In the following guide to photo editing, you’ll learn: 

• What photo editing means (and why it matters)
• Different types of photo editing, from simple to complex
• Real-world examples of edits for portrait, sports, and product photography

And if you’re ready to level up your own photo edits, check out our free tutorials and professional editing services.

30,000 sales and marketing pros get our insights, tips, and best practices delivered weekly.

What is photo editing?

Photo editing is the act of image enhancement and manipulation. This process is usually done with a digital photo editing software. Photo editing can involve basic tweaks like when you crop and resize images or adjust saturation. It also includes advanced techniques like swapping faces or photo retouching to get rid of distracting elements or unwanted objects.

Some image editing techniques are done manually, while others are conducted through automated photo editing tools and software. Most edits to digital photography involve some one or a few photo editing programs. Some edits are even done offline on actual photographs, posters, or other printed collateral without any image editing software.

Other terms for photo editing include:

• Image editing
• Post-processing
• Image/photo manipulation
• Photoshopping
• Image/photo enhancement

The importance of photo editing

Editing helps you fine tune and get the best image possible, as close to what you imagined when you took the photo (or better perhaps). Niche photographers can hone and emphasize their personal style. And for businesses, editing helps cement branding and optimize for business goals.

Photo editing is particularly important for ecommerce companies. Image quality directly affects people’s opinion of the product and sales numbers. If you have ugly photos, it’s going to be tough to convince a shopper to purchase your product. 

Types of photo editing

There are many ways to edit a photo—some simple and others more complicated.

Many people can figure out simple photo editing techniques on their own—though this does require time and patience. More complex adjustments may require using dedicated programs with specific photo editing features or hiring a trained professional editor.

Simple photo editing techniques include:

• Straighten: adjust the horizon of the photo

• Crop: image cropping involves trimming out a portion (usually peripheral) of the image to help draw attention to the subject or otherwise improve the composition

• Resize: adjust the dimensions of the image

• Sharpen: enhance the definition of the edges in an image (won’t make a blurry image in-focus)
• Noise reduction: smoothing the picture out, typically accomplished by reducing the pixel size
• White balance: the color of the light in the image

• Contrast: higher contrast makes an image more punchy, while lower contrast makes it flatter in color

• Exposure: the brightness of the photo

• Lens correction: lessens the effect(s) of the camera lens
• Color adjustments: change the color of an item or element in the photo
• Background removal: delete the background from the image, isolating the subject (this is often used for white background product photography)

More complex techniques include:

• Clipping paths: vector path that differentiates the part of the image that’s visible and the part that’s transparent (extracts a subject or element from an image)
• Portrait corrections: complexion touch-ups and enhancements
• Drop and reflection shadow: create and adjust shadows
• Special effects: this can mean an array of things, from animation to adding weather conditions like fog or snow
• Adjusting text and visuals: add overlays or manipulate what’s already there
• Photo stitching: when you seamlessly put two images together to make it look as though they were shot that way
• Photo masking and Layers: the process of hiding and revealing specified portions of an image
• Mirror effect: when you create a perfectly symmetrical photo, often used for apparel product shots

Pixel editing and parametric image editing

Two methods of digital photo editing are pixel editing and parametric image editing. Let’s look at their definitions:

What is pixel editing?

Pixel editing, or pixel-level editing, is when you alter an image at the pixel level. Because you’re altering the pixels themselves, this also permanently changes the image file. That’s why pixel editing is considered a destructive form of photo editing because it’s not as easy to undo the changes and restore the original file.

Pixel editing allows you to make extremely detailed edits and accomplish certain functions that parametric image editing can’t (like CMYK color modes, for example).

What is parametric image editing?

Parametric image editing (PIE) doesn’t change the pixels of the image. Instead, these edits are recorded as a set of steps to follow to accomplish the final look. Thus, it’s a non-destructive mode of photo editing. However, PIE doesn’t always allow for all types of edits.

Many in the industry recommend starting with PIE, and then using pixel editing to refine the final details.

Examples of photo editing

There are so many ways to edit photos, and everyone has a unique approach. You might see examples of photo editing on social media or YouTube.

Here are some examples of photo edits the team at Path have done for businesses from all around the world: 

Background removal

Photo retouching

Ghost mannequin

Editing different types of photos

Product and ecommerce photography

Product images will almost always require or benefit from post-processing. Aim for consistency, especially if you’re working on multiple products for the same company or are providing several types of photos of the same product.

Visuals help market brands and sell products, but you should also think about where the image will be used. Is it for an advertisement, ecommerce page, social media, or a print catalog? A white background shot will call for much different edits than an image for a Facebook ad. Likely, you’ll be able to get more creative with advertising imagery.

Here are some of the most common types of edits for product photography:

Image source

• Brightness and exposure: If you didn’t nail the lighting, you can make substantial adjustments post-shoot.
• Background removal: This is a common edit for product photos, especially if you’re listing the item on Amazon, which has a white background requirement. Regardless, white background maintains consistency.
• Color correction: It’s important that product photos portray the item as accurately as possible so it’s a smart idea to color correct all of your product images. As many as 64% of returns happen because the product didn’t match customer expectations based on product images and descriptions.
• Color change: For products that come in several colors, it’s important to showcase the variety. Instead of photographing the product in every color, photo editors can make the changes post shoot.

Sports photography

Sports images are often captured in fast-paced, unpredictable environments—making photo editing essential for polishing the final result. Whether you’re working with action shots from the field or editorial images of athletes, editing helps enhance sharpness, fix lighting, and direct attention to the key moment.

Common edits for sports photography include:

• Cropping: Reframe the shot to highlight peak action or key players. A tighter crop can add intensity and drama.
• Sharpening: Motion blur is common in sports. Sharpening can help make images feel more crisp and in focus.
• Color correction: Natural lighting varies across stadiums and gyms. Post-shoot edits bring consistency and accuracy.
• Background cleanup: Remove distractions from the crowd or surroundings that pull attention away from the subject.
• Spot retouching: Clean up sweat, mud, or jersey wrinkles to create stronger, cleaner visuals for media or brand use.

If you’re editing for a team, school, or sponsor, keep branding consistency in mind—many sports photographers rely on editing templates to maintain uniformity across hundreds or thousands of images.

Headshot and portrait photography

Headshots and portraits are often the first impression someone gets of a person—whether it’s for a professional bio, dating profile, modeling portfolio, or graduation announcement. Editing can enhance natural features while preserving authenticity.

Here are common edits for portraits and headshots:

• Skin retouching: Reduce blemishes, smooth skin, and even out tone without losing texture.
• Whitening teeth and eyes: Brighten smiles and make eyes pop subtly and naturally.
• Color correction: Adjust tones to match a flattering, realistic look or a specific brand aesthetic.
• Flyaway removal: Clean up stray hairs or lint that distract from the subject.
• Background editing: Simplify or replace backgrounds to match the intended context—e.g., corporate headshot vs. lifestyle portrait.

The key with headshot and portrait editing is to enhance, not transform. The goal is to present someone in their best light while keeping the photo true to who they are.

Learn how to edit your photos

If you’re ready to learn how to edit your own photos, check out this handy collection of Photoshop tutorials. Here are a few to get started with:

• Fundamental Photo-Editing Checklist: 11 Steps to Perfect Product Photos
• A Beginner’s Guide to Photoshop Tools
• How to Create a Realistic Drop Shadow
• How to Blur the Background in Photoshop: A Tutorial for Your Product Photos
• 30+ Best Photo Editing Apps for Product Photographers on the Go
• Photoshop Tutorial: A Beginner’s Guide to Using Layers
• How to Create a Transparent Background in Photoshop
• How to Change the Background Color of a Picture

Photo editing history

What is a professional photo editor?

A person who edits images can either be self-employed, contracted by an outsourced company or agency, or someone who works in-house. There are many possible job titles for a photo editor, including digital photo editor, graphic designer or art director, among others.

Typically, photo editors specialize in specific industries, much like photographers. For example, real estate, editorial, and product photography all come with their own set of trends and intricacies. Editors that focus on ecommerce images know how to make products pop.

Our virtual photo editing studio is made of more than 300 trained professional photo editors who specialize in the following: 

• Ecommerce
• Product
• Sports
• Headshot
• Portrait photography

Tackle your photo editing projects with Path

Learning new photo editing techniques can be an enjoyable way to break up your day and add to your industry knowledge, but editing photos can be time-consuming, especially if photography is your specialty. If you need fast, affordable, high-quality photo-editing services, the professionals at Path are here to help.

What is photo editing? FAQs

Can I edit a photo for free?

Yes, you can edit a photo for free. You can use free photo editing tools and do it yourself. You can also use free AI photo editing tools, but these edits require careful quality checks. Or, send your first two photos to Path to get them edited for free.

How can I edit a picture image?

• Open your photo editing tool of choice
• Upload or open the photo you want to edit
• Make your desired edits
• Save your work

What is the best app to use for photo editing?

• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Lightroom
• GIMP
• Pixlr
• Snapseed
• VSCO

How do I edit my photos like a pro?

Edit photos like a pro by learning basic and advanced Photoshop techniques, outsourcing the tedious edits, and optimizing for the right use and context.

What is the meaning of photo editing?

The meaning of photo editing is the process of manipulating and enhancing a photo. Photo editing can involve basic tweaks like cropping, resizing, and applying artistic filters. It also includes advanced manipulations like retouching and removing unwanted elements and distractions.

What are the 5 basics of photo editing?

• Cropping
• Resizing
• Applying simple clipping paths
• Changing colors
• Adjusting exposure

What is the purpose of a photo editor?

A photo editor can save you time and stress because they have the skills necessary to accomplish tedious, time-consuming, or complicated editing tasks for you.

Let us look after your image edits, so you can get back to the fun stuff. Try Path free.

Learn more

The post What Is Photo Editing?: A Definition appeared first on Path Edits.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to fix blurry sports photos—including methods you can use to sharpen and fix out-of-focus sports photography, as well as tips to ensure your next sports photos are crisp and clear.

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How to fix a completely blurry sports photo

A completely blurry sports photo is when nothing in the frame is in focus. This often happens in action shots. If this happens to you, there are several filters you can use in Photoshop to sharpen the entire image.

Using the Unsharp Mask Tool

Photoshop has a filter specifically designed to sharpen images, known as the Unsharp Mask tool. A blurry image can never truly be “sharpened,” but Unsharp Mask attempts to detect the edges of your photo by looking for side-by-side pixels that are different in color. Then, the tool allows you to adjust the contrast of those pixels and create the illusion of a sharpened image.

To use this tool, open your blurry sports photo in Photoshop. Make sure you have the layer containing the image you want to sharpen selected (in a JPEG, this would be the Background layer).

Next, choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

A dialog box with Unsharp Mask settings will appear. Within this window you can adjust the Unsharp Mask settings. These settings allow you to finely tune how much contrast Photoshop will apply to the pixels within your image. 

You’ll see a portion of your image displayed within the dialog box. You can use your cursor to drag until a critical portion of your sports photo appears in that image window. In the example below, we’ve positioned the cyclist’s face in the window.

Next, you’ll see three sliders: 

1. Amount: The Amount setting adjusts the increase in contrast between pixels. 
2. Radius: Radius adjusts the number of pixels along an edge that will be affected by the contrast increase. 
3. Threshold. Threshold tells Photoshop just how different those pixels must be from each other before they’re considered an “edge.”

Make sure Preview is checked so you can see how the image will change when you make adjustments within this dialog box.

Each image you adjust will have different settings for these three sliders, because no two images are identical. Play with the sliders until you figure out which combination of settings works best for your image without creating an overly contrasted result.

Once you’re happy with the final image, click OK.

So, it’s not perfect, but it is an improvement. 

Sharpen blurry sports images using High Pass Filter

Another Photoshop tool for sharpening blurry images is the High Pass Filter. In fact, you can use High Pass Filter and Unsharp Mask together to create an even sharper image.

To use the High Pass Filter, first duplicate the layer that contains the image you want to sharpen (most likely your Background layer). You can do this by clicking on the Layers panel menu (four little horizontal lines in the upper right corner of the panel) and choosing Duplicate Layer….

With the new layer selected, choose Filter > Other > High Pass… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

Your image will go completely gray. You’ll only see the outlines of your edges in the image. 

In the High Pass dialog box that appears on the screen, move the Radius slider to the left to reduce detail or to the right to increase the details of the edges. Make sure “Preview” is checked so you can see the effects of moving the slider. In general, keep the radius at 7.0 Pixels or less so your end result will look natural.

Click OK.

Next, go back to your Layers Panel. Change the Blending Mode of the top layer to “Overlay.” (By default, the Blending Mode will be set to Normal.)

Your image will now appear sharper.

For an even sharper image, you could apply Unsharp Mask, and then a High Pass Filter on top of that. 

How to fix a specific area of a blurry sports photo

Sometimes, you want to capture motion blur and keep the visual effect, but you also want your subject’s face, or some other portion of the photo to be crisp. There are multiple ways to do this, including using selections, using layer masks, and using Photoshop’s Sharpen Tool.

How to use a selection and layer mask

Go back to the image you just sharpened using a High Pass Filter. Now, you’re going to remove the sharpened effects from every part of the image except the cyclist’s face—and then add additional effects to that area to create even more crispness.

Using the Marquee Tool in Photoshop’s Toolbar, draw an ellipse or a rectangle around the area of the photograph you want to remain crisp.

Next, choose Select > Modify > Feather… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

In the dialog box that appears, type in a value between 100 and 250. This will give you the smoothest feather of your selection.

Now, go back into your Layers panel and choose the layer that contains your High Pass Filter. Click on the Mask icon at the bottom of the Panel. This icon looks like a black rectangle with a lighter circle inside of it.

Once you click on that icon, you’ll see a mask appear in your layer. It will look all black, except for the area of your selection, which will appear white.

You’ve now made it so the High Pass Filter will only appear on the area where you originally created your selection, or in the case of this example, on this cyclist’s face.

How to use the Sharpen Tool

You can sharpen the cyclist’s face even more by using Photoshop’s Sharpen Tool.

Select the Sharpen Tool from the Toolbar to the left of the application window. The Sharpen Tool may be sitting behind the Blur Tool or the Smudge Tool.

In your Layers panel, select your original laye—the layer that does not contain the High Pass Filter. Then, with your Sharpen Tool selected, “paint” over the areas of your image that you want to be a bit crisper. In the below example, we went over the cyclist’s eyes and mouth with the tool.

Like all tools in Photoshop, you have the option to adjust the strength and size of the Sharpen Tool in the Options Bar.

How to remove a blurry background from a sports photo

Sometimes a photographer will want a clear subject and a blurry background in a sports photo. However, there are times where a crisp background makes more sense. In these instances, it works best to remove the background altogether and replace it with a new image.

For the following examples, let’s use this image of a young woman holding a basketball.

Use AI to remove a background in Photoshop

The easiest way to remove a background is to use the “Remove Background” tool, which is part of Photoshop’s new AI tools. However, while fast, this tool isn’t always the best option, as you’ll see in a minute.

To use the tool, make sure the Contextual Task Bar is visible. By default, it is—however, if you don’t see it, make sure Contextual Task Bar is checked under the Window dropdown menu.

With the Contextual Task Bar visible beneath your image, you’ll see the option to Remove Background. Click on that option.

The result will be…okay. But not perfect. To really remove the background from an image, you’ll need to add a human touch.

Remove background using Select and Mask

Another option to quickly remove the background of your image is to use the Select and Mask feature in Photoshop. To do this, go to Select > Select and Mask… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

A new window will appear. In this window, choose Select Subject. You can refine the subject by using the “Refine Hair” button and the tools on the left-hand side of the window, including the Magic Wand Tool.

Once you have your subject selected to your satisfaction, scroll to the bottom of the Properties tab at the right-hand side of the window. Change “Output to” to “Layer Mask.”

Click OK.

Back in your regular image window, you can now refine the subject more. For instance, Select and Mask didn’t do a very nice job of selecting the model’s hair, and parts of her left hand are cut off. You can fix this manually using Photoshop’s Pen Tool and Background Eraser Tool.

Refine selection using the Pen Tool

You can use the Pen Tool to refine crisp edges of your subject. 

First make sure you have the mask portion of your layer selected. Then select the Pen Tool from the Toolbar at the left-hand side of the application window and draw along the edge of your subject. Create a selection from your path, then delete or add portions of your image back in to achieve the desired edge to your subject. 

Use the Background Eraser Tool

Next, you can use the Background Eraser Tool to refine the hair of our subject. You can get to the Background Eraser Tool by clicking and holding down the Eraser Tool in the Toolbar.

It’s best to work in stages around the edge of the subject’s hair, so choose one side of the head to start on. Then, set your background color to the color of the background behind that portion of hair. Use the Background Eraser Tool to refine the edge of the hair and continue to change the background color as needed as you work around the entire head.

Once you’ve sufficiently removed the background from your subject, you can insert a new, crisp background into your image.

How to avoid taking blurry sports photos

While Photoshop offers many options to reduce motion blur, the best way to get a crisp photo is adjusting your camera and equipment settings for the scene you’re shooting. Take plenty of test shots before the event to get your setup close to perfect, based on subject speed and lighting conditions. Shooting in RAW instead of JPEG gives you more flexibility to rescue blurry or underexposed photos later. Even if you don’t have the time to spend on fixing photos, you can outsource photo editing to Path using your captured RAW images. 

Below are some simple but effective shooting tips to make sure your next sports photos are perfectly in focus.

Fast shutter speed

When you’re trying to capture a moving subject, you will need to use a fast shutter speed if you want the subject to appear clear, or “frozen.” How fast a shutter speed you need (and can use) depends on how fast the subject is moving, how much light you have to work with, and how wide or narrow the aperture of your lens is.

For subjects that are moving at high speed, such as running athletes, cyclists, or racing cars, you will need a shutter speed at least 1/1000 sec, and probably closer to 1/4000 sec. Different cameras offer different shutter speed options, and some new mirrorless options offer shutter speeds up to 1/64,000 sec.

If you want to create a blurry background with your subject still sharp, use the panning method. Reduce the shutter speed to create a blur and move the camera in the same direction as your subject when they move past you. It takes plenty of experimentation to get your settings and hand movement right, so don’t worry if you don’t get it on the first try.

Adjust light 

When you reduce your shutter speed (meaning you make it faster, such as going from 1/250 sec to 1/1000 sec), you reduce the amount of light that hits the sensor through the shutter. Therefore, in order to have a bright image, you need to compensate for the high shutter speed by raising the ISO, widening the aperture, or both. 

Taking photos with plenty of light is important to ensure that the photo comes out at the correct exposure, at the zoom level you need, without the increased film grain that can occur from high ISO values in low-light. Taking photos outdoors during the day will provide a lot of light, as will using a flash. Before you use a flash at an indoor sporting event, however, check the event’s rules for flash photography. Many sporting events don’t allow flash photography from professional photographers, unless they’re the official contracted photographer.

Reduce camera shake

Camera shake happens because even when you try to stand perfectly still, your hands naturally make tiny movements that can blur images. Using your camera’s neck strap pulled tight against your neck can add a bit of extra stability when shooting handheld. 

When you zoom in to your subject, you increase your focal length, and you need to increase your shutter speed to compensate, or else you risk your image blurring from shaking. For a still subject, your shutter speed needs to be at least the inverse of your focal length, so if you zoom in to 400mm, you will need to set your shutter speed to at least 1/400 sec to avoid camera shake. And then you will need to increase your shutter speed from there, depending on how fast your subject is moving and the available lighting conditions.

Most sports action shots are taken with hand-held cameras or with monopods. You’ll often see sports photographers with large lenses use monopods to support the weight of their kit, which still allows them to quickly move the camera around.

Many modern cameras and some lenses also have powerful shake reduction capabilities. Look for terms like ‘In-Body Image Stabilization’ (IBIS) in camera bodies or ‘Optical Stabilization’ (OS/IS/VR) in lenses. This technology can help you shoot at slower shutter speeds while still getting sharp images.

Let us fix your sports photos

While not every blurry photo can be saved, with the right tools and techniques, you can rescue many of them—and capture crisp, clear shots moving forward. 

Shooting, organizing, and editing sports photos takes a lot of time and work. Wouldn’t it be great if you could outsource the most tedious, repetitive aspects? With Path, you can! Send us all your background removal, retouching, and image masking needs—so you can get back to the creative work that really matters. 

Ready to send your photo edits our way? Get started now—and get your edits back in as little as 6 hours.

Learn more

How to fix blurry sports photos FAQs

How do you make sports pictures not blurry?

To make sports photography less blurry, use a fast shutter speed—ideally 1/1000s or faster—to freeze motion. Set your camera to continuous autofocus (AI-Servo or AF-C mode) and track your subject. Good lighting, a higher ISO if needed, and steady panning techniques also help capture sharper images.

Why are my pictures blurry in sports mode?

Sports mode usually tries to select faster shutter speeds, but it can still struggle in low light or if the autofocus isn’t keeping up with the action. Your pictures might also be blurry if the camera is focusing on the wrong spot, or if there’s not enough contrast for the autofocus to lock onto the subject properly.

How do I get my sports pictures sharp?

Use a fast shutter speed, continuous autofocus, and a wide aperture (like f/2.8 or f/4) to let in more light. Track the subject carefully, and if possible, pre-focus on an area where you expect the action to happen. Shooting in burst mode can also increase your chances of getting a tack-sharp frame.

How do you take clear sports pictures?

Clear sports images start with the right camera settings: fast shutter speed, continuous autofocus, and an appropriate ISO. Also, practice good technique—like following your subject smoothly with the camera and anticipating the action. Using higher-quality lenses with image stabilization can make a big difference too.

The post How to Fix Blurry Sports Photos: Before, During, and After the Shot appeared first on Path Edits.

Learn what the Magic Wand Tool is and how to select and mask in Photoshop with it. This Photoshop masking tutorial will turn you into a pro in no time.

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What is the Magic Wand Tool?

The Photoshop Magic Wand Tool is a quick and easy way to select and mask certain portions of an image, giving you the ability to alter one part of your image while leaving other parts intact. One of the most common uses of this tool is to swap out or remove the background of a product photo, leaving the subject of the image in place. 

The Magic Wand Tool works by selecting an area of solid color within an image. Once your selection is made, the Magic Wand Tool gives you multiple options for refining that selection. 

What is the Magic Wand Tool used for?

The Magic Wand Tool is a go-to tool when you want to display a product in various settings by showing it against different backgrounds, or when you want to remove a background altogether so your product stands on its own.

This is often the case for marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, which have product photo requirements of their own that outline the approved backgrounds your images can have.

How to select and mask in Photoshop with the Magic Wand Tool

For the following tutorial, we’ll be working with this photo of a soccer player. You’ll learn how to remove the background from the player using the Magic Wand Tool, so that you can later put the player into different scenes. The Magic Wand Tool is a great option for removing backgrounds on photos with a mostly solid background.

Step 1: Unlock the background and select the Magic Wand Tool

Before you can use the Magic Wand Tool, you’ll need to make sure your layers are set up correctly. Go to your Layers panel, located by default in the lower right-hand corner of Photoshop 2024’s application window. If you don’t see the Layers panel, you can bring it forward by choosing Window > Layers from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

Within the Layers panel, double click on the Layer entitled Background.

A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to rename the layer “Layer 0.” Click OK.

Within Adobe Photoshop 2024, choose the Magic Wand Tool from the Toolbar. By default, the Toolbar is placed to the left of the application window. The Magic Wand Tool may be hidden behind the Object Selection Tool or Quick Selection Tool.

Note: To select any tool that is hidden “behind” another tool, choose the tool that is in front, and then hold the mouse button until other tools are visible. Then, select the visible tool you need.

Step 2: Select the solid areas of the background using the Magic Wand Tool

There are several different ways to use the Magic Wand Tool to remove a background. We’ll start with the simplest method and work our way to more advanced methods as we refine our selection.

When you click on a portion of your image using the Magic Wand Tool, the tool selects the pixel you selected along with adjacent pixels of the same (or similar) colors. 

Once you have the Magic Wand Tool selected, you’ll see several different options in the Options Bar at the top of the screen. You can adjust the Tolerance of the Magic Wand Tool here. The higher the Tolerance, the more similarly colored pixels will be selected alongside the pixel you select with the tool.

For this example, we will keep the Tolerance at 10.

Click somewhere within the background of the image. The Magic Wand Tool will create a selection of all contiguous portions of your image that are roughly the same color as the background portion you selected.

The Magic Wand Tool did a relatively decent job, but there are some portions of the background (such as between the player’s legs and under his right arm” that are not selected.

To select areas of the background that did not get selected, hold down the SHIFT key and click within those areas that need to be selected. Holding SHIFT allows you to add to the existing selection without deselecting anything.

Step 3: Select other portions of the background and foreground

The ground in this photo is not a solid color like the background. It is, however, all varying shades of green. In order to select an area that is all about the same color but has a lot of detail, we need to adjust the Tolerance of the Magic Wand tool to a higher value. In this example, we’ve set the Tolerance to 50 and selected the grassy ground area of the photo.

The results are less than perfect, but if we were to make the Tolerance much higher, we might accidentally select portions of the player’s legs.

To smooth out the selection, choose Select > Modify > Smooth… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

In the Dialog Box that appears, set the smooth value to something large enough to smooth out the edges of the selection but small enough to keep the integrity of the selection’s outline. For this example, we’ll set the value to 5.

Click OK.

The selection now looks almost close to perfect. Almost.

Step 4: Create a mask

Select the inverse of your current selection by choosing Select > Inverse from the dropdown menu or by typing SHIFT + CTRL + I (SHIFT + COMMAND + I on a Mac).

Now, your subject is selected (instead of your background).

Next, go to Select > Modify > Contract… to tighten the edges of the selection. This is to compensate for any artifacts that may have appeared in the selection when we smoothed it earlier.

Click OK.

In your Layers panel, look for the Mask icon at the bottom of the panel. It will look like a black rectangle with a white circle inside of it.

With Layer 0 selected, click on the Mask icon. You will now see your subject isolated against a transparent background.

We’re almost there, but there are a few things we need to fix before we’re done.

Step 5: Clean up the selection using the mask

As advanced as Photoshop 2024 is, nothing can match the human touch for perfecting a selection. In order to finalize your image, you will need to use your Brush Tool, and your judgment, to modify and perfect certain areas of your selection.

In Layer 0 of your Layers Panel, make sure you have the new layer Mask selected. When the Mask is selected, you’ll see a small, black outline around the Mask. Look closely as it’s a little hard to see.

Next, select your Brush Tool from the Toolbar to the left of the application window. In the Options Bar at the top of the application window, you can set the width and hardness of your brush.

If you have correctly selected the Mask icon in Layer 0, then the Foreground and Background colors in your Toolbar will be black and white. When white is the Foreground color, you can “paint back” portions of your masked image. When black is in the Foreground, you remove areas of your selection and they become masked.

For instance, in our example image, certain portions of the player’s sleeves disappeared when we created our initial selection. Therefore, using the Brush Tool, we can “paint back,” or add those portions of the sleeve back in.

Changing the size of the brush and switching between a white foreground and a black foreground, fix any edges of your selection that need finessing.

Other ways to select and mask in Photoshop 2024

Photoshop 2024 also offers another option for Selecting and Masking that may or may not be easier for you. Let’s start with the original image again to learn this second method.

When your Magic Wand Tool is selected, you’ll notice there are some selection options available in the Options Bar at the top of the application window. At the far right of the bar, click Select and Mask….

A new window will open showing most of the image erased. Don’t worry–the image is still there; it’s just been “masked.”

At the top of the screen, click the button that says Select Subject.

Photoshop will attempt to interpret and select the subject of your image. Though, as you can see in the image below, the results are not always perfect.

At the top of the window, you will find Add and Subtract buttons. These work to add to your selection or subtract from it using the modification tools on the left-hand side of the window. You can also control the size of the tool.

On the left side of the window are tools you can use to modify the selection. These tools are rather intuitive to use. 

The first tool, the Quick Selection Tool, allows you to grab whole blocks of color at once. This is a good tool to use to “paint back” the ball in the image.

The next tool, Refine Edge Tool, helps when defining or redefining the edge of your selection. Below that is the Brush Tool, which works just like the regular Brush Tool in Photoshop (and like the Eraser Tool when the Subtract button is activated). 

The Object Selection Tool tries to figure out where certain objects begin and end in your image, the Lasso Tools allow you to freeform select areas of the image, and the Hand Tool and Zoom Tool help you navigate around the image as you work to refine the selection.

Once you’re satisfied with the selection, click OK. You will see that nothing has changed in your original image, but there’s a “marching ants” selection around your subject.

Next, just like in the first method listed above, you’ll need to make your Background Layer into an unlocked Layer 0, and create a Layer Mask.

Whichever way you choose to create your selection, you now have your subject isolated from its background, and you can place your subject into whichever new setting works best for your branding needs.

When to use the Magic Wand Tool for your photos

Learning how to select and mask in Photoshop with the Magic Wand Tool is helpful because it’s a technique you can apply to a range of photos—sports, product, ecommerce, portraits, headshots, and more. Here are a just a few scenarios where it comes in handy:

• Show your subject in various environments. Help your audience connect with your subject emotionally by seeing it in a beautiful or familiar setting when changing the background. This can also help you prepare the image for different target segments, so you can swap out backgrounds that make more sense for your audience.
• Select your subject so you adjust its size or color without altering the setting in which it has been photographed. This means you can show different color variants for your product without having to take multiple photos.
• Remove the background from a photo so your subject stands out on its own.
• Create a white background image so you can list products on third-party marketplaces, like Amazon or eBay.

The post How to Replace or Remove an Image Background Using the Magic Wand Tool appeared first on Path Edits.

One of our favorite types of sports photos is the team photo. Let’s take a look at what a team composite is and how to create one. 

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What is a team composite photo?

A team composite photo is a single image that combines individual portraits of team members into a unified group display. These photos are often used when it’s not possible to gather the entire team in one location for a traditional group photo. Each person’s portrait is taken separately and then digitally arranged into a cohesive composition, often with a consistent background, layout, and theme.

How to create a team composite photo

In our composite, we’ll use these photos that a photographer took of four players on a girls soccer team:

Notice that, while all the images have similar lighting, the camera was at a different distance from each of the players when the photos were taken. This means the girls aren’t uniform in size throughout all the images. We’ll fix that when we create the composite photo.

We also need to choose the background photo that the girls will be placed against before we begin. The background photo needs to have similar lighting to the images of the players, but it can be very stylized and dramatic to enhance the intensity of the final photograph. For this example, we’re using a beautiful photograph of a soccer field at night.

From these five images, we’ll make a team photo composite.

Step 1: Remove background from individual portraits

We need to select just the girls from each photo. The easiest way to achieve this is to use Photoshop’s built in Select Subject tools. If you don’t see the option to Select Subject in the Options Bar at the top of the screen, or the Contextual Task Bar at the bottom of the image, choose the Magic Wand Tool from the Toolbar at the left-hand side of the screen. The option to Select Subject will now appear in both these places.

When you click on “Select Subject,” Photoshop attempts to determine the subject of your photograph and create a detailed selection of that subject. In the case of our soccer players, the subject would be the girl and the ball she is holding.

If you want a more refined selection, choose “Select and Mask…” from the Options Bar at the top of the screen to refine the selection further. Check out this article for detailed instructions on how to use Select and Mask….

How you choose to select the subject depends on the level of detail you require.

Step 2: Copy and Paste the team players onto the background image

With your selection still visible, type CTRL+C (COMMAND+C on a Mac) to copy the selection. Then, go to your image of the background you’ll be using. Type CTRL+V (COMMAND+V) to paste the team player selection onto the background.

Don’t worry about the size of the figure in relation to the background just yet. We’ll resize all the players once we have them in the composite.

Continue steps 1 and 2 for all team players.

Step 3: Resize players within composite photo

We want the girls to look like they’re standing next to each other in the final photo. Therefore, they all need to be about the same size relative to one another.

In the final photo, we will have the three standing girls in a row, and the seated girl sitting in front of them.

In the Layers panel, select the layer with the first player. If you don’t see the Layers panel, you can make it visible by choosing Window > Layers from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. 

Once the layer is selected, go to Edit > Transform > Scale from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. A blue box will appear around the player in the image.

Hover your cursor over one of the corners of the blue rectangle until you see a double-sided arrow appear over the corner. Then, drag it to resize the figure to the size you want. 

In newer versions of Photoshop (Photoshop 2023 and higher), the image will resize proportionally by default (you do not need to hold down the SHIFT key). 

If, however, the image looks squished or stretched as you resize it, that means the default settings have been changed. Hold down SHIFT as you drag to resize to adjust the image proportionally.

If you are unsure if the resizing is proportionate or not, you can look at the Options Bar at the top of the screen. If the values for Width and Height are the same, and the link icon between the Width and Height values is checked, then the image is sizing proportionally.

Select the rest of the players’ layers one by one and resize them all. Since the images in this example were taken at different distances from the players, we had to manually resize each photo to get a uniform look across all players.

However, if all players need to be reduced in size by the same amount (91%, for example), you can type that value into the Width and Height boxes in the Options Bar instead of resizing manually with your cursor.

Once you have all the players resized, position them onto the background so that it looks like they were there all along.

Step 4: Add depth to the background

Even though this is a team composite photo doesn’t mean we can’t make it look more realistic! 

Select the background layer, which in our example holds the image of the stadium.

With the Background layer selected, choose the Burn Tool from the Toolbar at the left-hand side of the application window. The Burn Tool may be hiding behind the Sponge Tool or the Dodge Tool.

With the Burn Tool selected, “paint” over the area of the background just under the players to create a shadow effect. You don’t need to overdo this–a little goes a long way. You will need to use your judgement to determine exactly how much shadow you need to make the image look more realistic.

And you’re done! You can now use your new team photo composite as is, or add your team logo and other elements to it.

Photography tips for team composite photos

Save these tips for when you shoot team players and coaches to improve your team composite sports photos:

• Shoot all players at the same angle, with the same lighting, in the same place. The easiest way to achieve this is to shoot in a closed studio where you can control the lighting, or at night. Set up a tripod to make sure the camera is in the same place for every photo, and place a marker on the ground for each of the players to stand on during the shoot.
• Pay attention to the horizon line when you shoot the players. You want the horizon line to be in roughly the same place as the horizon line in the background image you’ll ultimately use. This will make it easier when editing sports photos for the team composite shot.
• Choose the right equipment for the job. Make sure you have the best sports photography equipment with you for the type of photos you will be taking. This doesn’t just mean having a tripod; you also need to bring adequate lighting for the type of shoot you will be doing (indoor, outdoor, nighttime) and a lens that is best suited for the job. 
• If possible, photograph the players against a solid, neutral background. This will make removing the players from the background easier when you create your composite. Opt for a background that does not share any colors with the team uniforms, but also try not to use a bright background such as a green screen, as these colors might show up as a reflection on clothing and skin even after the background is removed.
• Make sure your setup can be taken down and set up again in the exact same way. Keep track of the location of your lights, camera, background, etc. If a player can’t make it to the shoot, you want to be able to schedule a makeup and replicate your studio setup exactly.

Send your team composite edits to Path

Making team composite photos can be a tedious and time-consuming process, especially when you’re working with lots of teams with large rosters. Let Path handle some of the work for you—the most challenging cutouts and clippings, and retouching to perfection.

The post How to Create Team Composite Photos: Tips + Step-by-Step Tutorial appeared first on Path Edits.

Photoshop’s Pen Tool is an excellent way to remove a product from its background or select a portion of a product image to change its color. And you can modify, store, and reuse the paths created with the Pen Tool as often as you want.

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In this tutorial, we’ll be using the Pen Tool to remove the background and add a new shadow to this image of a sock. 

Why is the Pen Tool the best option for accurately creating selections in Photoshop?

Photoshop 2024 offers a ton of options for creating selections, including the lasso tools, Magic Wand tools, and its new generative AI tools. However, pen tool paths still produce the most precise selections.

As someone who has been digitally editing photographs for over 25 years, I’ve seen hundreds of technological improvements within Photoshop and other photo editing software. And I can say with confidence that nothing has ever compared to a human-generated path, and nothing ever will. A computer program will never be able to replicate the precision of human skill, especially when it comes to creating selections.

What is the Pen Tool in Photoshop?

The Pen Tool in Photoshop creates paths and shapes which can be duplicated and manipulated to create complex selections, masks and objects. Unlike the Brush Tool and Pencil Tools, which “draw” pixels onto your image, the Pen Tool always creates a vector path when used.

You can create multiple paths within an image, and you can create multiple path segments within a path. These paths appear as either Work Paths or Shape Paths in the Paths Panel.

Shape Paths vs. Work Paths in Photoshop

Shape Paths created with the Pen Tool allow you to create custom shapes on your image which you can use to call out specific portions of an image. Unlike shapes created with the standard Shape Tools (such as the Rectangle Tool or Ellipse Tool), shapes created with the Pen Tool can be manipulated any way you want.

Work Paths, on the other hand, are Photoshop’s way of storing path information without applying any color to the path. Once these Work Paths are saved within the Paths panel, they can be made into selections, modified, and reused as many times as you need.

Where is the Pen Tool in Photoshop?

By default, the Pen Tool is located in the lower half of the Toolbar. If you click and hold on the Pen Tool in the Toolbar, you’ll see six separate Pen Tool options in Photoshop CC 2024 (if you’re using an older version of Photoshop, you may only see five Pen Tool options).

If you’re not working in the default workspace, some of these Pen Tool options may need to be accessed by clicking on the three dots at the bottom of the Toolbar and adding the extra Pen Tool options to the Toolbar. 

You can also access the Pen Tool by typing “P” on your keyboard.

Where is the Paths Panel in Photoshop?

The Pen Tool and the Paths Panel go hand in hand, so you’ll need the Paths Panel to be visible when you begin to use the Pen Tool.

In the Essentials (default) workspace, Paths are accessible by clicking on the Paths tab visible in the Layers Panel. If you don’t see a Paths Panel in your workspace, you can access Paths by clicking on the Windows dropdown menu and selecting Paths.

Types of Pen Tools in Photoshop

In Photoshop CC 2024, there are four different Pen Tools you can use to create a new path:

1. The standard Pen Tool
2. The Curvature Pen Tool
3. The Freeform Pen Tool
4. The Magnetic Pen Tool (only visible by adjusting the settings of the Freeform Pen Tool)

The other Pen Tool options are used to modify an existing path. Those tools are:

1. The Add Anchor Point Tool
2. The Delete Anchor Point Tool
3. The Convert Point Tool

The Standard Pen Tool

We’ll use the standard Pen Tool for the paths we’ll be creating in this exercise. It’s the original Pen Tool and is very similar to the Pen Tool in Adobe Illustrator. You can create just about any kind of path with this tool.

The Freeform Pen Tool

The Freeform Pen Tool allows you to draw with the Pen Tool in the same way you would draw with the brush tool, creating a path as you draw.

The Magnetic Pen Tool

With the Freeform Pen Tool selected, you can check the Magnetic option at the top of the application window and access the Magnetic Pen Tool.

The Magnetic Pen Tool works much like the Magnetic Lasso Tool, allowing you to trace the exterior of a shape within your image. It’s not perfect, however, so we suggest you work with the Standard Pen Tool whenever possible.

The Curvature Pen Tool

The Add Anchor Point Tool

The Add Anchor Point Tool gives you the ability to add more points onto your path once it’s been created. Hover the Add Anchor Point Tool over the part of the path where you want to add a new point and click the mouse to create the point.

The Delete Anchor Point Tool

The Delete Anchor Point Tool removes points from your path after the path has been completed. Hover your cursor over the point you want removed and click the mouse to delete the point from the path.

The Convert Point Tool

The Convert Point Tool is extremely useful. If you have a point forming a sharp corner on your path and you want to convert that corner to a curve, clicking the Convert Point Tool will make that happen. Conversely, the Convert Point Tool will remove a curve from a point and convert the point to a corner.

Paths vs. Shapes in Photoshop

When you access either the standard Pen Tool, the Curvature Pen Tool or the Freeform Pen Tool, you can set your Pen Tool setting to either Path or Shape in the options bar at the top of the application window.

Drawing with the Pen Tool when Path is selected creates a new Work Path that appears in the Paths Panel. Drawing with the Pen Tool when Shape is selected creates a new Shape Path that appears in both the Paths Panel and the Layers Panel.

When you choose Shape, you can also change a few different settings, including stroke color, thickness and fill color of the shape. We’ll go over the specifics of creating a shape with the Pen Tool at the end of this article.

When you choose Path, you’ll see an icon that looks like two small overlapping squares (this icon is also available when Shape is chosen once you’ve already begun drawing your path). If you’re creating an initial path to become a selection, set this option to Combine Shapes.

​​You’ll see a few other icons in the options bar, but for the purposes of this tutorial, you should leave those at their default values.

How to use the Pen Tool in Photoshop

How to use the Pen Tool in Photoshop to create a path

The standard Pen Tool allows you to create straight and curved paths with amazing accuracy, but mastering it takes some practice. Don’t get discouraged if it’s difficult at first. You can always adjust a path after you create it.

To create a path that you can then use as a selection, choose the standard Pen Tool, and then choose Path in the options bar dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

How to use the Pen Tool in Photoshop to create a new path

To start your path, click on your image with your mouse where you want to begin your path. To keep things simple, choose a starting point that is at the edge of a straight line, such as the edge of the top of the sock in the image below.

Click again along the edge of your object with the Pen Tool to draw the first segment of your path. You should now see a straight line appear.

Also, note a Work Path appears in the Paths panel as soon as you place the second point.

Create a curved path segment with the Pen Tool

To create a curve with the standard Pen Tool (such as the curves at the ankle of the sock), click to create the next point and drag with the Pen Tool before you release the mouse button. You’ll see lines, called handles, appear.

These handles are tangential to the curve being formed by the path. Moving the mouse around will adjust the handles, which will then adjust the line’s curvature. Once you’re satisfied with the shape of the curve, release the mouse button.

Note the handles formed from the curved line appear before and after the point. Therefore, the next portion of the path that you draw after creating a curved line will follow the trajectory of the handle from the last point.

When you click the next point, drag the mouse to create new handles and modify the curve that appears with your new point.

Creating a straight path segment after a curved path segment with the Pen Tool

If you want to prevent the next segment of your path from curving along the handle of your last point, you can “corner” the point by clicking on the point with the mouse while typing ALT (OPTION on Mac). The second handle will disappear.

The next point you set will be unaffected by the previous curve.

Closing your path with the Pen Tool

Once your path is complete, close your path by hovering the Pen Tool over the very first point you set down. When you see a small circle appear to the right of the Pen Tool, click on the point.

Your path will now be closed.

How to adjust the path you created using the Pen Tool in Photoshop

How to save your path

Saving your path is extremely important at this stage. Without saving, you could accidentally overwrite your hard work when you create another path.

To save your path, go to your Paths Panel and look for a new Work Path. Double click on Work Path to name your path and save it.

How to modify an existing path with the Pen Tool

Once you’ve created your path, you can modify any areas that need tweaking. It’s helpful to zoom in on different areas of your path to ensure the path follows the object exactly.

If you don’t see your path in your image, click on the path’s name in the Paths Panel.

How to add additional paths to an existing path using the Pen Tool

In our yellow sock example, there’s a path around the outside of the sock. But what if we wanted to cut out a shape inside of the sock for demonstrative or artistic purposes? We can do so by adding an additional path to our existing path. This method also works well for removing interior shapes from certain product images, such as the inside of a mug handle or the loop in an earring.

With the path selected in the Paths panel, select the Pen Tool from the Toolbar. In the options bar at the top of the screen, click on the icon that looks like two little overlapping squares, and choose Exclude Overlapping Shapes.

While the current path is still visible, begin to draw the area that you want to exclude from your selection with the Pen Tool. Close the path when you’re done.

How to modify existing points and curves along a path

To modify an existing point or handle on a path, find the Path Selection tools in the Toolbar. These tools each look like an arrow, and by default are located beneath the Type Tool in the Toolbar.

When you click on the visible Path Selection Tool, you’ll see options. Choose the Direct Selection Tool, which looks like a white arrow.

How to add new points to a path

The Add Anchor Point Tool, accessible by clicking and holding on the Pen Tool in the Toolbar, will add extra points along the path.

With the Add Anchor Point Tool selected, hover over the path and click to create a new point.

Once you’ve set down the new point, you can use the Direct Selection Tool to modify the point’s location or its handles.

How to remove points from a path

The Delete Anchor Point Tool, also accessible by clicking and holding on the Pen Tool in the Toolbar, removes existing points from the path.

How to use the Convert Point tool

The Convert Point Tool, accessed by clicking and holding on the Pen Tool, allows you to manipulate handles of existing points the same way you would manipulate handles using the Direct Selection Tool.

Unlike the Direct Selection Tool, however, the Convert Point Tool does not allow you to move existing anchor points, because when you click on a point with the Convert Point Tool, the path segments adjacent to the point convert from straight lines to curved lines, and vice versa.

If you click on a point that has handles with the Convert Point Tool, the handles will disappear and the anchor point will become a corner. If the surrounding anchor points have handles, those handles will still continue to affect the curve of adjacent path segments.

How to use a path to remove an object from its background

Now that your path is created, you can use it over and over again to create selections and use that selection to remove an object from its background.

How to create a selection from a path

In your Paths panel, select your path. Then, click on the icon at the bottom of the panel that looks like a circle with a dashed outline. A selection in the shape of your path will appear in your image.

You can also create a selection with the Pen Tool. With the path selected, and with the Pen Tool selected, click on the Selection button next to Make: in the options bar.

A dialog box allowing you to make adjustments to the selection will appear. If you’re creating the selection in order to isolate an object from its background, you should keep the Feather Radius at 0 and keep Anti-Aliased checked. If this is the first selection you’re creating, the radio button next to New Selection will be selected.

Once you’ve created your selection, you can use the selection to modify the color of the object or to remove the object from its background.

How to cut out an object from the background

Once you’ve created your selection from your path, you can remove the portion of the image from its background by either copying it into another layer, or by creating a layer mask. In order to do any of the following methods, you must be in the layer which contains the image you wish to isolate.

Removing a background by copying a selection

You can copy your selection by typing CTRL + C (COMMAND + C on a Mac) and then pasting the selection by typing CTRL + V (COMMAND + V on a Mac). Your selection will automatically appear in a new layer. You can make your original layer invisible in the layers panel to see the isolated object.

Note that the small section in the toe of the sock also was removed. This would be a useful effect if we wanted to show how the toes look within the sock. However, if we want to remove that cut-out, simply go back into your original path and your original layer, click on the interior path within the sock with the Direct Selection Tool, and type BACKSPACE (DELETE on a Mac).

Removing a background by creating a layer mask

To create a layer mask, create a selection from your path using the method described above. Then, locate the Layer Mask icon. This icon is available in both the Paths panel and the Layers panel at the bottom of the panel and looks like a white rectangle with a circle inside.

Click on the icon to automatically create a Layer Mask.

How to create a shape using the Pen Tool

You can designate a path to be a Shape Path before you create the path by selecting Shape from the menu in the options bar for the Pen Tool.

We mentioned this earlier: Next to the Shape option, you can change the shape’s color by double-clicking on the color rectangle next to Fill. A color menu will appear—the top bar of the color menu allows you to change the color by choosing no fill (transparent), a solid color, a gradient color, a pattern or a custom color. The bottom portion of the menu shows available swatches.

You can also change the shape’s outline color by double clicking on the color rectangle next to Stroke. And to adjust the width of the stroke, change the width in the dropdown menu just to the right of the Stroke’s color.

When you create a shape using the Pen Tool, you automatically create a new Layer containing that shape, as well as a Shape Path in your Paths panel.

How to transform or scale a Shape Path

With the Shape Path selected in your Paths panel, click on the Edit dropdown menu at the top of the screen and choose Transform Path to access any of the transform functions. You can also choose Free Transform Path from the Edit dropdown menu, or type CTRL + T (COMMAND + T on a Mac) to scale or rotate your path.

That’s a lot of information to remember. Feeling overwhelmed? You can always outsource your background removal and other image-editing needs. Our prices start at just 39¢/image.

Wish you could just hand this over to a pro? Surprise, you can

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FAQs about the Pen Tool

What does the Pen Tool do in Photoshop?

The Pen Tool creates paths that can then be converted to selections or layer masks. The Pen Tool can also create custom shapes within Photoshop.

What are the different types of Pen Tool?

• The standard Pen Tool
• The Curvature Pen Tool
• The Freeform Pen Tool
• The Magnetic Pen Tool
• The Add Anchor Point Tool
• The Delete Anchor Point Tool
• The Convert Point Tool

What are some common uses for the Pen Tool?

Common uses for the Pen Tool including isolating products from their background, selecting a portion of a product to change its color, creating multiple paths within an image, creating multiple path segments within a path, and creating custom shapes on your image.

Can you use a stylus with Photoshop and the Pen Tool

Yes, you can use a stylus with Photoshop and the Pen Tool. With a stylus, you tap to form points and tap and drag to create points with handle curves, instead of clicking and dragging as you would with a mouse.

Can you use other Photoshop Pen Tools?

Yes, you can use any of the six Photoshop Pen Tools listed in this post.

The post How to Use the Photoshop Pen Tool to Edit Ecommerce Images appeared first on Path Edits.

It can be incredibly frustrating to move the background from hair if you don’t understand some of Photoshop’s unique eraser tools. Trying to remove the hair from a background can be time consuming and end up ruining your original image if done incorrectly.

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In this Photoshop tutorial, you’ll walk away knowing how to remove a background from hair with the Background Eraser Tool. Once you’ve mastered how to remove the background from hair in Photoshop 2024, you’ll be able to tackle any photo or image.

We’ll be using an image that shows you how to remove the background from curly hair in Photoshop, but these directions will work with any type of hair.

Step 1: Set up your layers

Open the image you want to remove the background from in Photoshop 2024. Get to your Layers panel by selecting Window > Layers or by clicking on the Layers panel icon to the right of the screen.

Make sure the locked Background layer is selected (it should be selected by default). Open the Layers panel menu by clicking on the three little lines in the upper left-hand corner of the panel. From the menu that drops down, choose Duplicate Layer.

Pro tip: Create a duplicate layer so you can preserve the original image. This gives you a backup of the original in case you make a mistake or need to start over.

In the pop-up box, click OK to create the Background copy layer.

Step 2: Create a high contrast layer

Click on the plus sign at the bottom of the Layers panel to create a new layer.

In your Toolbar, doubleclick on the Foreground color to bring up the Colors dialog box. Using the color sliders, choose a color that’s in high contrast to the background color of your original image. Since our image has a gray-blue background, we’ll choose a bright pink.

You want to use a bright, high contrast color to work with as you remove hair from the background in Photoshop so you can easily see how much of the background is actually being removed as you work.

Once you’ve chosen your color, select your new layer and choose Edit > Fill from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window, or click SHIFT+F5 (FN+SHIFT+F5 on a Mac). In the dialog box that appears, choose Foreground color at 100%.

Once you’ve filled your new layer with the Foreground color, move that layer between your Background copy and Background layers in the Layers panel. You can do this by grabbing the new layer and dragging it until it pops into place between the Background layers.

Step 3: Remove the background around the hair and model

Select the Background Eraser Tool from the Toolbar. It may be hidden behind the Eraser Tool.

Next, select the Background Color from the Toolbar and select the image’s background color using the Color Picker in the pop-up dialog box.

Click OK.

With the Background Eraser Tool selected, you’ll need to make sure certain settings are set up correctly in the Options Bar at the top of the application window. First, in the dropdown menu next to Limits, you’ll see options for Contiguous, Discontiguous, or Find Edges. Since we’re working with hair, with a wispy edge, we want to select Contiguous.

As you work to remove the background around other parts of your image with more abrupt edges (such as the arms and clothing), you may discover that Find Edges works better.

Just to the left of Limits, you’ll see three icons with an eyedropper. Make sure the icon on the far right is selected.

You’ll also see other options in this Options Bar: the Brush Preset and Tolerance. Begin with a brush hardness of 15% or softer, and a brush size that makes sense for the image you’re working with, and start with the Tolerance set to 50%.

Finally, check the box next to Protect Foreground Color.

Go back into your Layers panel and make sure your top layer, Background copy, is selected.

Now, with your Background Eraser Tool, begin erasing the area around the hair.

As you work, you may need to adjust the Tolerance level up or down depending on the colors in the foreground image.

For instance, there are a lot of blue tones in the model’s clothing which could be accidentally erased using a high Tolerance level; therefore, we’ll reduce the Tolerance down to about 20% while working around these areas. You may also find it’s helpful to reduce the brush size when working in these areas as well so you have more precision over the pixels being removed.

You may also have to adjust the background color if your image has a lot of variation in its background.

Continue erasing until you have an “outline” around your entire subject.

Once you’ve erased the area immediately around your subject, you can increase your brush size and your Tolerance and remove the rest of the background.

Step 4: Replace the background

Go back into your Layers panel and hide the bright color layer and the original Background layer by clicking on the Eye icon next to each layer.

You now have a transparent background, and you can insert any background you wish into the image. Or you can copy this layer and paste it into another image.

Now that you’ve learned how to remove the background from hair in Photoshop, you can substitute your original backgrounds with your individual brand colors or with more complex backgrounds, adding interest and continuity to your photography.

Master more Photoshop skills

You can improve your photo-editing skills with our library of Photoshop tutorials that will help you create perfectly edited images to promote your products. Browse some of our most popular Photoshop tutorials:

• How to Change the Background Color of a Picture
• How to Make Someone Smile in Photoshop: A Tutorial for Brands
• Blur the Background in Photoshop: A Tutorial for Your Product Photos 

FAQs about removing background from hair in Photoshop

How do I remove background from hair in Photoshop?

You remove the background from hair in Photoshop using the steps in this post:

1. Set up your layers
2. Create a high contrast layer
3. Remove the background around the hair and model using the Background Eraser Tool
4. Replace the background

How can I change my hair background?

You can change your hair background by removing the background of your image using the Background Eraser Tool or by choosing the Magic Wand and using the Remove Background option. Then, choose a new background color or image to replace your original background with, or leave it as a transparent background.

How do I remove green screen from hair in Photoshop?

If you need to know how to fix hair that is in front of a green screen, set up your layers and use the Background Eraser Tool, this time with a red filled layer under your green screen layer. 

Because green screens are very bright, a greenish hue often ends up in the hair. To counteract this, you can increase the tolerance of the Background Eraser Tool as you erase around just the edges of the hair. If that does not work to your satisfaction, after erasing as much as you can, create a rough selection around the areas in the photo where you see the color green.

Then, choose Select > Color Range from the dropdown menu to capture just the greenish pixels within your rough selection. You then can use whatever color adjustment tool you prefer (such as Hue/Saturation or Color Balance) to fine-tune the colors in that selection.

The post How to Remove the Background from Hair in Photoshop: A Tutorial [Updated 2024] appeared first on Path Edits.

That’s why we created a handy guide to all the Photoshop shortcuts you need to know to execute pixel perfect product photo edits—along with a downloadable cheat sheet to pin to your desktop or print out for reference.

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A note on Mac vs. PC

Key command shortcuts are usually a little different between Mac and PC (Windows) as each system has a slightly different keyboard. For the most part, anytime you see CTRL for PC, you can substitute COMMAND on Mac, and anytime you see ALT for PC, you can substitute OPTION on Mac.

There’s one notable exception to this rule. On newer Mac laptops, if you want to access the Function keys, you need to first press the FN key. On Mac desktops and PCs, however, no FN key exists.

List of basic Photoshop key command shortcuts

Learning Photoshop shortcuts can save hours of valuable time. Here are some basic Photoshop keyboard shortcuts you can memorize to make your workflow quicker and easier.

• Adjust image size: CTRL + ALT + I (COMMAND + OPTION + I on a Mac)
• Burn tool: O
  
• Close all open documents: CTRL + ALT + W (COMMAND + OPTION + W)
• Close document: CTRL + W (COMMAND + W)
• Copy: CTRL + C (COMMAND + C)
• Create a new document: CTRL + N (COMMAND + N)
• Create a new layer: SHIFT + CTRL + N (SHIFT + COMMAND + N)
• Create a perfect square or circle selection with Marquee Tool: SHIFT + drag
• Create duplicate in new layer: ALT + drag
• Cut (saved in clipboard): CTRL + X (COMMAND + X)
• Cycle between Blending Brush Modes with Brush Tool selected: SHIFT + +
  
• Cycle between Blending Modes: SHIFT + +
  
• Decrease or increase brush size (with Brush Tool selected): [ (decrease); ] (increase)
• Deselect current selection: CTRL + D (COMMAND + D)
• Eraser Tool: SHIFT + E
  
• Export document: SHIFT + CTRL + ALT + W (SHIFT + COMMAND + OPTION + W)
• Feather selection: SHIFT + F6 (FN + SHIFT + F6)
• Healing Brush Tool: J
  
• Merge copy: SHIFT + CTRL + C (SHIFT + COMMAND + C)
• Move in line with Move Tool: SHIFT + drag
• Open an existing document: CTRL + O (COMMAND + O)
• Open Curves dialog box: CTRL + M (COMMAND + M)
• Open Levels dialog box: CTRL + L (COMMAND + L)
• Open Preferences: CTRL + K (COMMAND + K)
• Paste: CTRL + V (COMMAND + V)
• Paste in place: SHIFT + CTRL + V (SHIFT + COMMAND + V)
• Print document: CTRL + P (COMMAND + P)
• Rulers show or hide: CTRL + R (COMMAND + R)
• Save a copy as: CTRL + ALT + S (COMMAND + OPTION + S)
• Save as: SHIFT + CTRL + S (SHIFT + COMMAND + S)
• Save document: CTRL + S (COMMAND + S)
• Select all: CTRL + A (COMMAND + A)
• Show or hide actions panel: ALT + F9 (OPTION + F9 on Mac, FN + OPTION + F9 on Mac laptop)
• Toggle between Brush Tool, Pencil Tool, Mixer Brush Tool and Color Replacement Tool: SHIFT + B
  
• Toggle between Healing Brush Tool, Spot Healing Brush Tool, Patch Tool, Content-Aware Move Tool, and Red Eye Tool: SHIFT + J
  
• Toggle between Lasso Tools: SHIFT + L
  
• Undo: CTRL + Z (COMMAND + Z)
• Zoom in: CTRL + = (COMMAND + =)
• Zoom out: CTRL + – (COMMAND + –)

In addition to these basic shortcut key commands, there are additional task-specific shortcut keys each section below.

5 Photoshop shortcuts to know for general photo editing

1. Keyboard shortcuts for working with layers

If you don’t see the Layers panel in your application, simply type F7 (FN + F7) to make it visible.

Toggle between blending modes

Blending modes on your layers allow you to affect how the layer interacts with the image in the layer below it. You control the blending mode in the Layers Panel. If you’re unsure which blending mode would be best for the look you are trying to achieve, you can quickly toggle through available blending modes by selecting the layer and typing SHIFT + ALT + + (SHIFT + CTRL + +).

Merge Layers

To merge your visible layers into one layer, type SHIFT + CTRL + E (SHIFT + COMMAND + E). To merge your selected layer into the layer beneath it (merge down), type CTRL + E (COMMAND + E).

Duplicate and Stamp Layers

To duplicate the layer you have selected, type F4 (FN + F4). In order to copy all layers into a new, merged layer (stamping layers), type SHIFT + ALT + CTRL + E (SHIFT + OPTION + COMMAND + E)

2. How to use keyboard shortcuts to adjust colors

Color Balance

To quickly bring up the Color Balance dialog box, select the layer you wish to adjust and type CTRL + B (COMMAND + B). Color Balance allows you to adjust the colors for shadows, midtones, and highlights. As you work with the sliders in the Color Balance dialog box, make sure you have “Preview” checked so you can see your changes in real time.

Note: If you want to adjust the color balance for all layers: create a stamped layer to work with, or create a Color Balance Adjustment Layer above all visible layers.

Hue / Saturation

The Hue / Saturation dialog box is similar to Color Balance in that it gives you the ability to adjust colors and tones of your image. However, Hue / Saturation allows you to adjust all colors in your image in one direction, and also gives you control over tint and saturation of your image instead of focusing on enhancing particular colors.

The keyboard shortcut for Hue / Saturation is CTRL + U (COMMAND + U). Any adjustments you make in the dialog box that appears will affect the current layer or current selection.

You can use the Hue slider to change the color of a particular portion of your image; however, use caution if you intend to adjust the entire image as the results can be very drastic.

You can also choose specific colors to modify from the dropdown menu that says “Master.” In this image, the woman’s dress is the only portion of the image that is mostly magenta. Therefore, we can choose “Magentas” from the dropdown menu and adjust the Hue Slider to change her dress color without affecting the rest of the image too much. This allows us to save the time we would otherwise need for creating a selection.

3. How to make an image black and white

In the Hue / Saturation dialog box, you have the option to move the Saturation slider all the way to the left, which will make your image black and white.

This method will work in a pinch, but there are other ways to make your image black and white that are just as quick.

Method 1: Convert image to grayscale

You can convert your image to grayscale while staying in the RGB color mode by typing CTRL + SHIFT U (COMMAND + SHIFT + U). This makes your image black and white, but, like desaturating your image, does not give you much control over your contrast.

In the black and white image below, you can see from the Layers panel that the color mode of the image is still RGB, even though the adjusted layer is black and white.

Method 2: Convert color mode to Lab mode

This next method is a very quick way to make skin look brighter in black and white images. Choose Image > Mode > Lab Color from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

When prompted, merge layers together.

Next, bring up the Layers panel by typing F7 (FN + F7 on a Mac). The Channels and Paths panels are connected to the Layers panel by default, but if Channels does not appear, you can also bring it up by going to Window > Channels from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

In the Channels Panel, select the a and b channels. Right-click (CTRL + Click) and choose Delete Layers. Flatten layers when prompted.

Now, you can choose Image > Mode > Grayscale to put the image in Grayscale mode. The final image will look more luminescent than using desaturation alone.

Method 3: Use Black + White keyboard shortcut

You can bring up the Black and White dialog box by typing CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + B (OPTION + COMMAND + SHIFT + B). The dialog box that appears gives you control over which colors in the original image you wish to darken and lighten. Make sure you have “Preview” checked to see the image as you adjust the sliders.

If you’re unsure how best to adjust the sliders, click the Auto button to have Photoshop do the work for you.

4. How to add text to a photo using keyboard shortcuts

To quickly add text to your photo, type T to bring up the Text Tool. Then, click anywhere on your image to start using the tool.

A small bit of filler text will appear in your foreground color, and a small Contextual Task Bar will appear underneath to quickly give you access to adjusting your font, alignment, and text color.

You can also adjust your text with more options using the Options Bar at the top of the application window.

In the Layers Panel, you will see a new Text layer has been generated as well.

If you click off of your type, you can select it again by grabbing the Type Tool and clicking on your text. Then, type CTRL + A (COMMAND + A on a Mac) to select all of your text. If you click on your image but not on your existing text, you will create a new Text layer; you can simply go into your Layers panel and delete it if you do this accidentally.

Photoshop is an evolving organism–as the years have gone by, new options have been added while old panels stay the same. As a result, there are myriad ways to adjust your type. There is no right or wrong way to adjust type in Photoshop 2024–it all depends on what works best for your workflow.

Here are some ways you can modify your type once it’s selected:

• Use the dropdown menus in the Options Bar to adjust your type.
• Use the Properties Panel (accessed by Window > Properties).
• Use the Character Panel (Window > Character) and the Paragraphs Panel (Window > Properties) to adjust your type.
• Use the Contextual Task Bar that appears right under your text (new to Photoshop 2024), or click on the three little dots to quickly bring up the Properties Panel and make more adjustments there.

5. How to use a shortcut for Generative Fill

Generative AI is a hot topic right now, and Photoshop 2024’s AI capabilities are state-of-the-art. In order to take advantage of this new feature, make a selection around the area of your photograph that you wish to change.

Note: All generative AI struggles with correctly creating human hands, so you’ll have best results if you avoid selecting any hands in your image.

Right click (CTRL + click) to bring up an options menu, and choose Generative Fill.

A dialog box will appear, giving you the option to type in what you would like to replace the selection with. If you want to remove the object you selected entirely from your photo, leave this box blank and click Generate.

If you want to replace your selection with an AI-generated image, type what you would like that image to be. In this example, I’ve typed “blue flower.” Then, click Generate.

Photoshop will attempt to create what you’ve asked for based on its own AI database and the pixels surrounding your selection.

Once a new portion of your image has been generated, you will see up to three variations you can choose within your Properties panel.

Choose the variation you like best by clicking on it, or click Generate again within the Properties panel to create three more variations.

Your image will now have a Generative layer named the same as your prompt that rests on top of your other layers. If you want to go back at any time to change the variation you chose, click on that Generative layer and change your selection in the Properties panel.

You can delete unused variations by hovering over the variation and clicking the Trash icon. Removing unused variations will help keep your file size from becoming too large.

5 Photoshop shortcuts to know when editing product photos

1. How to use clipping path keyboard shortcuts

We’ve previously discussed how to use the Magic Wand tool to remove a background from your product image using Select Subject. But if your background has similar focus or coloring as your foreground, the Magic Wand tool won’t work.

In these cases, creating clipping paths is your best option to remove the background. We’ve also put together a tutorial to help you learn how to use the Pen Tool to edit product images and remove the background in Photoshop.

Quick clipping paths are achieved with both of your hands: one hand typing on the keyboard, the other drawing with the mouse or stylus. Your keyboard hand types in the shortcut key commands to toggle quickly between tools so that your other hand can continue to draw the path quickly.

Before you create the clipping path, set up your workspace. Make sure both your Pen tool and your Direct Selection tool are visible in the Toolbar.

You should be able to see both your Layers panel and your Paths panel.

Note: If these panels aren’t visible, you can make them visible by selecting them from the Window dropdown menu at the top of the Photoshop application window.

If you plan to use a clipping path to separate a product image from its background, there are a series of key command shortcuts you can use to make the process quicker and easier.

Keyboard shortcuts for clipping paths

• P: select Pen tool
• A: select Direct Selection tool (to adjust points created with the Pen tool)
• H: select Hand tool
• ALT + click (OPTION + click on Mac) on point: create corner at point as you draw with Pen tool
• CTRL + = (COMMAND + =): zoom in
• CTRL + – (COMMAND + –): zoom out
• SHIFT + CTRL + N (SHIFT + COMMAND + N): create a new Layer
• Q: toggle Quick Mask Mode
• SHIFT + click: toggle Layer Mask
• SHIFT + F5 (FN + SHIFT + F5): fill layer with color
• CTRL + = (COMMAND + =): zoom in
• CTRL + – (COMMAND + –): zoom out
• SHIFT + CTRL + N (SHIFT + COMMAND + N): create a new layer
• F7 (FN + F7): hide/show Layers panel

Panel shortcuts

There are also some useful keyboard shortcuts within the Layers and Paths panels that will shave whole minutes off of your editing time.

How to use the stroke path Photoshop shortcut

When you apply the stroke path shortcut, your path will be outlined using the same width, hardness, opacity, blending mode, and color of your brush. Therefore, before you can use the stroke path Photoshop shortcut shown in the Paths panel above, you need to set up your Brush tool presets to the size and color you want. Because the path stroke will appear in your selected layer, it’s always a good idea to create a new layer and select it before applying the stroke path shortcut.

2. How to use a shortcut for clipping mask

On the surface, clipping paths and clipping masks appear to have a lot in common. However, there are subtle differences that become apparent when you use a clipping mask short cut.

The most common shortcut you can use to make a clipping mask is the small Add Layer Mask icon located at the bottom of the Layers panel and the Paths panel.

To quickly and effectively create a layer mask, first select the area of your layer you want to remain visible after applying the mask. Then click the Add Layer Mask icon within either the Layers panel or the Paths panel. You’ll instantly have the other parts of your layer “masked” out, leaving only your selection visible.

Another shortcut for clipping masks works with adjustment layers. For instance, the image below has two layers and an adjustment layer on top. The layer closest to the adjustment layer is transparent for most of the layer.

If you want to apply the adjustment layer only to the non-transparent areas of the top layer (in this example, apply the Color Balance to just the earbuds and not to the background), select the Adjustment Layer and type ALT + CTRL + G (OPTION + COMMAND + G on a Mac).

3. How to do a Photoshop crop shortcut

It’s important that your images have a consistent aesthetic across your site. You can set up your Crop tool to quickly crop similar product images so they’ll all be the same size and resolution.

How to create a crop preset for product images

When the Crop tool is visible in your Toolbar, type C to access it quickly.

Once the Crop tool is selected, you’ll have access to a series of options at the top of the Photoshop window.

In the first dropdown in the Options bar, choose W x H x Resolution.

Set your width and height to the final dimensions you want your product photos to be.

For websites and apps, you’ll want your width and height to be in pixels, and your resolution at 72ppi for standard web graphics. If you need your images to appear properly on a retina display, double both the height and width dimensions (so, a 400px x 400px image would now be set at 800px x 800px).

You can also click on the dropdown next to the grid icon to choose which guidelines you want to use to position your product image as you crop it. By default, this is set to Rule of Thirds.

Once you have your dimensions set, select the W x H x Resolution dropdown again and choose New Crop Preset. Give your preset a name that will help you remember what product images these crop settings will be applied to, such as “product thumbnail.”

With your crop preset created, you can click on any product image with the crop tool, select your custom preset from the W x H x Resolution dropdown, and use the guides to position the subject of your photo in a similar fashion across all images.

The Crop tool also offers you some other useful tricks to ensure consistency. Click on the Straighten icon and draw a line along the edge of your product photo to straighten your image. Or hover your cursor over the corners of the crop edge to rotate the crop.

Once you’re satisfied with your crop, click the check mark in the Options bar. Then repeat with the next image in your product series.

4. How to quickly export images for your website

Like the Crop tool, a little bit of setup with your export functions can save hours of time in your workflow.

If you know you’ll be working on a large batch of web-ready photos that need to have the same file format, you can set up your Quick Export settings and then rapidly export each file into a web-ready format.

To set up your Quick Export settings, go to File > Export > Export Preferences…

In the dialog box that appears, you can choose what file format you want your image to export to (JPG, PNG, GIF, or SVG), the location where you want the exported file to live, and what color space you want the exported file to be in. If you’ve created a metadata template with copyright information, you can choose to have that applied to exported files here as well.

Once you’ve set up your preferences, click OK.

Quick Export also has its own shortcut key command. To Quick Export once you have the settings you want, type SHIFT + CTRL + , (SHIFT + COMMAND + , on a Mac).

The next time you need to export your image for your site, all you need to do is type this key command—the image will automatically export with all of your Quick Export settings.

5. How to easily create a true white background

If you’ve shot your product against a white backdrop and don’t need to remove it from the background, chances are you still need to do some editing to make sure the white background in one image has the same brightness as the background in the next. This eyedropper shortcut will help you do just that in a matter of seconds.

With your product image open in Photoshop, choose Image > Adjustments > Curves… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. You can also bring up Curves by typing CTRL + M (COMMAND + M on a Mac).

In the Curves dialog box that appears, you’ll see three eyedropper tools at the bottom of the window. Choose the eyedropper on the far right. This is the Set White Point eyedropper.

With the eyedropper tool selected, click on the background of the product image. Choose the darkest part of your white background that is not a shadow. The eyedropper will make those pixels 100% white, and will adjust the rest of the image accordingly.

Click OK.

You can repeat the process with the rest of your product photos. If all your photos were shot using the same lighting, you’ll retain the consistency throughout while brightening the background.

Not happy with the shadows in your shot? You can learn how to add a natural shadow in Photoshop to fix them in post-processing. 

How to create your own Photoshop shortcuts

If Photoshop doesn’t have a shortcut for something you do often, you can create your own shortcut key. To create a keyboard shortcut, go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts…

For this example, let’s create a shortcut to open the Shadows/Highlights… Dialog Box.

In the dialog window that appears, choose Application Menus next to Shortcuts For: since this is an option that can be accessed from the Application Menu. Because Shadows/Highlights… exists under the Image menu, click on Image in the scrolling menu at the center of the window, and then scroll down until you see Shadows/Highlights… under Adjustments.

You can create any shortcut key you’d like as long as it’s not being used elsewhere by Photoshop and it contains either CTRL (COMMAND on a Mac) or a Function (F1, F2, etc.) key.

Because Photoshop has so many shortcut keys already, this may take some trial and error to find one that is not already in use. In this example, I’ve successfully entered COMMAND + SHIFT + 0 as an acceptable key command.

Once you’ve decided on a key command, click Accept, and then OK in the dialog box.

5 Photoshop shortcuts for sports photo editing

You’ll want to do two key things when you edit a sports photo: 1) enhance the subject with high detail and contrast and 2) modify the background to help the subject stand out more. So the first thing you need to do when approaching any sports photo is to isolate the subject from the rest of the photo.

1. Quickly select subject

While using a clipping path is almost always the way to go with product photography, you can use Photoshop’s built in “Select Subject” functionality for sports photography since you don’t need as precise a selection.

To begin, choose the Magic Wand from the Toolbar and choose Select Subject from either the Contextual Task Bar or the Options Bar at the top of the screen.

Next, click the Select and Mask… button in the Options Bar. A new window will open allowing you to refine your selection.

You can modify your selection by adding or subtracting areas of your selection within the Select and Mask window. When you’re happy with the way the selection looks, click OK.

Now, with your subject selected, type CTRL + C (COMMAND + C) and then SHIFT + CTRL + V (SHIFT + COMMAND + V) three times to create three new identical layers containing just your subject.

Accessing your selection again quickly

If at any time you need to re-select your subject, you can do so by clicking on any of the new layers and choosing Select > Load Selection from the menu at the top of the application window.

Once in the Load Selection dialog box, choose the Transparency for the layer you’re working in next to the Channel options and click OK.

2. Use Camera Raw Filters to quickly enhance sports photo subject

The Camera Raw Filters are a quick and effective way to get spectacular sports photographs. With your top layer selected, click SHIFT + CTRL + A (SHIFT + COMMAND + A) to bring up the Camera Raw Filters window.

Within the filters window you have many options for enhancing the photo. Some of the most useful options here are the Auto Exposure and Auto Contrast sliders (under Light) and the Texture slider under Effects. Feel free to explore other options within the menu on the right-hand side of the window. When you’re satisfied with how your image looks, click OK.

Within your Layers panel, you can choose to adjust the opacity or blending mode of your top layer to blend your changes with the original image. In the example below, we changed the Blending Mode of the layer we just adjusted to “Overlay” and set the opacity to 70%.

3. Using the Glowing Edges Filter to enhance sports photo details.

One of the best ways to add additional texture to a sports photo is to use the Glowing Edges Filter in Photoshop 2024. To access this filter, select the next to top layer (which should be of your unedited isolated subject). Choose Filter Gallery from the Filters menu at the top of the application window.

Within the Filter Gallery window that appears, choose Glowing Edges from the Stylize menu. Adjust the sliders on the right until your image has the level of detail you want (keep in mind the image will be in negative).

Click OK.

Back in your document, still with the same layer selected, click CTRL + I (COMMAND + I) to invert the image in the layer.

Drag this layer to the top of your layers in your Layers Panel, set the Blending Mode to Overlay, and adjust the opacity until you get the effects you desire.

4. Using Generative Fill to get a clean background

It’s a lot easier to add effects to your background if you remove the subject entirely from the background. Thanks to Photoshop 2024’s new Generative Fill tool, you can remove the subject from the background very quickly.

To begin, click the Eye icon next to all three layers that contain your sports photo subject, and duplicate the Background layer.

In the new Background copy layer, draw a selection around your subject using the Lasso Tool or the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

Once you have a loose selection around your subject, click Generative Fill from the Contextual Task menu that appears under your selection, or right-click (CTRL + Click) to bring up a menu where you can select Generative Fill.

In the dialog box that appears, leave the prompt blank where it says “What would you like to generate? (Optional)” and just click Generate.

Photoshop 2024 will attempt to fill in the space of your selection using cues from the background that is visible. Once it’s done generating a new fill, you will see three variations you can choose from within the Properties panel. Simply click on any of these options, or click Generate again to get three more variations.

Once you’re satisfied with one of the generative fill options, select the new Generative Fill layer and the Background copy layer in the Layers Panel. Then, type CTRL + E (COMMAND + E) to merge those layers together.

5. Add Effects to your sports photo background

Add Motion Blur

One really great effect you can add to a sports photo is a motion blur. This effect makes it look like your subject is moving at incredible speed.

Make sure all your layers are visible so that you can see the contrast of the background against your subject. Then, select your Layer in your Layers panel that has the background without the subject.

Then, choose Filter > Blur > Motion Blur… from the menu at the top of the application window. In the dialog box that appears, set your motion’s angle to 0 degrees and adjust your distance to your liking (the higher the distance, the greater the blur).

Click OK when you decide you like the results.

Add Radial Blur

The Radial Blur can create a stunning effect for your Sports photo. You can add a Radial Blur on top of a Motion Blur or use it on its own. In this example, we removed the Motion Blur before creating a Radial Blur.

To create a Radial Blur, select your Layer in your Layers panel that has the background without the subject. Then, choose Filter > Blur > Radial Blur… from the menu at the top of the application window.

In the Radial Blur… dialog box that appears, you do not have the option to preview your image before applying the effect. The image below gives you an idea of what to expect from the Spin option vs. the Zoom option.

Add vignette

Adding a vignette should be the last thing you do to your image, and for best effects, apply it only to the background portion of your image.

The easiest way to add a vignette to your image is to select the layer you will apply it to, then click CTRL + SHIFT + A (COMMAND + SHIFT + A) to quickly access your Camera Raw Filters.

Once in the Camera Raw Filters window, choose Vignette under Effects and move the slider to the left to create a dark vignette around the edges of your image. You can also move the Grain slider to the right to add a little extra punch to your image.

Click OK when you’re satisfied with how the image looks.

Using just a few simple shortcuts, your final sports photo will now look much more exciting than the original image.

Photoshop shortcuts FAQs

What is the shortcut key for?

A shortcut key is for completing frequent actions more quickly with a keyboard command. It helps you edit photos more effichiently.

What is the shortcut of clipping mask in Adobe Photoshop?

The shortcut of clipping mask in Photoshop is to click on the Create Layer Mask icon in the Layers panel or the Create Mask from Path icon in the Paths panel.

What is the shortcut key to mask?

The shortcut key to mask is ALT + CTRL + G (OPTION + COMMAND + G on a Mac). First select the Adjustment Layer and type and then this shortcut will allow you to apply the transparency mask of a Layer to an Adjustment Layer.

What are the shortcut keys in Photoshop?

The shortcut keys in Photoshop are listed in this post and in this downloadable cheat sheet pdf. Memorize the ones that work best with the tasks you do on a daily basis. For a list of some of the most common shortcut keys in Photoshop, see the list at the beginning of this post.

What is CTRL + J in Photoshop?

CTRL + J (COMMAND + J on Mac) duplicates the layer you currently have selected.

What is CTRL + F in Photoshop?

CTRL + F (COMMAND + F on Mac) opens a dialog box allowing you to search for tools, tricks, tips, and other sources of helpful information from Photoshop. You can use this dialog box to select tools or search for commands, as well as browse tips and tutorials.

Let us look after your image edits, so you can get back to the fun stuff. Try Path free.

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The post Photoshop Shortcuts for Clipping Paths and Editing Photos (Cheat Sheet Included) appeared first on Path Edits.

But before you jump into how-tos, it’s a good idea to start with the basics. What is the Magic Wand tool? Which Photoshop tools do you need to edit product photos? How do you customize the Photoshop toolbar to streamline your editing workflow?

Photoshop 2024 offers a lot of improvements and new features from previous iterations, including Generative AI, object removal, and lens blur. However, in order to use these cool new tools, you need to understand the basic tools in the Photoshop Toolbar.

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Let’s look at how to customize the Toolbar in Photoshop and the Adobe Photoshop 2024 tools—and how to use them with examples.

Where is the Photoshop 2024 Toolbar?

By default, the Photoshop 2024 Toolbar is the part of Photoshop that’s anchored to the left of the application window. However, you can move it around and change its size, depending on your needs.

Adobe Photoshop 2024 tools

There are many Adobe Photoshop 2024 tools you can use in post-processing, several of which are especially useful for editing sports photography and product photography.

• Magic Wand Tool
• Move Tool
• Rectangular Marquee Tool and Elliptical Marquee Tool
• Shape Tools (including Custom Shape Tool)
• Lasso Tool, Polygonal Lasso Tool and Magnetic Lasso Tool
• Quick Selection Tool
• Object Selection Tool
• Fill Tools
• The Paint Bucket Tool
• Gradient Tool
• Fill
• Crop Tool
• Crop Tool With Generative Expand
• Eyedropper Tool
• Brush Tool and Eraser Tool
• History Brush Tool
• Magic Eraser Tool
• Clone Stamp Tool
• Healing Brush Tool
• Dodge Tool and Burn Tool
• Sharpen Tool
• Smudge Tool
• Hand Tool
• Zoom Tool

Magic Wand Tool

The Magic Wand Tool selects a portion of your image that has the same or similar colors.

You can access the Magic Wand Tool by typing “W.” If you don’t see the Magic Wand Tool, you can access it by clicking on the Quick Selection Tool and selecting the Magic Wand Tool from the dropdown.

To use the Magic Wand Tool, click on a portion of your image that’s all one color (like the white background in the image of the sock below). The Magic Wand Tool will select the entire area of that color.

Move Tool

The Move Tool is the first tool visible in the default Toolbar. You can also access it by typing “V.” The Move Tool shares space with the Artboard Tool, which you see if you click and hold the Move Tool with the mouse.

The Move Tool allows you to move items in your image. If you’ve created a selection within your image, you can use the Move Tool to relocate it within the frame. If you don’t have a selection, the Move Tool will move the entire layer.

Images in formats like JPG and PNG are flattened images, which means the entire image rests inside a locked layer called Background. Because of this, the Move Tool can only move selections within flattened images and can’t move the locked layer itself. If you create a selection in a flattened image and move it, the area where the selection originally existed will be filled with the background color.

In layered images, you can use the Move Tool to move just about anything. Click on the portion of the image you want to move and put it in your desired location.

In Photoshop 2024, the Move Tool will automatically determine which layer that item is on when you click on it. In some older versions of Photoshop, you’ll need to select the layer the item is on within the Layers panel before you can move it; otherwise, you’ll move whatever layer you’re currently in.

All items within the layer of the item you’ve selected will move with that item, unless you’ve made a selection. If you make a selection using any of the Adobe Photoshop 2024 tools covered below, you can move that selection with the Move Tool, independent of other items within that layer. The moved item will remain within its original layer.

Rectangular Marquee Tool and Elliptical Marquee Tool

The Marquee Tools make quick selections within your image.

By default, the Rectangular Marquee Tool is visible just under or beside the Move Tool, depending on how you have your Toolbar configured.

To access the Elliptical Marquee Tool, click and hold, and then select the Elliptical Marquee Tool from the dropdown. You can access whichever Marquee Tool is currently visible by typing “M.”

With either the Rectangular Marquee Tool or Elliptical Marquee Tool selected, click and drag on your image to create your selection. The Rectangular Marquee Tool will create a rectangular selection; the Elliptical Marquee Tool will create an elliptical selection.

Hold down the SHIFT key while you click and drag to create a perfect square (Rectangular Marquee Tool) or perfect circle (Elliptical Marquee Tool). Release the mouse before you release the SHIFT key to keep the exact proportions of your selection.

Once you’ve created a selection with either of these tools, you can adjust that selection by moving it, filling it with color or deleting it.

To deselect your selection, click anywhere on your image, or type CTRL+D (CMD+D on a Mac).

Shape Tools (including Custom Shape Tool)

The Shape Tools allow you to create vector-based shapes such as rectangles, ellipses, lines, and even animal shapes.

All of the Shape Tools are in one place in your Toolbar, usually toward the bottom of the Toolbar near the Foreground and Background colors.

Each Shape Tool is named by the type of shape it creates. Let’s look at the Custom Shape Tool to understand how to use these tools.

Choose the Custom Shape Tool from the Toolbar. If you don’t see it, it may be hiding behind one of the other Shape Tools; click and hold on the visible Shape Tool in the Toolbar to access the Custom Shape Tool.

Once you have your Shape Tool selected, go to the Options Bar at the top of the application window. You’ll see there’s a dropdown menu where you can select Shape, Path, or Pixels. Make sure Shape is selected.

Also in the Options Bar, you have the ability to change the Fill color and Stroke color and width for your shape. The Fill is the color that your shape will be. The Stroke is an outline around your shape. Click on each of these options to change the color of your fill, color of your stroke, and width of your stroke.

When you have Custom Tool selected, you also have the option to choose one of many preset shapes from your Options Bar. To change your Tool shape, choose one of the presets next to the Shape; dropdown in the Options Bar.

Once you have selected a shape, you can draw it onto your image using your Shape Tool. Hold the Shift key while you draw to ensure the shape stays proportional.

Lasso Tool, Polygonal Lasso Tool and Magnetic Lasso Tool

The Lasso Tools, like the Marquee Tools, create a selection within your image.

Any of the three Lasso Tools may be visible in the Toolbar; click and hold on the visible tool to access the other Lasso Tools. You can access whichever Lasso Tool is currently visible by typing “L.”

With the Lasso Tool selected, you can draw a selection around any part of your image using your mouse. Click and hold the mouse button down as you draw. End the selection where you began to create a complete selection. The Lasso Tool can be a bit difficult to use if you need a precise selection, but it works well for creating a rough selection.

The Polygonal Lasso Tool creates a selection with straight lines with a little more precision than the Lasso Tool.

With the Polygonal Lasso Tool selected, click on the point on your image where you want your selection to begin. Release the mouse and click again to create the first straight edge of your selection. Each time you click, you create another edge for your selection. To finish your selection, click on the same spot where you began.

The Magnetic Lasso Tool follows the edge of an object in your image, allowing more control in your selection than the Lasso Tool, and more flexibility than the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

To use the Magnetic Lasso Tool, click on the edge of your object where you want your selection to begin, and then follow the object as closely as you can with the mouse. The Magnetic Lasso Tool will snap to the edge of the object as you follow it.

You can click points as you go, as with the Polygonal Lasso Tool, but you can also make the selection without setting down any more points. To complete the selection, click on the first point you created with the tool.

Quick Selection Tool

The Quick Selection Tool selects an object in your image by interpreting and selecting along defined edges visible in your image.

If the Quick Selection Tool isn’t visible in Photoshop 2024, click and hold on the Magic Wand Tool and select the Quick Selection Tool from the dropdown. Once the Quick Selection Tool is visible, you can access it by typing “W.”

Over your image, the Quick Selection Tool will appear as a small circle with “+” inside of it. Place the cursor over an area of the object you wish to select and click. The tool will select a portion of your image, ending at any defined edges.

While holding the mouse, move your cursor around the rest of the object until the entire object is selected. If you let go of the mouse, you can simply click anywhere on the object again; you won’t lose the already-selected portions.

If you find you’re selecting too much of an image, the size of the Quick Selection Tool might be too big. You can use the “[“ and “]” keys to reduce and enlarge the size of your Quick Selection Tool, respectively.

If you need to start over with your selection at any time, type CTRL+D (CMD+D on a Mac) to deselect your selection.

Object Selection Tool

The Object Selection Tool allows you to select an object within your photo simply by drawing a selection around the object.

To access the Object Selection Tool, click and hold on the Magic Wand Tool and select the Object Selection Tool from the dropdown. Once this tool is visible in the Toolbar, you can access it by typing “W.”

To use the Object Selection Tool, click and draw a selection around the object you want to select. Photoshop will interpret the edges of the object and attempt to refine your selection to just include the object.

When the Object Selection Tool is selected in your Toolbar, you have the option to select using a rectangular marquee shape or a lasso tool shape. You can toggle between the two in the Options Bar at the top of the application window.

The Options Bar also offers the same functionality to refine your selection as you’d have using the Magic Wand Tool.

Fill Tools

Once you’ve created a selection with either the Marquee Tools, the Lasso Tools, or the Selection Tools, you can quickly fill that selection with a solid color or a gradient, or use what’s called the Content-Aware Fill Tool to seamlessly remove an object from its background.

The Paint Bucket Tool

The Paint Bucket Tool, sometimes referred to as the Fill Tool, is located on the Toolbar just under the Eraser Tool. If it’s not visible, it may be hidden under the Gradient Tool.

To use this tool, select it and click anywhere within your selection. Photoshop will fill all pixels matching the color of the area you’ve clicked on with your foreground color. If you use the tool without creating a selection first, Photoshop will fill all pixels within your entire document with the foreground color.

As with other tools, you can adjust settings such as Blending Mode, Opacity, and Tolerance in the Options Bar at the top of the application window.

Gradient Tool

The Gradient Tool, located in the same place as the Paint Bucket Tool, fills an area with a gradient instead of a solid color. Unlike the Paint Bucket Tool, however, the Gradient Tool creates a new Gradient Fill Adjustment Layer on top of the layer you’re currently in.

If you make a selection prior to using the Gradient Tool, the new adjustment layer will be masked everywhere except the selection. If there is no selection, the new Gradient Fill Adjustment Layer will fill the entire canvas.

This Adjustment Layer feature of the Gradient Tool is new to Photoshop 2024 and makes it easy to create gradients without accidentally overwriting other parts of your image.

To use the Gradient Tool, select the tool and draw a line with the mouse over your selection. The angle of the line you draw will determine the angle of the gradient.

By default, the gradient will start with the foreground color and end with the background color, but you can change this in the Options Bar.

To change your gradient, select the gradient preview and scroll to your desired gradient option in the Gradient Options Bar. The Basics folder will contain the foreground-to-background, foreground-to-transparent, and black-to-white gradient options. Photoshop also gives you some additional gradient options organized by color.

You can adjust your gradient after you’ve created it by selecting the Gradient Adjustment Fill Layer and choosing a gradient option from the Gradient Options Bar. You can also access these options in the Properties Panel.

If you need to rasterize your Gradient Fill Adjustment Layer, you can do so by choosing Layer > Rasterize > Fill Content from the menu at the top of the Application window.

Fill

You can also use the Fill function in Photoshop 2024 to fill a selection with a solid color or gradient. With your selection created, choose Edit > Fill from the menu at the top of the application window.

Crop Tool

The Crop Tool allows you to rotate and crop your image along predefined parameters. The Crop Tool is especially useful if you have a series of product images that all need to be the same size and orientation.

The Crop Tool may be hidden behind the Slice Tool, Slice Select Tool or Perspective Crop Tool. If so, click on any of these tools and hold down the mouse until you can access the Crop Tool. When the Crop Tool is visible in the Toolbar, you can quickly access it by typing “C”.

With the Crop Tool selected, go to the top of the application window where you can control the Crop Tool settings. Select W x H x Resolution from the first dropdown option to specify the width, height and resolution of your cropped image. If you know all product images need to be 1000px x 1200px at 72 ppi, you would type those values into the fields just to the right of the dropdown.

Once you’ve set your width, height, and resolution, click anywhere on your image to see the edges of the crop. You can use your cursor to expand or reduce the size of the cropped area, and you can also rotate the image within the crop by turning the edges of the cropped area at the corners.

If you’re happy with the crop area, click on any of the other tools in the Toolbar, and the image will automatically crop. If you are dissatisfied with the final cropped image, simply type CTRL+Z (CMD+Z on a Mac) to undo.

Crop Tool With Generative Expand

If you want to crop your photo in a way that the crop area extends beyond the existing photo’s canvas, you can use a newer Photoshop 2024 tool called Generative Expand.

To use Generative Expand, create a crop area that goes outside your canvas borders. You’ll see a Contextual Prompt panel at the bottom of your image.

To complete the Crop action and Generative Expand, click Generate in the Contextual Prompt panel.

Photoshop’s Generative AI gave this image a shadow.

Eyedropper Tool

The Eyedropper Tool selects a specific color within your image and sets it as your Foreground Color.

If you can’t see the Eyedropper Tool, it could be hiding behind the Color Sampler Tool, the Ruler Tool, the Note Tool, or the Count Tool. You can click and hold on either of these tools to access the Eyedropper Tool. Once the Eyedropper Tool is visible, you can access it by typing “I.”

Click anywhere within your image to grab the visible color with the Eyedropper Tool. The color you select will automatically appear as a new Foreground Color.

The Eyedropper Tool is useful when you need to pull a color from one image and use it in another. For instance, when you have a background color that you need to match across images.

Brush Tool and Eraser Tool

Use the Brush Tool to “paint” on your image; use the Eraser Tool to erase part of your image.

If you don’t see the Brush Tool in the Toolbar, it might be behind the Pencil Tool, Color Replacement Tool, or Mixer Brush Tool. Click and hold on the Pencil Tool to access the dropdown, and select the Brush Tool. When visible, you can also access the Brush Tool by typing “B.”

Vary the size, shape, hardness (smoothness of the brush edge) and opacity of the Brush Tool at the top of the application window once the tool is selected. To “paint” with the Brush Tool, click and drag your cursor over the image.

Your cursor should appear as roughly the same size and shape as your selected Brush Tool preset—if it doesn’t, you probably have caps lock on. The Brush Tool will paint your foreground color onto your image within the layer that you currently have selected.

If you don’t want to paint over your original image, create a new layer and use the Brush Tool in that new layer.

The Eraser Tool works in almost the same way as the Brush Tool. If you don’t see the Eraser Tool in the Toolbar, it might be hidden behind the Magic Eraser or Background Eraser Tool. When visible, type “E” to access the Eraser Tool.

As with the Brush Tool, you can adjust the size, hardness and opacity of the Eraser Tool at the top of the application window.

Once you’ve adjusted your Eraser Tool settings, click and drag with your cursor over the portion of your image you wish to erase.

When you erase using the Eraser Tool on a flattened image, the background color will appear on the areas you erase. When you erase on a layered image, the pixels on lower images will be visible through the erased area of your image.

History Brush Tool

The History Brush Tool looks very similar to the Brush Tool; in fact, chances are you’ve accidentally selected it at some point instead of the Brush Tool. However, it works much differently than the Brush Tool.

The History Brush Tool is located about midway on your Toolbar. It may be hiding behind the Art History Brush Tool.

The History Brush Tool allows you to “paint” in portions of your image from a past iteration. In the example below, I filled the color of my sock with blue and I want to “paint back” what it looked like before I changed the color.

To use the History Brush Tool, you need to have the History Panel open. If you don’t see the History Panel, you can access it by choosing Window > History from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

In the history panel, you can see all the changes made to the image since it was opened. Since we want to undo the blue fill with the History Brush in this example, we select the step that happened immediately before the Fill step. In this case, that would be the Select Inverse step. In order to select this step, click in the small box just to the left of the step in the panel.

A History Brush icon will appear in that box.

Now, take the History Brush and “paint” over the portions of your image that you want to revert back to its original form.

Like the Brush Tool and the Eraser Tool, you can adjust the size and hardness of the History Brush using the dropdown menus in the Option Bar.

Magic Eraser Tool

The Magic Eraser Tool erases similar pixels from an image, in much the same way that the Magic Wand Tool selects similar pixels within an image.

The Magic Eraser Tool may be hiding the Eraser Tool or the Background Eraser Tool, if you can’t see it. Once visible, you can also select the Magic Eraser Tool by typing “E.”

To use the Magic Eraser Tool, click on the portion of your image that you want to remove, such as a background.

If all the pixels you want to remove are a similar color, the Magic Eraser Tool will erase all of it in one click. Like the Magic Wand Tool, you can adjust the Tolerance of the Magic Eraser Tool at the top of the application window to select a smaller or wider range of pixel colors.

If you use the Magic Eraser Tool on a flattened image, the erased portion of your image will automatically fill with transparency, and your Background layer will be renamed “Layer 0”. If you use the Magic Eraser Tool on a layered image, the pixels from lower layers will be visible through the erased portion of your image.

As with the Magic Wand Tool, the Magic Eraser Tool is useful when you want to change or remove a background from an image, or when you need to remove portions of an image.

Clone Stamp Tool

The Clone Stamp Tool allows you to select a portion of your image and repeat it into another portion of your image within the same layer.

If you don’t see the Clone Stamp Tool in the Toolbar, it may be hidden behind the Pattern Stamp Tool. If you can see it, access it by typing “S.”

You can adjust the Clone Stamp Tool the same way as the Brush and Eraser Tools—simply adjust its values at the top of the application window.

With the Clone Stamp Tool selected, hover your cursor over the area of your image that you wish to repeat. Hold down the ALT key (OPTION on a Mac) and click on the image. The cursor will change shape and will appear as a target symbol.

Then, move your cursor to the new area of your image where you wish to duplicate the original portion of the image. Click and “paint” with your cursor; the portion of your image you originally sampled will appear in the new area of your image.

The Clone Stamp Tool takes a bit of practice to master, but it’s useful once you become comfortable with it. You can use it to create multiple images of a single product within the same frame, or to remove blemishes or spots on a product’s surface.

Healing Brush Tool

The Healing Brush Tool selects a portion of your image and blends it into another portion of your image within the same layer.

Can’t see it? It might be hiding behind the Spot Healing Brush Tool, Remove Tool, Patch Tool, the Content-Aware Move Tool, or the Red Eye Tool. If you can see it, you can access the Healing Brush Tool by keying “J.”

To use the Healing Brush Tool, hover your cursor over the area of your image that you want to sample. Hold down the ALT key (OPTION on Mac) and click on the sample area (the cursor will become a target symbol when you hold down ALT/OPTION).

Move your cursor to the area of the image that you want to blend your sample into. Click and hold your mouse to “paint” with your cursor in the new area of your image. The Healing Brush Tool will sample the original portion of your image and paint it over the new area of your image, blending the pixels together.

Like the Clone Stamp Tool, you’ll need some patience to become a pro with the Healing Brush Tool. But it could be a better option than the Clone Stamp Tool to remove spots or blemishes from a product image, depending on the image and what you need to do to it.

Dodge Tool and Burn Tool

The Dodge Tool lightens pixels in an image; the Burn Tool darkens pixels. With both tools, you “paint” onto your image with your cursor just as you would with the Brush Tool.

The Dodge Tool and Burn Tool share the same space on the Toolbar. If neither are visible, they’re probably suppressed behind the Sponge Tool. When visible, the Dodge Tool or Burn Tool can be accessed by typing “O.”

With either the Dodge Tool or Burn Tool selected, you can adjust the tool’s size and hardness using the options at the top of the application window. You can also choose the range of pixels you want the tool to affect.

• Highlights: only very light areas of your image
• Midtones: pixels with colors that are in between dark and light
• Shadows: only the darkest pixels

Exposure controls the degree to which affected pixels change.

If you want to darken the shadows on a product image, select the Burn Tool, adjust the size of the tool to be roughly the same size as your smallest shadow, set the range to Shadows, and “paint” with the tool on your image where shadows already exist by clicking and dragging with your cursor.

Want to learn more about adding shadows in your shot? You can learn how to add a natural shadow in Photoshop. 

To brighten the lightest areas of your image, choose the Dodge Tool, set your range to Highlights, and click and drag over the lightest areas of your image.

Sharpen Tool

The Sharpen Tool can be found about midway down the Toolbar. It may be hiding behind the Blur Tool or the Smudge Tool.

Like many other tools discussed in this Photoshop Tool tutorial, you can adjust the size, hardness, and strength of the tool in the Options Bar at the top of the application window.

To use the Sharpen Tool, paint over a selection of your image. When you do so, Photoshop will attempt to remove extraneous pixels in your image, thereby sharpening the edges where different colors meet in your photograph. This can be useful when you want more definition to appear in a pattern on your product image.

Smudge Tool

The Smudge Tool is located in the same place as the Blur Tool and Sharpen Tool in your Toolbar.

Like the Sharpen Tool, you can adjust the size, hardness, and strength of the tool in the Options Bar. You also have the option to check “Finger Painting” in the Options Bar, which will pull in your Foreground color while using the Smudge Tool.

When you paint with the Smudge Tool, it will drag the pixels of your image in the direction of the brush stroke.

Hand Tool

The Hand Tool moves the portion of an image that you’re currently viewing.

The Hand Tool only works if you’re zoomed far enough into an image that one or more sides of the image are no longer visible. You can quickly access the Hand Tool by clicking “H.” If you’re selecting the tool from the Toolbar, it may be located behind the Rotate View Tool.

With the Hand Tool selected, click and drag within your image to change your view. No elements of your image move when you use the Hand Tool; only your view of the image is affected.

The Hand Tool is useful if you need to zoom into a portion of an image, and then view another portion of that image without zooming out all the way.

Zoom Tool

The Zoom Tool allows you to zoom in or out of an image quickly. Access the Zoom Tool by clicking “Z.”

To use the Zoom Tool, click on the portion of your image that you want to zoom into. To zoom out, hold down the ALT key (OPTION on Mac) and click with the Zoom Tool.

The Zoom Tool is important to help refine small details that shoppers can see when zooming in. Zoom is an important function for online stores.

How to customize the Toolbar in Photoshop

You can customize the Toolbar part of Photoshop a few different ways.

Move the Toolbar

To customize the Photoshop Toolbar location, click on the series of vertical lines (located at the top of the Toolbar) and drag the toolbar to another part of the screen. This action un-anchors the Toolbar from its default location.

Use columns

If you prefer the Photoshop 2024 Toolbar to be two columns instead of one, click on the two triangles at the very top of the Toolbar. Clicking on the triangles again will toggle the Toolbar back to a single column.

Add or remove Photoshop tools

If there are Photoshop tools missing from the Toolbar, or if you want to customize the tools visible in the Toolbar, click on the three little dots located at the bottom of the Toolbar, just above the squares showing the foreground and background colors.

If Photoshop tools have been removed from the Toolbar, they’ll appear in a dropdown once you click on these dots.

If your Toolbar is at its default setting, the only option will be Edit Toolbar. Click on Edit Toolbar to open the Customize Toolbar window.

Within this window, you can customize which Photoshop tools appear on the Toolbar. Tools you rarely use can be moved into Extra Tools so they won’t appear in the Toolbar. Click on the tool you wish to move in the Toolbar column and drag it to the Extra Tools column. You can also drag tools from Extra Tools back into the Toolbar column.

Changing foreground and background colors in the Toolbar

Immediately below the three dots in the Toolbar, you’ll see two color squares (the colors you see in the squares will vary).

Note that one square rests on top of the other. If you click on the arrows to the top and right of the squares, the colors in each square switch places.

The color on top is the foreground color, and the color under it is the background color. You can change either of these colors by double-clicking on the color square and adjusting the color in the Color Picker window that pops up.

It’s important to understand what foreground and background colors are as you learn the rest of the tools in the Toolbar.

For instance, any time you paint with the Brush Tool, you will paint with the foreground color by default. Any time you remove part of a non-layered image (by using the Eraser Tool, or by moving or deleting part of a selection), the background color will show through into your image.

Mastering Photoshop Tools is a lot of work

Photoshop is an amazingly powerful tool, especially when it comes to editing professional photography. It has tons of native tools that can help you accomplish all kinds of edits, turning your beautiful photos into unforgettable shots.

But not everyone has the time or resources to fumble in Photoshop for hours, mastering each of its advanced features. That’s what we’re here for! Path has a team of professional designers who know the ins and outs of Photoshop so you can expect pixel perfect outsourced photo edits every time.

Photoshop tools FAQs

What are 7 Photoshop tools?

1. Clone Stamp Tool
2. Eyedropper Tool
3. Hand Tool
4. Healing Brush Tool
5. Magic Wand Tool
6. Move Tool
7. Zoom Tool

How do you view tools in Photoshop?

To access Photoshop’s tools, look for the Toolbar located by default on the left-hand side of the application window. If the Toolbar is not there, go to Window > Tools and make sure “Tools” is checked. Once checked, the Toolbar will appear on the left side of Photoshop.

How many tools are in Adobe Photoshop?

Right now, there are 68 tools accessible in the Photoshop 2024 Toolbar. Different versions of Photoshop might have more or fewer tools as Adobe is constantly adding new tools and deprecating older ones.

The post Photoshop Tools: A Beginner’s Guide to Magic Wand, Lasso, and Other Features appeared first on Path Edits.

So how do you do that? Transparent background images. When you put products on a transparent background, you can use them across the web in a variety of contexts and channels. This Photoshop tutorial will show you how to create a transparent background in Photoshop for your product shots.

30,000 sales and marketing pros get our insights, tips, and best practices delivered weekly.

Scroll down below the video for written tutorial.

How to make a transparent background in Photoshop

1. Remove the background
2. Refine the mask
3. Save your image in the appropriate format
4. Save your file

Step 1: Remove the background

Open your product image in Photoshop. For this example, we’ll use an image of a sock on a white background.

Go to your Layers panel and select the layer that contains your product image. If you’re working in a JPG, this will be your only layer, and it will be called Background.

Photoshop 2024 now has a “Remove Background” feature which allows you to make a transparent background with the click of a button.

To access this tool (if you don’t already see it on your screen), go to Window > Contextual Task Bar from the menu at the top of the application window. Make sure the Contextual Task Bar is checked by clicking on it in the menu.

The Task Bar will appear on or near your image.

Once you see it, click Remove background.

Photoshop will attempt to discern what is your object and what is your background, and show your product images without their background. However, your background isn’t gone; if you look in your Layers panel you’ll see the background is now masked.

Step 2: Refine the mask

Photoshop’s new Remove background tool does a pretty good job in most cases. However, it’s not always perfect. If part of the product is missing, or part of the background is showing, you can fix it by modifying the image mask Photoshop just created.

Select the mask within your Layers panel. The mask is the black and white icon just to the right of the image of your layer. When you select just the mask, a small black outline appears around the mask icon.

Once in your mask, use the Brush tool to “paint” parts of your image back if necessary. You can also use the Eraser tool to erase more portions of the background. You’ll also see options to Subtract from Mask and Add to Mask in the Contextual Task Bar. These options work the same way as the Brush and Eraser tools.

Once you’re happy with how your product looks against the transparent background in Photoshop, you’re ready to save the image in a web-ready format.

You haven’t actually removed your background; you merely masked it from view. Therefore, in the future, you can return to this image and add the background back in if necessary.

Step 3: Save your image in the appropriate format

Creating a transparent background in Photoshop is just the first step—you need to save your product image in the correct format so it displays with a transparent background on your ecommerce website.

The best format to save your image in is as a PNG-24. This format allows for multiple layers of transparency, meaning your image will never have a pixelated “halo” when placed on a different color background. Older transparent file formats such as PNG-8 and GIF can create this undesirable halo effect, so whenever possible, use a PNG-24.

To save your file as a PNG-24 in Photoshop 2024, type SHIFT+ALT+CTRL+W (SHIFT+OPTION+COMMAND+W on a Mac) or choose File > Export > Export As… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

Note: If you’re using an older version of Photoshop, and you don’t see the Export As… option, you can choose Save for Web and select PNG-24 from the Preset dropdown menu on the right of the dialog box.

In the dialog box that appears, under File Settings on the right side of the box, set the Format to PNG, and make sure the Transparency box is checked. Do not check Smaller File (8-bit)—this converts the file to a PNG-8.

On the left-hand side of the image you’ll see the file size predicted for your PNG file. This is important to keep an eye on because larger file sizes will make your web page load more slowly. It’s a good idea to keep web images at around 200 KB or smaller.

On the right-hand side of your dialog box, under Image Size, you have the option to adjust the dimensions of your image. Smaller dimensions mean a smaller file size. However, you don’t want to make your image’s dimensions smaller than you want them to appear on your website, otherwise you’ll have blurry or pixelated images.

Also, with many of your customers viewing your product on a retina display, it’s good practice to save your product image at a size 50%–100% larger than the size you expect it to display. This will help it look crisp on all devices. In other words, if you know your product will show at 400px wide at its maximum, you’ll want to make it at least 600px wide here.

So, you’ll need to work with a bit of balance to maximize your image size while minimizing your file size. To minimize load time, you can choose only to have your featured product images saved larger for retina displays, and allow the bulk of your product images to be saved at actual size.

Step 4: Save your file

Once you’ve set your Image Size to proper dimensions, click Export.

In the Save dialog box, choose the folder where you keep your web-ready product images. It’s a good idea to keep your optimized image files separate from your original image files to avoid confusion when loading your images onto your site. Name the image file and make sure its extension is set to .png.

Click Save.

You can now place your transparent product image against different backgrounds on your site and have it display perfectly.

How to create a transparent background for a logo in Photoshop

1. Open your logo file in Photoshop
2. Make your background transparent
3. Save your image as a PNG file

The logo you use on your website should always have a transparent background. That way, you have the flexibility to display it anywhere on your site, no matter what color the background of the page is.

However, if your logo is saved as a JPG, you’ll need to remove the background in Photoshop and resave your file as a PNG-24, just like for the product image in the example above. If you’re lucky enough to have a logo as a vector file (with extensions .AI, .EPS, or .PDF), you’ll need to open the file in Photoshop or Illustrator and convert it to a PNG-24 so it will be in a web-ready format.

Step 1: Open your logo file in Photoshop

In Photoshop, go to File > Open and navigate until you see your logo file. Click Open.

If you’re opening a .JPG (or other raster format) file, the file will simply open in Photoshop.

If you’re opening a vector format file, however, you’ll need to make sure your settings are correct in the dialog box that appears:

• Crop To: set to Bounding Box
• Constrain Proportions: checked
• Mode: set to RGB Color (this might appear as sRGB with a specific profile)

Click OK.

Step 2: Make your background transparent

If you’re working with a vector file, you can skip this step. If you’re working with a JPG, however, you will need to select and delete the background from the image.

First of all, double-click the Background layer in the Layers panel and click OK to convert the Background to Layer 0.

Next, choose Select > Color Range… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

A dialog box will appear. Make sure Sampled Colors is selected from the Select: dropdown menu at the top of the box. Use the left-most eyedropper in the dialog box to select the white background of your image.

Click OK.

You will now see the entire background of your image selected.

Now, in order to make the background transparent in Photoshop, simply hit the BACKSPACE button (DELETE on a Mac).

Step 3: Save your image as a PNG file in Photoshop

Follow Steps 4 & 5 from where we made a product image transparent above to export your file as a PNG-24. These steps are the same no matter what file format you started with, whether your original file was a JPG, AI, PDF, or other file format.

When you export your image, you’ll notice that your file size is significantly lower than that of your transparent background product image. This is because logos tend to have only one or two colors, unlike the thousands of colors that exist in a product image. So you don’t need to reduce your image proportions when you save your logo file. Keep your dimensions at the same size as the original file you have been working with, and click Save.

You now have the knowledge to create web-ready images with transparent backgrounds that will display beautifully without slowing down your site.

Photoshop transparent background FAQs

How do I make the background transparent in Photoshop white?

If you have a transparent background in Photoshop but you want a white background instead, create a new Layer in your Layers panel. Then, fill the new Layer with white by typing SHIFT+F5 (FN+SHIFT+F5 on a Mac). In your Layers panel, move your new, white layer underneath your original image layer.

How do I save a PNG with a transparent background in Photoshop?

To save a PNG with a transparent background in Photoshop, go to File > Export > Export As… or type SHIFT+ALT+CTRL+W (SHIFT+OPTION+COMMAND+W on a Mac). In the dialog box that appears, set the Format to PNG and make sure the radio button next to Transparency is checked. Click Export.

How do I remove the white background from a picture?

There are two very easy ways to remove a white background from a picture in Photoshop 2024:

1. Select “Remove Background” from the Contextual Task Bar.
2. Choose Select > Color Range… and select the white background using the Color Range eyedropper tool. Once the white background is selected, simply delete it.

The post How to Create a Transparent Background for Product Photos in Photoshop appeared first on Path Edits.

Thankfully, you can learn how to turn a picture into a line drawing in Photoshop CC 2019 following the photo editing steps below. Images of objects isolated on a white background work best for this technique, making this a great option for modifying or enhancing product photos.

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Scroll down below the video for the written tutorial.

Getting started: How to outline an image in Photoshop

If you want to turn a photo into a pencil sketch in Photoshop, but don’t want it to look like you did it in Photoshop, you’ll need to pay attention to detail and prepare your image properly before you apply any filters.

I’m going to show you one method on how to convert your image into a pencil sketch flawlessly, and then we’ll discuss specific tools you can explore to achieve other image outlining effects in Photoshop.

Not all photos are the same, so you’ll need to use your judgment as you adjust filters, blurs and layer opacities each time you use Photoshop to convert a photo into a line drawing. 

Step 1: Adjust the contrast of your photo

For the first step, we’re going to adjust the contrast of the photo to optimize it for a line drawing. In this photograph, the red parts of the bike contrast significantly against the white background. However, you’ll see there are sections of the bike’s frame that are very light, like up here by the bike’s seat.

We’ll adjust the contrast of the entire photograph so the light areas of the bike won’t blend into the background as we modify this photo. Go to your Layers panel and make sure the layer that contains your image is selected. If you’re working in a flattened image (such as a JPG), this layer will be the locked Background layer. 

If you can’t see your Layers panel, you can access it by going to the top menu here, selecting Windows, and then scrolling down until you see “Layers.”

Using Curves

We’re going to use Curves to make the light parts of the photo darker against the light background. To do this, choose Image > Adjustments > Curves from the dropdown menu at the top of Photoshop’s application window. 

Now I have my Curves window open. This can look intimidating but it’s actually really easy and fun to use. What I’m going to be doing is clicking and dragging on this line here to change the lights and darks in my image, like this. 

I’m working in RGB, so when I pull down on the curve, it darkens the inside shades of the image, and when I pull up, it lightens them. If you’re working in CMYK, it’s just the opposite—down to lighten, up to darken.

I want to adjust just these white areas of the bike, so I’ll click on the area in the image to see where those colors correspond on my curve—for this image, it’s up here—and that gives me an idea of where I need to adjust my curve. So, I’ll grab here, and pull down here, and see what that does to my image? Every image is a little bit different, but you should have an idea now of how to use curves to create more contrast between the object and the background.

Once you’ve got some significant contrast going on, click OK in the Curves dialog box.

Step 2: Set up your layers

Next thing we’ll be doing is setting up our layers. We’re going to have four regular layers in all and an adjustment layer, and I’ll walk you through each layer, one by one.

In your Layers panel, duplicate the layer containing your image three times, so that you have four identical layers. To duplicate the layer, select the original layer in the Layers panel, click on the Layers panel menu in the upper right hand corner of the panel, and choose Duplicate Layer. 

Name your layers

Let’s name these layers so we don’t get confused. We can keep the Background layer called “Background,” that’s fine. Now, click on the layer name of the Background copy layer so you can rename it. We’ll call this one “Inverted.” The next layer up—this one called “Background copy 2”—we’ll name “Sketch.” And the top one we’ll rename to “Cross hatch.” Let’s move on to the next step. 

Step 3: Convert the image to grayscale using an adjustment layer

This is going to be a black and white sketch, so the next thing we’re going to do is convert our image to black and white. Yes, you can go to Image > Mode > Grayscale and convert it that way, but we’re going to use an Adjustment Layer, which is a little more elegant and isn’t as destructive.

To start, select the duplicated layer at the top of the Layers panel. We’re doing this so that the adjustment layer we’re going to create will sit on top of all the other layers.

Select the Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel—it’s the icon that looks like a half black, half white circle. Choose Hue/Saturation from the dropdown menu. 

Voila! You’ve just created an adjustment layer for Hue/Saturation, which means all layers that appear beneath the adjustment layer will retain the Hue/Saturation properties you set for that adjustment layer.

Adjust properties

With your adjustment layer still selected, go to your Properties panel, located to the right of your image by default. If you don’t see your Properties panel, you can choose Window > Properties from the dropdown menu at the top of the Photoshop application window.

You’ll see three sliders in the Properties panel: Hue, Saturation and Lightness. Drag the slider for Saturation as far as it will go to the left, so that the value listed for Saturation is now -100. 

Your image now appears grayscale. Pretty cool, right?

Step 4: Convert your photo to a line drawing

In this next step, you’ll learn how to outline, or trace, the picture in Photoshop using a series of layer effects. If your goal is to create just an outline of your photograph, you may decide your picture is complete after this step.

Make your top two duplicated layers invisible by clicking on the eye icons next to the layers in the Layers panel. Then select the visible layer that is second from the bottom of the Layers panel, the one we named “Inverted.” 

Change the Blending Mode

Click on the dropdown menu at the top of the Layers panel next to Normal. Select Color Dodge. 

With the same layer still selected, invert the image by typing CTRL+I (COMMAND+I on a Mac). You can also invert the image by choosing Image > Adjustments > Invert from the dropdown menu at the top of Photoshop’s application window. 

So, if you look here in the Layers panel, there’s a preview of what the image would look like if it didn’t have the Color Dodge blending mode attached. Don’t worry—this is all correct. And it’s about to get even better.

Add a Blur

Next, choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

In the Gaussian Blur dialog box that appears, adjust the slider until your image looks like a line drawing.

Moving the slider to the left will result in thinner lines; moving the slider to the right and increasing the blur will thicken and darken the lines, and add some shading to the image. Make sure that Preview is checked in the dialog box so that you can see how the image changes as you move the slider to the right or to the left. 

How to make the strokes of your line drawing thicker in Photoshop

Now, as a side note, you may decide you want to thicken the strokes of your line drawing as it looks so far. To thicken the strokes, duplicate your original layer one more time and move the new layer above the layer you just adjusted (layer with Color Dodge blend mode).

Choose Filter > Filter Gallery… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. Choose Glowing Edges under Stylize. Here, you can adjust the Edge Width on the right-hand side of the window. Reducing Edge Brightness will result in a cleaner edge. Click OK. 

Back in your Inverted layer, click CTRL+I (COMMAND+I on a Mac) to invert the layer, and change the layer blend mode to Multiply.

The outlines of your image will now be thicker and darker.

Step 5: Set your background and foreground colors

For the next steps in this process, we’ll need to make sure that our foreground and background colors are set up correctly before we do anything with our filters. So let’s do that now.

In your Toolbar, set your Background Color to white by double-clicking on the Background Color icon. In the Color Picker (Background Color) dialog box, click on the upper left-hand corner of the large color box.

Next, set your Foreground Color to a medium gray. Double click on the Foreground Color square in the Toolbar. In the Color Picker (Foreground Color) dialog box, click midway down the left side of the large color box. 

Other colors in the large color box (such as the blues and reds visible in the Color Picker panel image below) are irrelevant since you’re keeping the cursor all the way to the left side of the large color box.

Step 6: Add pencil shading to your image

In the Layers panel, select the layer above the layer you just worked with—the layer called “Sketch.” Click on the eye icon to make the layer visible again. Your image will now look like a black-and-white photograph again. 

Choose Filter > Filter Gallery… from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. That big Filter window will pop up again.

Add Charcoal Filter

In the Filter window, click on the folder marked Sketch and choose Charcoal.

Adjust the Charcoal Thickness, Detail, and Light/Dark Balance sliders until the image in the preview window has the appropriate amount of detail. Remember, you already have a line drawing of the photo in a lower layer, so you only need to create shading in this step. 

Click OK.

Back in the Layers panel, click on the dropdown menu next Normal and adjust the Layer Blend Mode of the charcoal layer to Multiply. 

Step 7: Add a cross-hatching effect to your image

The last part of the process is what will really set your image apart, and make it truly look like something drawn by hand. We’re going to add a cross-hatching effect.

In the Layers panel, click the eye icon on the top layer—the “cross-hatch” layer, to make the layer visible. All layers should now be visible in your image.

With the top layer selected, choose Filter > Filter Gallery… once more from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. If you see the Filter Gallery option more than once in the dropdown, make sure you select the lower option. 

Add Torn Edges Filter

In the Filter window, click on the option marked Sketch and choose Torn Edges. Adjust the toggles on the right-hand side of the window until you can see the details of your image, just like you see here on my screen.

Once you’re happy with the appearance of the Torn Edges filter, click on the New icon located at the lower right-hand side of the Filter window. (This icon looks like a piece of paper with a plus sign in the middle of it.) 

Add Graphic Pen Filter

You’ll see Torn Edges appear twice in the right-hand side of the Filter window. While the top instance of Torn Edges is still selected, click on the Graphic Pen filter and change the Stroke Diagonal to Left Diagonal.

You can also adjust the sliders for the Graphic Pen filter until you’re satisfied with the image in the preview window. As with the previous layer, you’re only creating shading at this stage. 

Click OK.

Change Layer Blend Mode

And now, change the Layer Blend Mode from Normal to Multiply as you did with the previous layer. 

We’re almost done!

Finally, because the graphic pen filter is crisper than the charcoal filter we applied to the lower layer, we’ll add a slight motion blur.

Add Blur

With the same layer still selected, choose Filter > Blur > Motion Blur from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. 

In the Motion Blur dialog box, set the angle to -45° and move the Distance slider to the left to create a very slight blur. Make sure Preview is checked so you can see the blur before you apply it. 

Click OK.

Step 8: Make your final tweaks

You’re not done yet! Playing with the opacity of your layers and cleaning up any dark spots that you see in your image will put the final touch on your new pencil sketch.

First, let’s adjust the opacity of some of our layers. You can adjust the opacity of the top two layers to reduce the intensity of the pencil shading.

In the image below, the top layer’s opacity is reduced to 60% and the next layer down has an opacity of 70%.

You should not adjust the opacity of the bottom two layers as doing so could undermine the line drawing effect you have created.

Erase artifacts

Next, let’s clean up any artifacts.

Depending on your image, there may be several places where the white background looks as if it has smudges, or dark spots.

In order to remove dark spots such as these, stamp the layers by selecting all layers, including the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, within the Layers panel. Type SHIFT+CTRL+A+E (SHIFT+COMMAND+OPTION+E on a Mac) to create a stamped layer, which will appear at the top of your Layers panel. 

Set your foreground color to white in the Toolbar and choose the Brush tool from the Toolbar. Within the new stamped layer, carefully paint over any smudges using the brush tool. And there you have it! Your finished image will now look like a pencil sketch. 

Now that you know how to turn a picture into a line drawing in Photoshop, be sure to check out our other Photoshop tutorials to master your skills.

The post How to Turn a Picture into a Line Drawing in Photoshop appeared first on Path Edits.