Photo editing cutting onto a white background ?

cpk1

cpk1

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Chris
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Hello, does anyone know of any free editing software that will let you cut around an object and allow you to put it on a white background eg portrait shots just cut around the the person to get rid of the background.
Thanks for your help in advance.
 
There isn't a simple solution, I'm afraid. The success of cut-outs varies hugely and depends on both the original shot - is there a cluttered background? Is the contrast between subject and background poor, does the subject have fly away hair - and the skill of the person doing the edit. There are very few short-cuts in photography. Only practice and more practice makes you any good. What editing programme are you using? And can you post an example of what you want to edit?
 
cpk1 said:
Hello, does anyone know of any free editing software that will let you cut around an object and allow you to put it on a white background eg portrait shots just cut around the the person to get rid of the background.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Click to expand...
Topaz Remask?
 
No software can guarantee this. You have to SHOOT for cut out. You can't just drop any image into any background. Lighting, contrast, lighting quality (hardness, softness) has to match.. lighting direction has to match etc. The skill is in the photography, not the software. If you want to drop someone into a white background, they'll need to be pretty isolated from whatever background they're currently in. If the background is messy, complex and similar in tone to the person being cut out, it will be difficult. If the lighting is very directional and contrasty, it will almost certainly look awful however you do it.

Brian G said:
Topaz Remask?
Click to expand...


He wanted free software.

GIMP springs to mind. It's a fully featured image editing suite for free. Not quite in the same league as Photoshop, but it will do what you want.
 
Jon said it all. if you can't cut out try bluring the background a bit, sometimes you can get away with that even if the edges are ropey.
 
In Gimp get the latest G'MIC plug in. It's then easy to separate the background by setting background and foreground points. But as others have said, it depends on how clear the edges are. With a cluttered background you'll need to keep adding points until the preview looks right.

 
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This is called compositing, there are loads of how to videos on youtube. The thing is it isn't just a case of 'cutting out' the subject, it's a lot more complex and involved than that. The actual 'cutting out' isn't all that hard though - learn how to use the pen tool, which is probably the best way to do it once you have it mastered. The magic selection tools aren't as good as they first seem. Once you have a selection you can then use the 'refine edge' tool. You can find tutorials for all these things easily enough.
 
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