Magic Wand Tool
Remove the background from an image with a solid colour background
Don't use the eraser tool!
It results in rough edges on the image no matter how careful you are.
It also takes a ton of time to get poor results!
Use the magic wand tool to remove the background from an image that has a background that has a consistent colour. The magic wand will select pixels of an image based on colour. Once selected the pixels can be deleted to leave only the portion of an image you want to retain.
It is the the easiest way to remove a background around a subject against a single colour background. You see this editing effect all the time on magazines and television graphics.
Complex Image Backgrounds
There are different tools for more complex images. For example, when you want to cut out an image where the subject has more fine detail (eg. frizzy hair) or a background that has multiple colours or other objects in the background. You would likely choose the quick selection or the lasso tool. It depends on the image complexity and your personal preference.
Watch the tutorial below to understand the settings used by the magic wand tool to make selections on your own images and create "clean" cutouts.
Remove the background from an image with a solid colour background
Don't use the eraser tool!
It results in rough edges on the image no matter how careful you are.
It also takes a ton of time to get poor results!
Use the magic wand tool to remove the background from an image that has a background that has a consistent colour. The magic wand will select pixels of an image based on colour. Once selected the pixels can be deleted to leave only the portion of an image you want to retain.
It is the the easiest way to remove a background around a subject against a single colour background. You see this editing effect all the time on magazines and television graphics.
Complex Image Backgrounds
There are different tools for more complex images. For example, when you want to cut out an image where the subject has more fine detail (eg. frizzy hair) or a background that has multiple colours or other objects in the background. You would likely choose the quick selection or the lasso tool. It depends on the image complexity and your personal preference.
Watch the tutorial below to understand the settings used by the magic wand tool to make selections on your own images and create "clean" cutouts.