CameraCrazy

When you’re taking a picture of someone and don’t like the background or just want to change it, it’s pretty simple to insert a professional looking back drop. This trick is easiest to do when the subject is photographed on a uniform background.

Photoshop Steps:

Step 1 - Create a new document with the same dimensions and resolution as the photograph you want to insert a new backdrop into.

Step 2 - Choose your colors for the background in the toolbar and then goto Filters –> Render –> Clouds. This creates a nice looking studio backdrop.

Step 3 - Goto the original image and choose the magic wand and selection the uniform background. If your background is not entirely selected you can hold shift and add the unselected background. Now ctrl-click (right click on a two button mouse) and choose inverse, this will select everything but the background (i.e. the person).

Step 4 - Click and drag the object over to the new document with the background you wanted.

Step 5 - Often when you drag in a person or generally when combining two pictures, there is often a edge about 1-2 pixels in length that are copied over. To get rid of this goto the Layers Menu –> Matting –> Defringe. This gives you the option of choosing how many pixels around the object to get rid of. Typically 2 will work. After you choose the number of pixels to remove click Okay and any noticeable edge will disappear.