Completely Removing Background from a Portrait

[jessicad82351759]

Hey!

I've seen and tried the tutorial on removing the background using the background eraser tool and adjusting the tolerance, etc.

First question, will doing this make it so behind the subject is white? I don't want a white background, I want the subject to be an outline, basically like a silhouette so if I were to put the picture on any color paper/website, etc. there would be no white box, just the person.

Second question, am I able to get this same effect of completely no background by just using the eraser tool? By using the background eraser tool, it is a very tedious process that I can do if it is the only way to achieve my goal.

Thanks!

[Guest]

Hi

Really depends on the image in question as to what tools you should use, can you post the image for better advice, once you have your selection of the subject you can copy it to a new layer and save it as a PNG which supports transparency

[jessicad82351759]

I was not aware that saving it as a PNG instead of JPEG made the difference. I will try that and see if that works. Attached is a stock portrait photo that is very similar to the busy background mine have that I want to erase so it is just the person with no colored background

.

[macpawel]

If you use Photoshop CC 2019 try to use Select Subject option first

Just open your image, press W on your keyboard and use Large Button Select Subject on top menu

If selection apperares just fine tune it using Select and Mask Command - buton also visible on top menu

Try tu use Shift Edges, Smooth, Radius sliders to adjust selection

Then use CTRL/Cmd + J command to move selected areas - into a new layer

Now you can add any new background or close original using Eye buton in layers palette

[Norman Sanders]

The halation alongside the man's right shoulder suggests over sharpening making edge detection an unrealistic exercise and the difference in lighting of the background and the subject's face confirms the fact that the man was dropped into the background. The contrived sky/cloud area is no help.

I believe that any suggestion -- Select and Mask, Quick Selection tool  or other device (almost always a mask rather than an eraser) that may be adequate in separating this subject from this surround may not be a reliable guide for handling other images.  I suggest that you supply one of your own real-life images along with an example of your own effort to solve the probem. That's when we can be most helpful. Good luck.