**Program Tutorials** : Photoshop : *Program Basic

Level: Intermediate to Advanced (beginners can do, just takes lots of practice.

Works with Photoshop 7, 8 (CS) and 9 (CS2). Required Photoshop’s “extract” filter

Have your image open.

Go to Filter>Extract This opens up the extract window.

Click on the little marker at the top left and go over to the right and select the Tool size - choose 1-3 (very, very small - you might experiment with larger sizes but I get too much bleed then).

Use the Zoom tool on the right to zoom in SUPER close - so close the marker tool is a circle instead of a dot. (hint: hold down the ALT key to zoom out)

Use the hand tool to move your picture around, and make sure the line you draw is RIGHT ON the edge of where you want to cut out.

 
Go slow and if you mess up, you can Undo by using ctrl-Z once, or use the eraser. The biggest pain with this is you can't have ANY gaps - the line has to be completely solid. Again, it's slow but worth it.

Once your line is done, use the paintbucket tool and fill inside - if any "paint" is on the outside, use ctrl-Z to Undo and check your line, especially around the edges. This image shows how the paint “gets through” the line and selects the whole image:

Hit preview and make sure you haven't cut off an arm or anything and OK when you're satisfied.

Now, put 2 backgrounds behind your image - one black and one white. Hide the white one for now.

Make sure your photo layer is selected and zoom in super close. Using your eraser and a low strength smudge tool, carefully clean up any "bleed" and jagged edges.

Hide the black layer un-hide the white, so the same thing with any dark spots you didn't see in the black. When you get to hair, use your smudge tool to spike any hair out that should be spiky, or smooth out where needed.