Select the Magic Wand, deselect the "Contiguous" option, set the Tolerance to 20, and click on a white areaĬlick on Select and Mask, set the View to: On Black, at 100% If you have Photoshop CC, then you could use the Select and Mask functionality to refine a selection made with the Magic Wand. The second image took maybe 1 or 2 minutes to refine the mask for shadows, but it could use a bit more time. With both these duplicate layers visible, you can alter the blending mode and/or opacity of the shadows to better the overall appearance.īoth these image took roughly 30 seconds each to mask. This gives me a separate layer to control the cast shadows. On the second duplicate I go in with a brush and manually mask everything except the shadows. On the first duplicate I go in with a brush and manually mask the shadows. You may need to extract the shadows to a separate layer to better control their appearance. Hold down the Option/Alt and click the New Mask button ( ) at the bottom of the Layers Panel.įrom here you may need to go in with a brush and manually refine the mask in a few places.įor images such as this one with pronounced cast shadows. Go back and highlight your Layer in the Layers Panel.
![cut away white on image tool cut away white on image tool](https://www.momsandcrafters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/weather-craft-for-kids-f4-202x300.jpg)
![cut away white on image tool cut away white on image tool](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0079/7219/2323/products/ProStitch_Performance_Shirt_Embroidery_Backing_White_cut_away_stabilizer_700x700.jpg)
But beyond that it's pretty horrible.Ĭhannels are often easier and faster than any other selection technique if the subject is already isolated on white.
![cut away white on image tool cut away white on image tool](https://1krm5uyznl63ncsc58noghv0-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-Chevy-Express-Cutaway-Hicube-825x454.png)
The Magic Wand method can work for hard edged objects without any cast shadows. However, it's not often the "best" method, in fact it's among the worst. Unfortunately, I realize it is the "go to" method for many users. In my opinion, the Magic Wand tool is about the worst method for extracting a background in 95% of all use cases.