It makes perfect sense to go with what feels familiar, like basic retouching or background removal. But we’ve learned from working with thousands of photographers and business owners that your photos often benefit from multiple services working together. Combining services gets you better results with less hassle, since you can handle everything in one order instead of juggling separate projects. Let’s show you how to pick the right edits for your photos.

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How to identify what your photos actually need

Before you start combining services, let’s figure out what you’re actually working with—it’ll save you time and help you get better results.

Photo diagnosis checklist

Take a look at your images and ask yourself if you spot any of these:

• Background issues: Is the background distracting, the wrong color, or inconsistent across your batch? Does it look messy or unprofessional?
• Subject problems: Are there imperfections, poor lighting, or color issues with your main subject? For apparel, does it need to show fit and drape without a model?
• Technical fixes: Is anything crooked? Are shadows missing or looking unnatural? Any dust, dirt, or glare issues?
• Brand requirements: Do you need multiple product colors? Specific formats? Transparent backgrounds for marketing materials?

Common photo problems and their solutions

Here are some scenarios we see all the time:

• “My product looks flat and boring” → clipping path + shadows
• “The background is messy and distracting” → background removal + retouching
• “I need to show this product in 5 different colors” → clipping path + color change
• “The model’s hair isn’t looking right” → image masking + retouching
• “My apparel needs to show shape without the mannequin” → ghost mannequin + retouching + symmetry

Most photo challenges need two to three services working together, not just one by itself.

How Path services work better together

Here’s why thinking in combinations instead of individual services makes more sense:

• Save admin time: Upload everything you need edited in a single order and get it all back together, ready to use. No juggling multiple orders or trying to keep track of which image versions are where.
• Speed up your workflow: Everything gets delivered together in the formats you need. Your designer handles all the edits for each image, so there’s consistency across the entire batch.
• Keep all photos consistent: When the same designer handles all your edits, you get cohesive results. Colors match, shadows look natural together, and the overall style stays consistent.
• Keep costs down: We offer discounts when you bundle multiple editing services together.

You can combine pretty much any of our services together—two, three, four, or more. What matters is understanding which combinations work best for your specific type of photography.

Service combinations by photography type

Every photography project has different needs, and you might even use the same image for different purposes. Here are some proven editing combinations that work well for different situations:

Sports photographers

When you’re dealing with high-volume shoots and tight deadlines, you need services that work fast and handle the most common issues in sports photography.

Your typical service combo:

• Image masking for complex backgrounds, hair, equipment details, etc.
• Background removal for clean, professional shots and official team photos, etc.
• Photo retouching for spot removal, color correction, skin touch-ups, etc.

There may be time-critical events such as championship coverage where you need polished images fast, or you might need to update and create consistent team roster headshots across an entire squad, just like this photographer does. You can choose different services depending on what each batch of images needs, whether that’s processing 200+ action shots or creating headshots with a uniform, professional look.

We offer turnarounds from 6 hours, so you can deliver images to your clients, magazines, or publications fast.

Product and ecommerce brands and photographers

For ecommerce, consistency is everything. Your product photos need to look professional, meet marketplace (like Amazon) standards, and convert browsers into buyers.

A standard combo:

• Clipping path for clean cutouts that meet marketplace requirements or create a clean website look.
• Shadow services add depth and dimension so products don’t look flat.
• Color change shows all available product colors without reshooting every single variant.

Advanced ecommerce stack (add these for even more polished results):

• Ghost mannequin is essential for apparel brands to show fit and drape.
• Symmetry shows perfect product alignment for a premium, professional look.
• Photo retouching removes any product imperfections (like wrinkles in fabric) and enhances details.

New ecommerce brands often start with the foundation combo (clipping path + shadows + color change) and add ghost mannequin as their apparel inventory grows. Established retailers may go with the full stack approach for complete consistency across their entire product catalog.

Portrait and headshot photographers

Professional portraits and headshots need to look polished but still natural. The goal is enhancing what’s already there, not creating something fake.

Typical professional edits for portraits and headshots include:

• Background removal/clipping path gives you versatile backgrounds for different marketing uses.
• Photo retouching helps with natural beauty enhancement, color correction, and flyaway hair fixes.

Corporate headshot scenarios may include:

• Basic combo of background removal + basic retouching.
• Premium package, adding advanced retouching and multiple background options for different brand uses.

Advanced portrait combination (for high-end clients or special projects) may include:

• Image masking for complex hair or clothing details.
• Color change for different outfit variations or brand color matching.
• Multiple background options so clients can use the same headshot across different marketing materials.

Wedding and event portrait combinations may include:

• Image masking for intricate dress details and flowing fabric.
• Retouching for flawless, natural skin and perfect lighting.
• Background removal for ceremony photos that need to work in albums and marketing.

How to choose your perfect edit combination

Use this simple framework to figure out which services make sense for any project:

1. What’s your end goal? Are these photos for marketplace listings, marketing materials, portfolio work, or client galleries?
2. What’s your biggest time constraint? Do you have a tight deadline, a high volume of images, or particularly complex edits?
3. What’s your budget priority? Are you focused on cost per image, or is premium quality and time savings more important?

Consider your photo use case

Sometimes the same photo needs different sets of edits depending on how you plan to use it. For example, a product photo might need:

• For marketplace listing: clipping path + white background + basic retouching.
• For social media: same photo but with different background + enhanced colors + shadows.
• For print: higher resolution + color matching + vector conversion.

How to mix and match your edits

Use this simple approach to figuring out which services work best for your projects:

• Start simple: Pick two to three core services that address your biggest pain points.
• Test combinations: Try different combos on smaller image batches to see what works best for your workflow.
• Scale up when it makes sense: Add more services as you see results and understand how they improve your final images.

When to add each editing service

Not sure which services you actually need? Here’s a quick reference for what each one does best.

Clipping path: When you need hand-drawn, crisp clean cutouts that you can use on any background.

Background removal: When you want clean white (or any color) backgrounds for product photos.

Image masking: For intricate shots with hair, fur, or complex borders that need precise, natural-looking cutouts.

Shadow: When products look flat or unrealistic—shadows add depth and dimension, and they actually help generate more sales.

Ghost mannequin: For apparel that needs to show natural fit and drape without models or mannequins, essential for consistent ecommerce catalogs.

Color change: When you have multiple color options and need to show true-to-life colors without reshooting every single shade.

Photo retouching: When imperfections distract from your subject—this corrects flaws and makes every element shine.

Multi-clipping path: When you need to select multiple areas within images for separate editing (like changing just the shirt color but not the pants).

Vector conversion: When you need scalable graphics and logos that maintain quality at any size.

Symmetry: When product alignment matters for brand consistency and that premium, professional look that converts better.

How to place your Path order

Ready to try combining services? Here’s exactly how to do it and how it works:

Getting started

1. Sign up for your Path account
2. Top up Path credits (optional but recommended—you get bonus credits when you top up)

The ordering process

3. Click “new order” to start your project
4. Select all the services you need for this batch—you can choose as many as you want
5. Upload your images using drag and drop
6. Get instant quote and you’ll see your total cost immediately
7. Set preferences like:
   a) File format for your edited images
   b) Additional comments or instructions
   c) Upload any supporting files if needed
8. Select turnaround time (longer turnaround means cheaper pricing, or choose rush for time-sensitive projects)
9. Review and approve your quote
10. Choose payment method and submit your order

If you need 1,000+ images edited a month, we offer bulk pricing with better rates and priority support.

Ordering edits with Path couldn’t be any easier

Now that you know which combinations work for your type of photography, placing an order is straightforward. Try Path free with 2 free edits and see how much better your photos look with the right services working together.

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

Learn more

The post How to Know Which Photo Editing Services You Need 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.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to combine multiple photo editing services in one order. Not only will this give you ideas on how to enhance your product photos in post-production, but also help you save time and money by helping plan ahead which combination of photo editing services to order.

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Background removal + drop or natural shadow

Clipping path is a popular method for removing the background from a product photo. You can then use the cut-out product with a different color background or repurpose it in other ways. But the problem is straightforward product cut-outs can look flat.

You can create a more enticing product photo with a natural or drop shadow. Electronics, accessories, furniture, food and drink, and many other products can benefit from the shadow effect to stand out against a white background.

There are other shadow types you might want to use, like a floating or an enhanced existing shadow—it all depends on the type of products you sell. Items that naturally hang, like earrings or ceiling lamps, work well with a floating shadow, and so do products with unique angles like the sneakers in the example below.

An enhanced existing shadow is great for keeping the shadow captured during the shoot, like in the example below.

Background removal + reflective shadow

If you sell products like jewelry, watches, perfume and cosmetics, you can add a reflective shadow after removing the background with a clipping path. With such a simple change, you can create a luxurious aesthetic.

The reflective shadow gives an impression of a reflective surface beneath products, like in a store with a glass, metallic, or acrylic display.

Background removal + color change

In ecommerce businesses that offer multiple product variants, reshooting inventory every time a new product color comes in stock can be time-consuming and costly. You also have to be mindful about getting the lighting and composition consistent, so all products look the same.

However, you can streamline the process by ordering a color change in addition to background removal. All you need is a single photo that showcases your product.

Our editors will then carefully edit the different shades for a natural look so your customers can toggle between colors and pick the product variant most appealing to them. We complete every edit by hand, no automation or AI here, so you can rest assured your colors look realistic.

Product listings aren’t the only place to use color change shots—make the most of them in other parts of your marketing. For example, you can create a collage or a series of individual images for social media showing all color variations of your product. Or add all the different product color choices on a leaflet or brochure to distribute to potential clients.

Background removal + drop shadow

If you sell clothing and accessories, you already know how distracting price tags and hangers can be. With clipping paths, editors remove any distracting elements from the photo and cut out the background so all your product images are consistent.

Include a drop shadow in your order to add dimension and subtle product separation from the white background.

Camera glare + drop shadow

You may come across distracting camera glare in your photos, especially if you DIY your product photography. This happens when the light reflects off surfaces like glass and metal and shines into the camera lens. The effect may work for some creative lifestyle or product shots but not for professional ecommerce images.

There’s a simple fix—you can order photo retouching to remove camera glare and add a drop shadow for a pleasing photo ready for use in online stores and marketplaces.

Wrinkle removal (fabric) + drop shadow or clipping path

Getting your fabric products ready for the photoshoot is not an easy feat—packaging and transporting them can add wrinkles and creases even with the most careful preparation. Products like clothing, accessories, decor, and furniture may end up with various blemishes during the transit and shooting process.

A wrinkle removal will take care of any distracting imperfections. You can then combine it with a drop shadow or clipping path, depending on image use. In an ecommerce marketplace like Amazon, the clipping path removes the background, so you can use a white one to fit the listing photo requirements.

If you want to keep the original background, add the drop shadow to the wrinkle removal order and elevate the image further.

Photo retouching + color change

Photo retouching is the first step to removing imperfections like fabric wrinkles, tags, and blemishes on your product photos. Using photo retouching does not change the product’s appearance but enhances it to look professional and appealing to your customers.

For example, here, we first removed wrinkles from the model’s shorts while the rest of the photo stays the same. Then we added a product color change from brown to green.

Combining photo retouching with color change in the same order is useful if you have product variations in your inventory—it’ll save you reshooting the items.

With a lifestyle shot like this, it’s even more difficult to recreate the exact model’s pose and camera angle. In just a fraction of a second, the model’s facial expressions will change from one image to another.

But with color change, you don’t have to worry about that because all photos will look the same. You can order color change for products like clothing, accessories, jewelry, furniture, bedding, and others.

Ghost mannequin + drop shadow

Photos of clothing on hangers and mannequins don’t always do your products justice. To bring apparel to life, you can order a ghost mannequin service. Editors will remove mannequins or models (as well as the background) for a clean, cohesive look with an invisible model.

You can use ghost mannequin shots in different ways, but above all, this method will give cohesion to your apparel listings. To make the apparel look more realistic, add a drop shadow to your order, like in the example below.

Ghost mannequin + photo retouching (wrinkle removal)

You can’t always make products look perfect during the photoshoot, especially if you have a large inventory to shoot. If you order a ghost mannequin service to give the impression your clothing products are floating mid-air, you can also add photo retouching to make your apparel look its best.

Imperfections like wrinkles, seams, creases, stains, and loose threads can be hard to notice during the photoshoot, but editors can easily remove them.

How can you order multiple photo editing services for your products?

The combinations listed above are just some ways to mix and match product photo editing services from Path. To see the full list of editing services available, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Path account. Or if you’re already logged in, click the ORDER YOUR EDITS button at the top right.

2. Select your first editing service from the list.

Clicking on the v arrow will expand the subcategories of each service. For example, after selecting the Clipping path, you can choose the edit complexity based on the type of products in your photos.

3. Select your second service. If you pick shadow, for example, you can choose different types of shadow edits—natural, reflection, existing, floating, or drop shadow.

Some services may also have secondary subcategories with additional options.

4. Repeat step #3 for any additional services. Click the ADD INFO → button (bottom right) once you’ve added all the services you need.

5. You’ll be asked for editing turnaround time, any add-on services, and additional comments for your editor. Customize your order options accordingly and then upload your images.

Click UPLOAD IMAGES → to submit your image files, and then add contact information to receive the final edits. After you submit your order, you’ll receive your custom quote within 45 minutes—once approved, we’ll start working on them right away.

Read more about ordering multiple photo editing services on our help page or get a custom quote for your product photo edits now.

Professional photo edits for an ecommerce success

Without a doubt, photos are critical for selling products online. But achieving high-quality images takes time and effort.

Our Photoshop experts are all about saving you hours spent editing so you can get back to focusing on the things that move your business forward. Mixing and matching different types of photo editing services will speed up your workflow even more. No need to submit your order for each editing technique—we can do it all in one go and deliver them to you in as little as six hours.

The post From Flat to Fab: How to Use Multiple Types of Edits to Boost Your Product Photos appeared first on Path Edits.

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You might need to perform a color change because you didn’t have the right variant available at the shoot. Or you might be going for a theme on social media, and a color change will help old assets fit your new visual aesthetic. These are just a couple of instances. We rounded up a bunch of other ways to use and scenarios in which color change edits may be appropriate.

1. Create an animated GIF or video

It’s not enough to simply have still product images anymore. Modern brands incorporate user-generated photos, 360-degree shots, animated GIFs, and even product videos into their content mix. You can use this media across channels, including your website, product pages, social media, email, and more.

So if you want to make your product photography investment go the extra mile, you can apply the color change edits and turn those shots into an animated GIF, cycling through each variant.

2. Survey your customers on the color preference for this item

It’s critical to cultivate relationships with your customer base. One way to kickstart and cultivate relationships with your customers is to ask their opinion.

You can survey your customers to see which colors they like best for new variations of your existing products. This will not only boost engagement, but your audience will also feel more invested in the product itself, given the fact they had a say in its creation. They may even feel more inclined to make a purchase.

Fashion designer Tery D’Ciano frequently uses Instagram polls in her stories to see what her customers want to see in her products. She’ll often share images or videos of fabrics, buttons, and other details and ask her audience which ones they prefer.

You can take a similar approach and use “photos” of the new color options to give people a visual to help them decide. You can do this in your Instagram stories or on other social channels, as well as send a poll to your email list and add a pop-up to your website.

3. Test new color variants

One ecommerce strategy is to launch with a single or small number of color variants and later expand, adding new variants as time goes on. You can test these new variants before making them a permanent addition to your product lineup, and possibly even before investing in manufacturing the actual items.

You might even make it a pre-order, limited edition type of campaign. This can boost sales and help you reduce lost capital on expired or unsellable products while you test demand.

See how effortlessly Coola’s Summer Crush tinted lip sunscreen changes to Nude Beach, Coral Reef, and finally to Firecracker? This would be a great way to test each new hue before investing in a full launch.

4. Repurpose photos for holidays or other themes

Brand colors, fonts, and prints are all distinctive visually recognizable elements of a brand. If you have a pastel palette throughout your website, more saturated RGB hues, or a neon palette, color correction may make your product images more aligned with your branding.

Maybe you have some lifestyle product photography and you want to change the color scheme to fit your email design or your website design. Or maybe it’s the holidays and you want to create a more seasonal background, like we did for the color change in this product image:

5. List new product variants instead of shooting new photos

If a model is wearing your clothing product, you take one photo, and then change the color of the clothing for all other variants. And then present all those color variant options online in a way so your customers can toggle between colors when they see a change in the product but the model remains still.

Amazon merchants often use this technique. See how this long sleeve casual pullover comes in 18 different shades for any taste from mint to wine red.

This marketing approach might help end users quickly evaluate different color options and pick the one they like—without being distracted by changes in different model poses.

6. Launch seasonal or event-inspired versions of your product

Seasonal and limited edition products are a great way to boost sales and excitement, while keeping your brand fresh. Flex Watches is an excellent example of a brand that does this well. It frequently launches new variants of its classic products in support of different causes, such as its autism watch listed among its original styles:

Maybe you sell sunglasses and you want to make a limited edition breast cancer awareness version in pink. Instead of doing a new shoot, you can change the existing product photos to the hue of pink that the product will be.

This also means you don’t have to wait for the limited edition products to ship and be available for the shoot. This way, you can technically launch and sell it before you even have it.

7. Create an image of a product collection

One way to showcase the variety and depth of your product line is to create collection images. However, to do this on set, you need to have all the products in all the colors available for the shoot. This isn’t always possible, or easy.

Color change is almost always possible, so you can apply the edits in Photoshop and then combine your new individual images into a single collection image.

Sustainable apparel brand Pact uses this visual approach for some of its product imagery. The below screenshot shows the hero image on its website homepage, giving users an instant glance at the range of color options available in a single product.

8. Build product bundles and multi-packs

Product bundling and multi-packs are effective conversion tactics because they offer convenience and higher perceived value for the customer. And it’s great for retailers because it moves more inventory and boosts cart value.

Rather than taking product shots of the bundles together, you can use color change edits to duplicate the products and then edit them together if needed.

Athleticwear brand Girlfriend Collective sells bundles on its online store. While theoretically it may have had all the photos it needed in all the colors available, it also could have simply taken a single product shot of the bra and then applied color change to the bundled image.

All you need is a single product shot to use as a base if you want to sell bundles or multi-packs.

9. Save time and money by not having to shoot every variant but just one

Product photos cost money, and shooting each variant quickly adds not only money but time to an already busy photoshoot. Some brands opt to shoot just one product photo of each item, saving variants and color changes for later rather than shooting each individual color option.

It’s not unusual for one piece of clothing to be produced in 10 or even 20 different shades, so the savings achieved by this photo editing shortcut can amount to thousands of dollars and hours in human work hours.

You can see how well a color change service from Path works in the photos below from Motif Concept Store. It’s hard to tell which is the original and which was edited!

Change colors to maximize your investment

These basic manipulations help achieve not-so-basic goals: connect with buyers, cost-effective product development and diversification, and remain competitive in a fast-paced ecommerce environment.

Luckily, you don’t have to do the color change yourself. Instead, task them to a professional photo editing studio like Path. We’re here to lend a hand 24/7, making sure every picture is perfect, down to the last pixel.

The post 9 Ways to Use Color Change to Enhance Your Product Photos appeared first on Path Edits.

Not sure which other photo editing tricks can bring the needed drama and extra definition to your product images? Let’s explore your options with before / after examples so you can learn to spot the needed photo editing technique.

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1. Background removal via image masking

While clipping paths are ideal for removing backgrounds from items with straightforward edges, not every job is clean. In some cases, we have hair, fur, grass, and other fine details that don’t lend themselves to the nice clean lines we use when we create clipping paths. For images with these hairy details, image masking, compared to clipping paths, is the way to go.

Image masking is a more advanced method of background removal that’s also more detailed and time-consuming. This is why we use it as needed, not as a go-to choice.

The masking post-production technique uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize the borders of an object and make some parts of the image transparent, bringing pixel intensity of the identified parts to zero.

Generally, the more complex your object’s silhouette, the higher resolution you’ll need to use when editing—and the more likely image masking will yield cleaner, true-to-life results.

2. Get rid of product blemishes and imperfections

However carefully you handle your object during a photoshoot, the inevitable fingerprint, dust, smudge, or otherwise imperfect spot will make an appearance.

If you have these issues in your shot, photo retouching can help. The best retouching method depends largely on the material and reflectiveness of the item.

In the example below, a chair image was improved by removing the inconsistent spots that appear on the fuzzy suede-like material. The original image shows the fabric’s imperfections, whereas the edited image shows the product as it’s meant to be displayed.

3. Smooth wrinkles on fabric

While you want to iron or steam any fabrics prior to shooting, wrinkles and imperfections are also typically inevitable. Photoshoots are long and models are only human—an odd deep crease is almost unavoidable on most of the fabrics. You can use a “digital iron” to smooth out those wrinkles in Photoshop.

In this case, the Healing Brush Tool, Clone Stamp, and Content Aware Fill Tool help to make a perfect photo even with slight imperfections.

Check out how retouching turned a pair of messy, heavily creased shorts into a neat pair from visibly natural materials in the example below from fashion boutique Motif Concept Store.

4. Add or remove reflections

While some lighting effects are intentional, product shots can also end up with the occasional glare, reflection, or otherwise unwanted distraction due to light. Natural lighting is best for product photography, but you can’t control it. And setting up artificial lighting for your product photoshoot requires advanced skills and expensive equipment.

In other cases, you might want to add a reflection of a product to your shot. Maybe you weren’t able to get the angle right, the lighting wasn’t working, or you didn’t have a reflective surface available for the shoot. This is also possible in Photoshop. These images work well in print and digital ads, social media imagery, emails, and other marketing collateral.

5. Remove price tags and hangers

When shooting products, it’s best to remove price tags, hangers, and other distracting elements prior to taking the pictures. But that’s not always possible. Sometimes, you need to rely on Photoshop to remove these items after the fact.

And while it might seem straightforward, removing these unwanted elements may involve a combination of post-editing techniques like clipping paths, image masking, the healing brush, and more.

6. Change colors in Photoshop instead of taking new shots

When you have a product available in a number of colors or prints, but otherwise the design is exactly the same, you can simply change the color in Photoshop. Rather than spending time and money on coordinating an entirely new shoot for each new print or variant, you can prep your images using the content you already have.

Best part is, because it’s tedious and not too advanced, color change is a service you can easily outsource. Check out how natural the edited khaki shorts look in the example below.

7. Add shadow for dimension on white background

It may seem trivial to a novice in ecommerce sales, but every seasoned etailer knows the value of a drop shadow in the background. It gives an object extra dimension and depth, helping it jump off the page instead of looking flat and lifeless. Moreover, items look more realistic with a shadow.

See how a small natural show turns this flat image of earrings into a more realistic photo that jumps off the screen. It almost gives it a 3D-like quality.

Creating realistic drop shadows to a series of products styled as a web catalog needs a lot of attention, as the shadows should contribute to the general feel of consistency and professionalism, as opposed to creating a chaotic feel to the listings. And you want to make sure your shadows are realistic. Bad shadows could make your image look low-quality and spark mistrust in your audience.

8. Add a ghost mannequin for apparel product photos

To do ghost mannequin edits, you’ll need to know ahead of time. While other editing techniques can be applied to almost any product image, ghost mannequin photos must be shot and edited a certain way. You can’t just shoot an image of a T-shirt in a flat lay mode and then convert it to the ghost mannequin type. You have to take a picture of a garment on a mannequin to enable further manipulations.

This image editing technique is a popular compromise for brands that need models for their apparel photos but don’t have the ability to hire models for shoots. So it has the best of both worlds: it doesn’t cost a small fortune, but it looks almost as if worn by a person, making it easier for potential buyers to picture wearing it.

Depending on the garment cut, you may need to do one or a combination of ghost mannequin services: neck joint service, bottom joint service, or sleeve joint service. The most advanced technique in this category is called mannequin to model, where a piece of clothing is Photoshopped onto a model. The trick here is to make sure both plastic and live models are in the same pose.

Product photo enhancements as a service

Ecommerce photos almost always go through post-processing enhancements to be able to effectively do their job of attracting customers, educating them about the product, and ultimately converting them into buyers.

No Photoshop skills or spare time to do it yourself? You can outsource the most tedious and time-consuming edits to Path, your virtual photo-editing studio. Our edits start at just 39¢ per photo, and every edit is completed by hand—not some automated, mistake-prone software. 

The post Beyond Clipping Paths: 8 Ways to Improve Product Photos in Post-Production appeared first on Path Edits.

If you’ve never hand-developed film or printed your photos “the old-fashioned way,” you probably don’t know what went on in that mysterious red room. Early photo editors did everything from head swaps to photo composites. Because the art of photo editing was so obscure, most people had no idea how such magic was achieved.

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Now we’re long since past the days when the photographer’s darkroom used to be a chamber of secrets.

These days, the world has accepted photo manipulation as a coveted art form. Whether for commercial or personal purpose, editing plays an integral part in the photographic process. The advent of digital photography has played a major part in this. In the recent past, developers have handed us a magic wand in the form of photo-editing software. With the simple tools and techniques that these programs offer, anyone can turn to the art of image manipulation.

But the easiest photo editing software has only been around for 22 years. How did we edit photos before Adobe gave the world Photoshop? Simple: Before there was digital photo editing, we used darkroom manipulation.

What is darkroom manipulation?

Darkroom manipulation refers to a variety of photo editing methods used in a dark room. Believe it or not, with simple chemical processes and a few basic tools, we could dodge, burn, change exposures, mask, and even perform swaps and composites. It wasn’t actually magic — it was just part of the darkroom process.

The basic photo development process involved developing your own film in a chemical bath, and then using an enlarger to blow up your negatives and “print” them on photo paper. You would then fix your image in another chemical bath and hang them to dry — all without turning the lights on.

Because digital photo editing didn’t exist yet, photographers and photo editors found creative and unconventional ways to achieve the looks they desired using crude tools within the confines of the darkroom.

What is digital photo manipulation?

When it comes to photo editing in 2019, we’ve gone digital. Digital photo manipulation involves a lot of the same processes and effects as darkroom manipulation — like changing the exposure of a photo or creating a composite — but now, it’s all done on computer. We can achieve the looks we need without the bulky enlarger or stinky chemical baths.

These days, we can restore old photos and enhance new ones with programs like Lightroom and Photoshop. With a few clicks, we can easily remove unwanted elements and even completely remove the subject of a photo and add it to a new background. These techniques all serve different purposes, but the main goal is this: to create a perfect image.

Photo manipulation and modern techniques

So how do our modern techniques compare to those used in the past? In the early years, photographers would use simple techniques to enhance their photos. Now, though, humans take over 14 trillion photos a year, so cutting edge technology is needed to create the perfect stand-out results people want to see.

We use professional photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop to manipulate our images, and we can do everything from color enhancement to complicated composites. Best of all, if we’re not sure how to achieve a particular effect, there are tons of great tutorials to help us.

With digital manipulation, some of the effects we can achieve include:

• 
  Clipping path / background removal / image masking: Draw attention to your subject by swapping or removing the background entirely.
• 
  Color changing: Use this to create multiple variations of a product photo or get creative and change the color of just one element.
• 
  Photo retouching: You can erase wrinkles and perfect fabric, skin tones, and more.
• 
  Drop shadow: Give a 3D effect to an otherwise flat image with a simple drop shadow.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more tricks available it’s hard to remember a time when we couldn’t do these things. When it comes to editing your photos, the scope is as varied as the human imagination.

Just remember, your photo editing shouldn’t be deceptive at any point. Good visuals attract compliments. Fake pictures only earn bad press.

Is darkroom manipulation outdated?

With all this digital wizardry, you may be wondering if the darkroom has gone the way of the dodo.

In some circles, darkroom manipulation is still in practice! Though they are few in number, some artists still believe that the darkroom is indeed a chamber of secrets. These photographers and photo editors take the old methods and create magic out of them. In fact, most modern digital techniques have been picked up from darkroom techniques. The only difference is that digital photo editing is easier than darkroom techniques — no special expertise needed.

As we move further and further into the digital age, it seems like darkroom techniques will soon be nothing but a distant memory. Serious photographers should always appreciate their history, but digital techniques are the way of the future.

If you’re a photographer in need of photo-editing services, but you simply don’t have the time to DIY in the darkroom or in front of your monitor, consider making your life easier by outsourcing your editing. Path has services to fit all your photograph editing needs — simple or complex, we can do it all.

The post Darkroom Manipulation vs. Digital Photo Manipulation appeared first on Path Edits.

You can also take this a step further by automating the background-changing process using Photoshop actions, allowing you to change the background color of multiple product photos at a time.

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How to change the background color in Photoshop when the original background is white

Step 1: Duplicate your background layer

Open your product image in Photoshop.

Source: Tiler84 / Adobe stock

Open the Layers panel. By default, the Layers panel is located to the right of your image, but if you don’t see it you can bring it up by choosing Window > Layers from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window.

In your Layers panel, double-click on the locked Background layer. Click OK to rename it to Layer 0.

Duplicate Layer 0 by selecting Layer 0 in the Layers panel, clicking on the panel menu (which looks 4 tiny horizontal lines in the upper right-hand side of the panel), and choosing Duplicate Layer….

In the dialog box that appears, rename the layer to Product and click OK.

Click the “eye” icon next to Layer 0 to make it invisible.

Step 2: Select the product

Select the Magic Wand tool from the Toolbar and click on Select and Mask from the Options bar at the top of the application window. 

In the window that appears, choose Select Subject. 

Under View (in the Properties tab in the upper right-hand corner), choose On Layers (Y). Under Output Settings (in the lower right-hand corner), choose Output To: Layer Mask. 

Use the tools in the upper left-hand corner to refine your selection. For instance, you may need to take out a shadow. 

For a detailed tutorial on using the Magic Wand tool and the Select and Mask feature, see our magic wand tutorial.

Once you’re satisfied with your selection, click OK.

Step 3: Create a new fill layer

Select your original Layer 0 in the Layers panel.

Choose Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color from the dropdown menu at the top of the application window. 

Give your New Layer a name, such as New Background.

Leave the Color field as-is; changing this won’t actually change your background color; it will only change the color label applied to your layer.

Change Mode to Multiply. 

Click OK.

A Color Picker window will appear. This is where you actually change your background color.

Move your cursor around the color selection box and the color ramp to adjust the foreground color to what you want your new background to be. 

If you know the exact RGB or hexadecimal values for your color, you can type that into the corresponding fields in the Color Picker window, and the color will adjust to your specified value.

Once the color is correct, click OK. 

Finally, go into your Layers panel and make your original Layer 0 visible again by clicking on the “eye” icon next to the layer name. 

If you did the above steps correctly, you should have your product image against a different color background, but any shadows that you had on your original product will show through the new color. 

How to change the background color when the original background is NOT white

If you want your new background color to be completely opaque because you need to cover an existing background (solid or otherwise), repeat all steps above except change the blend mode of the new Fill Layer to Normal.

You can do this either when you create the Fill Layer, or afterward from the Layers panel. This will result in a completely opaque background color, so no shadows from the original photo will show through.

How to change the background color for multiple photos at one time

If you have a large batch of product photos that all need the same color background, you can create a Photoshop action to change the background color, and then run a batch to change all the backgrounds at once.  

This technique works best on photos where the subject is well-isolated from its background in the original photo (like against a white background), and where the product has little to no visible shadow.

If you’ve never used actions before in Photoshop, don’t worry. With a bit of preparation you can create and run them with ease. Once you get the hang of actions, you’ll wonder why you’ve never used them before!

Step 1: Place all product photos in a separate folder

Create a new folder, and copy all the product photos that you want to change the background color into this new folder. Give the folder a name that will allow you to identify it easily, such as “Old Background Photos.”

Create another folder called “New Background Photos” and leave it empty.

Step 2: Create the action

Open the first image in your Old Background Photos folder.

Open the Actions panel by choosing Window > Actions from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen. 

Click on the panel menu (the four tiny, horizontal lines in the upper-right hand corner of the panel) and choose New Action…. 

In the pop-up dialog box, name your action “Change Background Color” or something similar so you can identify it later. (In the example below the action is named “Change Background Blue” since the new action will change the background to dark blue.) You can leave this action in the Defaults set for now. 

Click Record.

Select the Magic Wand tool, click Select and Mask, and in the new window that appears, choose Select Subject. Click OK.

In your Layers panel, create a new layer and move the new layer under the layer containing your product.

Fill the new layer with your chosen color by choosing Edit > Fill. In the dialog box that appears, choose Color… from the dropdown menu and use the Color Picker dialog box to determine the exact background color. Click OK.

Click the stop button on the Actions panel. 

Close the image without saving it.

Step 3: Run a batch

With no files open in Photoshop, choose File > Automate > Batch from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen. 

In the window that appears, choose your new action next to Action.

Choose Folder next to Source, and click Choose… to navigate to the folder containing the product photos you wish to modify.

In the next column, next to Destination, choose Folder. Then, click Choose… and navigate to the empty folder you created to hold your modified product photos.

Click OK. 

Step 4: Monitor the batch

Photoshop will open each product photo in your folder, apply the action, and then save that photo into the new folder with your new background color attached. If your original file format is anything but PSD, you will be prompted to save each file as a PSD file into the new folder.

This is fine; you want to keep these new product photos as layered PSD files in case you need to do any clean up after the background color has been changed.

Step 5: Clean up and convert to JPG

Go through each of your new background product photos and make sure there are no halos or areas where the mask needs to be adjusted. Regardless of the background of your original product photos, you can save yourself quite a bit of time by using actions, even if you need to clean up individual photos after the batch has run. Since these are saved as layered files with layer masks, you can make whatever adjustments you need easily.

Once your photos look the way you want, you can individually save them in a web-ready format by choosing File > Export > Export As… or create another action to crop them to the same size and save them as a JPG. 

The post How to Change the Background Color of a Picture in Photoshop appeared first on Path Edits.

But just because there are gray skies on shoot day, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have the blue sky you’re aiming for. You can learn how to change the sky color in Photoshop with this tutorial. We’ll show you how in eight easy steps, plus how to make the sky red, in Photoshop CC18.

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How to Change the Sky Background in Photoshop CC18

1. Open your product photo in Photoshop CC18
2. Begin masking
3. Select the subject or product that you want to preserve
4. Touch up the edges
5. Create a new layer
6. Open your sky background image in Photoshop CC18
7. Layer your images
8. Fine tune your finished image

1. Open your product photo in Photoshop CC18

First thing’s first: Open your original product photo in Photoshop.

2. Begin masking

With your product photo open in Photoshop CC18, click on the Magic Wand tool so the toolbar shows up.

Then click Select and Mask… in the Magic Wand toolbar.

3. Select the subject or product that you want to preserve

In the top left corner, find and select the Quick Selection Tool. This will allow you to select the areas of the image that you want to preserve. In this example, we want to preserve the drone (the product).

Before you begin: Set the edge detection radius. To do this, look for the section called Edge Detection in your Properties panel. On the scaling slider, you can adjust the Radius. Go higher (to the right) if the product and original background are very different in color, and go lower (to the left) if the product and original background are similar in color. You can play around with this to find your sweet spot. Also make sure the Smart Radius box is checked; this will automatically help with edge detection and improve the accuracy of your edges.

Once your edge detection settings have been set, hover over your product (the subject of your photo) and click inside the product. Photoshop will unmask the image for you automatically.

Then keep clicking throughout the product until you’ve successfully unmasked the entire product.

Quick tip: You can increase the brush size to tackle more area at a time. For the smaller and more detailed parts of the product, resize to a smaller brush.

If your brush is too big, you may notice that the background and product begin to bleed. It just requires some trial and error to see which brush size will work for the particular product and image you’re working on. If you do mess up, you can easily fix your mistake by keeping the Quick Selection Tool selected and holding down OPTION.

4. Touch up the edges

Once the bulk of your product has been taken care of, it’s time to clean up the edges. Zoom in so you can get a closer look and stay detail-oriented, as this will create the most natural-looking end result.

Use the Refine Edge tool again, especially to touch up blurry edges like fur or hair.

5. Create a new layer

Once you’re satisfied with your image masking, move to the Output Settings in the lower right corner. In the Output To: dropdown menu, select New Layer with Layer Mask. This is the least destructive way to mask an image, because you preserve your original this way. Then click OK.

You should see your product with the background removed.

6. Open your sky background image in Photoshop CC18

Open your sky background image in Photoshop CC18.

7. Layer your images

Click the right corner upper hand of your Layer palette and choose Duplicate Layer…

The Duplicate Layer dialog box will pop up. In Document, click the file name to expand your selection options. Choose the image of your product with the background removed. Then click OK.

Now, you want to move your product image layer so that it’s on top of your sky layer.

Pro tip: For a handy keyboard shortcut, hold CONTROL (or COMMAND on Mac) + the right bracket to move the sky layer down one so that it’s beneath your product layer.

8. Fine tune your finished image

Your work’s not finished yet. Notice how the edges look a little unnatural? Now you can zoom in again and use the Brush tool to get rid of unwanted halo effects or blur that happen frequently on the edges. Use a Soft Round Brush to achieve a more natural effect.

Remember: Make sure you’ve selected the mask thumbnail in your Layers dialog box and not the image, so that you preserve all your hard work.

How to Change the Sky Color in Photoshop CC18

Repurposing your product photos is one way to maximize your investment. If you want to create different images with various sky colors or brighten the blue of your sky (or even achieve a different hue of blue), you can learn how to change the sky color in Photoshop CC18.

First, select the sky layer in your Layers dialog box. Then go to the Adjustment palette. Select Hue/Saturation…

Now, you’ll see the Properties panel. Change the Hue to the color you want. Increase the Saturation if you want rich, deep blue, and reduce it if you want a lighter, more grayed-out blue with less contrast.

How to Make the Sky Red in Photoshop CC18

You can also learn how to make the sky red in Photoshop CC18 — or other colors too. The steps are basically the same, regardless of which color you want your sky to be.

To make the sky red in Photoshop CC18, you’ll want to put the Hue slider all the way to the left or right — both have red hues, it just depends on which one you want. Then play with the Saturation; again, max it out for a deep and rich red sky or move the slider to the left for a subdued, grayer look.

The post How to Change the Sky Color in Photoshop CC18 appeared first on Path Edits.