About Photoshop's Background Eraser Tool
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ค. 2024
- In this tutorial, you're going to learn why the Background Eraser Tool is not the best tool for cut-outs. Especially for images with hair.
We will take the time to explore the Background Eraser Tool, and really take a look at it and see why it is not as amazing or powerful as you may think.
I will also show you two alternate non-destructive methods for easily cutting out hair or complex edges.
I hope that you find this Photoshop tutorial helpful.
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📘 INDEX - Why I Don't Use The Background Eraser Tool
00:00 - Introduction
01:19 - How To Use The Background Eraser Tool in Photoshop
07:38 - How To Use The Quick Selection Tool and The Refine Edge Dialog
10:42 - How To Use the Remove Background action and Select and Mask.
12:29 - Final Thoughts
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The last one is super easy and enjoyable! Thank you for showing us all the great ways!
I never use the background eraser tool because prior to this video I didn't even know it existed! lol 😋😁
👍🙂
Ditto
Me either
Same case
great point JR. You always gave us useful information that is why I refer to your videos most of the time.
totally convinced me. fair and thorough comparison. thx!
Thank you, Leigh!
I agree with you, when you have a kind of uniform background like in your example. But if you have hair on a really busy background it is a whole other story, because the refine mask does a horrible job on those. And what you didn't show at all, was the option protect foreground color. If you had used that, you wouldn't have harmed the shoulder at all.
For such an uniform background I wouldn't use the background eraser, but for busy backgrounds I do. If you know when to use which option with the option protect foreground color enabled, especially for hair you get a much quicker result when you have a busy background. Yes, you need to enhance the generated mask/alpha channel which I usually do by painting with the overlay mode.
But you would also have to do the same with the other methods.
Important for me is to get a good result in the shortest time so I often combine the methods. And let's be honest, copying a layer and creating a mask from the eraser result is much quicker than doing 3, 4 or even more rounds of the selection enhancment for hair on a busy background ...
Genius, thank you so much for teaching this! Super easy to follow along and memorize. I salute to you!
Thank you, zubair!
hey man your tutorials are amazing.Thanks
Enjoyed watching. Learnt something new.
Well done. I totally agree with you. Channels works nice, but this ps AI it's just pure gold. Congrats on the tutorial :)
I like driving my old pick-up, so I guess magic wand and magic eraser are it for me. I love your tutorials. Thanks so much.
You teach like a pro💯😍
That was amazing, I didn't know about Remove Background option. Thanks.
Thank you, I used it a long time ago and experienced what you showed and I never used it again.
compelling argument with examples. thanks
Nice tutorial. Thank you!!
You're welcome!
A big help - thank you
You're welcome, Edmund!
Thank you! This was a great video, definitely dissuaded me from using BRearase for professional stuff, but I thought it looked really cool when you added the stroke and it looked super asynchronous, may use it when making grungy textures or experimental stuff.
Brilliant tutorial & I stopped using background eraser tool in 2010 at least as for me it just creates a mess & extra work..So thank you for this!
You're welcome, John!
Cool Tutorial , definatley agree with you thanks your help is really easy to understand and most time simple to follow through.
Glad it was helpful!
Wow awesome tutorial as always
Thank you so much 😀
Hi Jesús Ramirez I really need your help, advice, I just saw your video. I thought I had a problem with the software of photoshop on my iPad Pro regarding the eraser tool... Been waiting for a few days now for the support of Adobe.... Thanks for clearing the first part out! Is it the same way to work with the IPad ... can you make a tutorial with the IPad Pro? It would really help me to get things done. If it’s possible 🙏🙂 Thank you.
Heey. Very informative video. Ok I am amateur at Photoshop, never went in deeper but I still do some background removal among other stuff occasionally. If I remember correctly, quick selection tool likes to add jagged edges (I may be wrong). I saw on YT, background removal tool, did not use it jet, but I will soon :).
Keep doing good videos, peace 😀.
sir you are best 1 in the world of Photoshop love to c your vdos
Thank you, GFXCROWD!
Very good explanation sir Thank you so much
You're most welcome
Thank you bro for your wonderful teaching
You're welcome, Balsrang Dio!
I send a week removing the background of jewelry, was extremely hard for Photoshop 2020, even with the 2020 technique, to remove the inner holes of each link. I had to do it manually. But! Today I discovered the Background removal tool in Canva Pro, and OMG, that thing did a way better job than Photoshop. I cannot believe it. You should give it a look to that feature.
Great video! Really useful :)
If you are photographing jewelry flat down on a white backdrop, that creates some shadows along edges of jewelry. It is best to photograph on a white acrylic panel raised up on small blocks with a simple LED video light below the 1 foot square acrylic panel. This eliminates a lot of the dark shadow edges. Now it is easy to select areas inside holes and along outside the jewelry with the "magic lasso tool which is set to 30 tolerance" (or 20 or 10 depending on tone of jewelry compared to white) and the magic lasso will find the edge of jewelry. Once selections is made, click on quick mask, and look for any areas it missed and add them to the mask. This method of backlighting jewelry on acrylic panel, you can select masks around tiny linked jewelry in less than 5 minutes. The mask is very close to edge of jewelry as the shadow of jewelry on the white acrylic made by the top softbox is mostly removed by backlight before you start your masking work.
Brilliant tutorial
Thank you, zareen remendies!
I've never used the background eraser. Thanks Jesus. As usual you are one of the best tutors.
One little mentioned tool for creating mask selections, ideal for photographing headshot portraits against white or grey tone backdrop. Duplicate the portrait layer then apply Magic Lasso to the even backdrop area, set to 30, 20 or 10 percent tolerance (depending color contrast of backdrop to clothing of person) and once area is selected around the subject create a "quick mask of that top duplicate layer" with the selection made. Invert or use Alt/Opt for correct mask area around subject. Then add refine edge and modify edge position if there are halos. With magic lasso, the hair is the problem if it is a female subject with lots of wavy hair, which will need extra refinements. Lasso brush is not always as clean as magic lasso on a even tone backdrop in studio. For headshot portraits, this is where I start, then add refinement to hair etc. If clothing is too close to color of backdrop, I would use another mask method. Lots of options. Lasso brush works best on busy backgrounds and Magic Lasso on even tone backdrops. My opinion. (I also use Topaz Remask on occasion, but mostly work in PS for masks.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for reminding me of this TOOL really existed in my Photoshop. It has been isolated for so long and going to be isolated forever. 😭😭😭
Could you do a tutorial for the ipad
That Stroke style trick to see imperfections is quite useful; I wasn't aware of that! Thanks so much for sharing; even when I already know the main premise of the video, I always watch to the end in case I can pick up a trick like that!
Thank you for watching, Mentos Cubing! I'm glad you found that tip useful.
Thank you!
Another great vid! I tried using the background eraser tool ages ago but didn't like the results. So I don't use it now.
Thanks!
Hope you can help! Why do I get a mask when I click Remove Background but the background does not disappear in the new layer?
Amazing video Tutorial more power PTC
Thank you, Sam!
Awsome video buddy! I never use the background eraser tool. I love adobe sensei. Photoshop 2021 rox
Thanks for this video Jesus! Awesome tutorial! I have CS6 at home and use 2020 at work, so I have to jugle between the two. One thing I have disliked from 2020, thinking it was my computer processor, is how when you use the brush tool, it always seems like half a second behind of your actual action of the stroke you're giving it. Now that I saw it on your video, I'm guessing it isn't a processor speed or ram, but something having to do with photoshop?
It's the Artificial Intelligence doing it's work. Of course depending on the specs of your computer this may take longer/be more noticeable.
I agree with Status1985 Quo it does take a bit longer and computer power affects speed.
@@PhotoshopTrainingChannel i have a 2 year old Mac Pro with 32 gigs of ram. I guess it's time for a new one! Lol
I cannot seem to find the "sampling options" panel in photoshop. cc?
How to I get this tool in my tool bar I just upgraded to the newest version and I can’t for the life of me find it please help me … I had the old version for years and need this tool back
It enjoyed the video, but; always a but, you were so fast I felt lost… I will go and work on your directions and see what I retained…. probably will pay me to watch this a few times. Thanks for a solid and informing tutorial.
thank you very much, my brother
You're welcome, العقرب السام!
thanks, very good job we appreciat it , can you show us how to do smudge painting on photoshop
Is this what you mean?
th-cam.com/video/zwpMoDe1xFg/w-d-xo.html
@@PhotoshopTrainingChannel yeah is what i mean thanks for help
A guy was arguing with me in comments that background eraser is better and i said him almost the same things u said😂😂(destructive, lot of time of make it non destructive) it's good u made the video.. now i can slap the video on him..
LOL thanks for sharing it. Even if it's to win an argument.
I clicked on the video, because I thought it's about Eraser tool, which I never use 😁 always, always use masks. But then I found out it's Background eraser tool. I didn't even know that such tool exists! 🤣 wow! Thanks Jesús, as always, helpful and exploring features video ☺️
Definitely a game changer, I hated the erase tool back then lol
I tend to use the pen tool for all my crispy edges. Not as fast, but handy when multi-layering.
Even for hair?
@@franciskwok3515 Not for soft edges like hair
Thanks bro.
You're welcome, ndb!
Your work is great, but everyone does it with the simplest background. I am most curious about the haircut of the photo taken in the natural environment, just like your work. I would be very happy if you do such a study. Thank you, good work.
Watch the video I referenced in this tutorial. I do just that.
i started using photoshop in about 1994 or 95, back then it was Version 2, and i came from Aldus Photostyler.. lol.. nevertheless, until today i didnt even knew the background eraser tool ever existed :D haha,. fun aside, your tutorials are amazing, i learn a lot from these, and i agree, the current masking tools in photoshop are stunning.
Well when I learnt photoshop from my teacher he said u should rather use pen tool then using bg eraser and waste time in fixing imperfections 😂
very good
Superb
Thank you, Sikhte Rho!
@@PhotoshopTrainingChannel wlcm sir
I JUST WANT TO MAKE A PICTURE 1700x1700 300 DPI HOW U DO THST????
Thats all fair and good man ...
but what dya use to seperate a subject in a real world scenerio ..( as in not in front of a basic photography screen with just one colour) ?? 😉
Watch the video I referenced in this tutorial. I do just that.
You're a pro 😉
sold!
Hi Jesus, Jose from Puerto Rico. I guess it will all depend if you're getting paid by the hour and the client has no idea what you're doing hahaha. Seriously though, this was an awesome tutorial and like everything in Photoshop the old methods and tools are kept, but definitely, the newer tools are much better! I'm convinced. You probably know Ben Willmore personally and he was the one who taught me how to use the background eraser tool. I imagine he has migrated to the newer tools also.
Does this work to mask hair in a messy backround?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is that the less contrast between the foreground and the background you have, the more extra work you will have to do.
Photoshop Training Channel
Ok, nice video btw, meant a lot to me, because its so hard to find a good strategi to mask hair in messy backrounds-something that needs time and effort-I think a lot of professionals even have some problems with messy backround masking, because otherwise you’ll find more strategis on youtube, and strategis without solid backrounds but with messy ones
Mvh, A happy Photoshop amateur from Sweden (;
I agree with you. It is obsolete. However I did notice that you didn't activate "protect foreground color" while using the tool. I'm going to do a comparison composite and use a model with black hair and white background and see the difference. If anything, the BGET is tedious and using PS2020 remove background is much faster. There's also a third party plugin called Remove.bg that does a fantastic job, however it costs to use it. I'll let you know. Thanks again for another great tutorial, Jesus.
That box prevents your current Foreground color from being erased. In this case, the colors vary too much to be useful. Maybe if I kept sampling from the foreground to change the color as I went it would have given me good results. But again, that would be so tedious and add a lot more time to an already time consuming method. And you're welcome, Keith! Thanks for commenting!
Good Job Jusus I take 2020👆🏼
I guess adobe's upcoming "sky replacement" feature is the logical next step to the "remove background" feature.
I wonder if they named the AI "sensei" due to adobe's phonetic similarities to "dojo"
It definitely is, Tommy. And I'm not sure how they come up with the name.
For a cd cover
So it is basically like quick selection or magnetic lasso but deletes on the fly.
Suparb!!!!
Thank you, saidaiah!
Which Photoshop is he using ? Anyone replay please.....
I think it's the latest version. PS 2020
2020
I never used this tool before and thanks to this will never use it now 😂
😂
It drives me mad when people don't use the pen tool for anything else but hair. It would take me literally two minutes to make a nice, clean selection of her body and then i would deal with hair. When using the pen tool you're always guaranteed 100 per cent for results.
I normally also use the pen tool but the new adobe sensei is really impressive.
I guess if the tool is there, it must still have some appeal.
I don't have adobe sensei and masking with channels is also too meticulous and requires a lot of extra work too. So I guess, until I get the adobe sensei, background eraser tool will have to dp for now.
If you have a current version of Photoshop you have Adobe Sensei.
@@dantheman2907 that's the issue. That i don't.
Sir illastratir plz
To be frank, I didn't even know about the background eraser tool. Well I did, but never tried it anyways :D
I've used the background eraser tool most successfully on images involving no hair and a uniform background color. That said, I moved on long ago. Thanks, Jesus, for all the alternatives over the years.
"Piximperfect" try to watch his master on photoshop tutorial
Every tool can be usefull if you can to use it properly.
I have never used the background erase tool; I came into Photoshop at Photoshop CC, so I never started using it.
Never use the background eraser tool - always thought of it as clumsy at best.
Definitely
Jesus, this would have been so much better if you had started the 2020 part from the beginning. Keep in mind, some of us are newbies, and I need to see from start to finish. Thanks
Her shoulder is terrible, like you say. That'd be hard to fix. CS6 leaves the original background in the hair.
👍🙂
you really persuaded me to NOT use the background eraser tool.
Neither of these tools are very good for extracting hair. With a solid color background like this you're still going to get much better results using something like Calculations as your starting point. While refine edge and other tools have improved each year (and they're tempting to use because they're fast) they are still not quite as good as some of the older methods.
select and mask in 2020 is the way to go...
Nice tutorial, Jesus. However whenever I want to use the Remove Background quick action it's not available. The only quick actions available are mage size, crop, trim and rotate. What have i missed?
Mike, make sure that you unlock the layer and that you are working with a pixel layer, not a smart object.
@@PhotoshopTrainingChannel Thank you. That did the trick. I had no idea removing backgrounds could be so easy. Thanks for showing us this!
👍🙂
Wait, there's a background eraser tool?
Should we delete this (bg remove tool) 🤔😆💞
It's saying that popular TH-camrs don't reply to their subscribers!
Even if there less comments... plz reply to your subscribers!!!
Jesus always replies to comments. Certainly not all of them but he is active with his community.
I try to reply as many as I can! :)
Yeah. Or just upload your photo to a background remover online tool and be done with it in 5 seconds. This PS tool is just outdated.
Sar Hindi may chahie
Welcome, please add translation into Arabic in your channel videos
And in 5 years you will bash this method again cause it has been outdated then.
I use PS for 22 years, and we were happy with all version of this method at the time of release.
"back in my day, Windows XP was the best operating system you could get, and we were happy with it, so stop bashing it just because Windows 10 exists now"
I'm not "bashing it." I'm giving you my argument on why using a new tool is a time-saver.
@@PhotoshopTrainingChannel Well in that matter we disagree cause you were, to say the least, quite negative of a once acceptable tool.
please improve your teaching method.