Info: In this lesson we will be covering the Eraser and Background Eraser tools.
1. Extract files from intclass3dl.zip which contains the images we will be working with. Open intclass3dl1.jpg, Duplicate (Shift+D), and close the original. With the copy active click Layers || Promote Background layer.
2. This photo has a purple sky. There are a variety of ways we can fix it such as using blend modes, the magic wand, and etc. but we are going to use the Background Eraser to erase the purple sky. Thanks to my son Joshua for letting me use this photo he took when based in Germany.
3. Select the Background Eraser tool (it's in the 11th spot from the top or left). Reset to Default then change the size to 100. For more detail on the Background Eraser and its settings Hold down the Shift key and hit the F1 key then click on the Background Eraser tool. A help window will open with the Background Eraser topic already selected.
4. The Background Eraser works by taking a sample of the pixels under the pencil portion of the cursor and erases all pixels that matches the sample portion inside the brush outline. In other words make sure the pencil portion of the cursor does not touch anything you don't want erased. Keeping that in mind left click somewhere around (x:20 y:383) and holding down the left mouse button drag the cursor up following the edge of the building without touching it with the pencil part of the cursor. When you reach the top move to the left and down until you have all the sky on that side erased. Make sure to put end of the pencil around the edges of image too because stray pixels like to hide there.
5. Place your cursor around (x:347 y:236) and drag up releasing the mouse button at the top. Now position the cursor at (x:229 y:128) holding down the left mouse button drag up following the portion of the building to your left. Position the cursor around (x:290 y:138) and drag up to erase the remaining sky. Don't forget to go back around the edges of the photo on this side too.
6. Select the Magic Wand tool and reset to default. Click in the transparent area to your left then hold down the Shift key click in the transparent area to the right. You will see the selection is not quite right because there is a stray pixel or two. Let's fix that. Click Selections || Modify || Remove Specks and Holes. Select Remove Specks and Holes and change the dimension to 50 x 10 pixels and click OK. Hit the Delete key to erase the spare pixels. Deselect (Ctrl+D).
7. Layers || New Raster Layer. Layers || Arrange Send to Bottom.
8. Change the Foreground to Gradient and choose Duotone Light Blue Angle = 0, Repeats = 0, Invert Checked, and Style = Linear. Select the Flood tool and Reset to Default. Click to flood the layer.
9. Layers || Merge || Merge All (Flatten). Save and Close. This was an easy Photo because it didn't have a lot of different stuff to erase like grass and sky and the building didn't contain any colors the same as the sky. For harder images you just have to adjust the settings in the tool options until you find the settings that work with the image you are working on.
10. Open intclass3dl2.jpg, Duplicate (Shift+D), and close the original. With the copy active click Layers || Promote Background layer.
11. Layers || New Raster Layer and name it Temp. Flood the layer with a dark color not in the image (I used Red). Layers || Arrange Send to Bottom. The necklace is so light that it is hard to see if you accidently delete part of the necklace without some type of background. We will be deleting this layer when we are through.
12. Select the Background Eraser tool and Reset to Default. Unselect Auto Tolerance, you have to do this first before you can change the tolerance settings. Size = 113, Tolerance = 182, and Limits = Discontiguous (so we can get the background inside the links). Note: The default settings wouldn't work. Using the default settings the Auto Tolerance wasn't getting the darker blues in the background and it didn't erase any of the blues inside the links.
13. Make sure the Necklace layer is active and click anywhere on the blue background outside of the necklace and following the lines of the Chain and Pendant without touching them erase the background outside the necklace then repeat on the inside. Go over the image again remembering to do the edges while you are at it.
14. Select the Magic Wand tool and reset to default. Click inside the necklace then hold down the Shift key click outside of the necklace. Eliminate the missed pixels by clicking Selections || Modify || Remove Specks and Holes same settings as before. Hit the Delete key. Deselect (Ctrl+D).
15. Right click on the Temp layer in the layer palette and select Delete. Save as intclass4dl5.psp (in PSP format) we are going to use it in the next class. Duplicate (Shift+D) and Close.
16. Next we are going to use the Eraser tool to eliminate the chain. The Tool Options settings for the Eraser tool work the same as the for the Paintbrush and other tools. The main settings to pay attention to for this project is the hardness and size. Hardness is much like using an eraser on a pencil, the harder you erase the more is erased. Size is important because you don't want anything you don't want to erase inside the brush outline.
17. Select the Eraser tool (in the same area as the Background Eraser) and reset to default. Change the Size to 5 and the Hardness to 100.
18. Zoom in on the pendant portion of the image (+ sign on Number pad) using the scroll bars to focus on the pendant. We are going to the hardest part first. Holding down your left mouse button carefully erase the chain portions inside and just outside the hole of the pendant.
19. Change the Size to 32 and making sure none of the pendant is inside the brush outline (circle) erase some more of the chain outside of the pendant. Click View || Zoom || Zoom to 100 (Ctrl+Alt+N) and erase the rest of the chain. Tip: You can open the original and make a duplicate and erase the pendant if you want to.
20. Select the Magic Wand tool and reset to default. Click outside of the pendant. Eliminate the missed pixels by clicking Selections || Modify || Remove Specks and Holes same settings as before. Hit the Delete key. Click Selections || Invert to select the pendant.
21. Image || Crop to Selection (Shift+R). Save as intclass4dl6.psp (in PSP format) we are going to use it in the next class. Close.
22. Open intclass3dl3.jpg, Duplicate (Shift+D), and close the original. With the copy active click Layers || Promote Background layer.
23. Layers || New Raster Layer and name it Temp. Flood the layer with a dark color not in the image (I used Green). Layers || Arrange Send to Bottom.
24. Select the Background Eraser tool and Reset to Default. Sampling = ForeSwatch, Tolerance = 215, and Limits = Contiguous. Set the Foreground to #0606F3 and the Background to #E6E6E6. Tip: To set the colors you want erase you can use the Dropper tool, with a sample size of 3 x 3, to select the color. Left click in the blue area surrounding the mouse to set the foreground color to blue. Right click in the whie/gray area surrounding the blue area to set the background color. This image is going to be a bit harder because we want to keep the blue inside the paint can, on the brush, and the two droplets.
25. This time we are not sampling from the image, the sample is based on the Foreground color so it does not matter if the pencil portion of the cursor touches part of the image in fact it needs to in order to erase the blue between the handle and paint can and between the head and the ears. Click on the Raster 1 layer in layer palette to make it active. Holding down the left mouse button erase the blue portion of the background. Make sure to get the two areas mentioned above and be careful not to get the blue inside the paint can or on the brush.
26. Change the Sampling to BackSwatch so it uses the light grey color as it sample. The mouse is grey so you have to be very careful not to touch the mouse. Change the brush size and zoom in when going around the tail and paint brush. Erase the rest of the background.
27. Select the Magic Wand tool and reset to default. Click outside of the mouse. Eliminate the missed pixels by clicking Selections || Modify || Remove Specks and Holes change to 50 X 1 pixels (a tester said 50 X 100 worked better for her). Hit the Delete key. Click Selections || Invert to select the mouse. Click Image || Crop to Selection (Shift+R) to eliminate all the extra space.
28. Right click on the Temp layer in the layer palette and select Delete. Save as intclass4dl7.psp (in PSP format) we are going to use it in the next class. Close.
29. Open intclass3dl4.jpg, Duplicate (Shift+D), and close the original. With the copy active click Layers || Promote Background layer.
30. Layers || New Raster Layer. Flood the layer with #8D8164. Layers || Arrange Send to Bottom.
31. Select the Selection tool. Click Custom Selection in Tool Options, Left = 9, Top = 9, Right = 312, and Bottom = 314. We are going to change the inlay of this frame. The selection will keep us from erasing any of the frame.
32. Select the Background Eraser tool and Reset to Default. Brush Shape = Square, Sampling = ForeSwatch, Tolerance = 60, and Limits = Contiguous. Set the Foreground to #674337. You can use different brush tips with both the Background Eraser and the Eraser. Click on the Raster 1 layer to make it active. Erase the frame inlay. Remember since we are using the Foreground color for the sample you can drag the mouse right over the gold trim. In fact, you have to in order to get to all those little areas.
33. Deselect (Ctrl+D). Click on the Raster 1 layer to make it active. Flood with a color, gradient, or pattern of your choice. Merge and Save.
Notes: I encourage you to experiment with the different brush tips and other Tool Option settings this is the best way to see what they do. Right clicking and dragging over erased areas restores them.