Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
For several versions, Elements included the Magic Extractor to help you with this task, but
that feature disappeared in Elements 12. But you still have plenty of options for extracting
objects, beginning with the traditional method: In the Layers panel, double-click your Back-
ground layer to make it a regular layer (or you won't get transparent areas around the object;
The Background
has more on this), make your selection, invert it (
Changing and Moving
Selections
), and then delete the rest of the image.
You can also use the handy Defringe Layer command, explained in
Figure 5-16
, to clean up
any messy contrasting pixels around the edge of the object. The new Photomerge Compose
command (
Combining Photos with Photomerge Compose
) lets you do this, too.
Another option is to give the Refine Edge dialog box (
Refining Selection Edges
) first crack
at extracting your object, especially if it's got tricky edges. Refine Edge can do fancy extract-
ing, including saving your extracted object to a masked layer or a new document, so this can
also substitute for the Magic Extractor.
If you plan to use the object in another image, you can simply select it, press Ctrl+C/
⌘
-C to
copy it, click the image where you want to put it, press Ctrl+V/
⌘
-V to paste it in, and then
use the Move tool (
The Move Tool
) to precisely position the object.
