How to Cut Out a Person FAST with Select & Mask

–
Today we show you how to make fast and accurate cutouts of people with Select and Mask in Photoshop. Learn to use the Quick Selection Tool to make the initial selection, clean up the soft edges of hair and clothing with the Refine Edge Tool, and then change the background color, adding a spotlight effect to draw more attention to the subject!

Download the Sample Image & Sample PSD!

Photograph by Ussama Azam.
@ussamaazam

Over 120 in-depth courses covering Photoshop, Lightroom, and photography–and all for one low monthly price. Learn new skills and start making amazing images today:

Visit PHLEARN.com for more FREE tutorials:

Subscribe now for new tips and tricks every week!:

Let's be friends!

[phlearn]

Don't forget to download the sample image (and the full PSD) so you can follow along! The link is in the description.

[FullFatVideos]

This is the weirdest start to a photoshop tutorial ever. I love it.

[i-primeproductions]

"it's going to know to remove the blue area. How it knows... I have no idea." Its magic Aaron ;)

[sirromja]

Super helpful, thanks. A couple notes that might help newbies like me: Don't be so quick to do steps. You're often halfway through something before I can see where your cursor is. Also, your logo in the corner is hiding Photoshop controls, so that's hard to see too. But, seriously, your quick tutorial was a big help, despite those challenges!

[mokhan]

Thank you. I thought I would never learn "select and mask", but now I feel at ease. I can do it now.

[MSum]

That technic is so easy to use if the subject is in front of a solid color background. Thanks, Aron.

[currentlycrypto]

YES YES YES YES THANK YOU FOR POSTING A VID THAT WORKED FOR ME !!!! YOURE LIKE THE 20th PERSON IVE WATCHED AND FINALLY YOU EXPLAINED IT IN A WAY THAT WORKED!!

[pairpicsvisuals]

pls choose a picture with more complicated background
this is too easy thanks

[pbottomley]

Logistics prevented me from using green screen (and extraction software) this weekend at charity event so I had to shoot in a narrow hallway (5' across) against white brick with a single strobe. You just saved me from throwing myself off a mountain as "select and mask" wasn't working nearly as well when I clicked the players.



Please ignore the naysayers as this did exactly what you showed it would do! Oh, lets not forget that this is a completely free video ;-)

[Ronin]

The big take away from this video was to select the clean background and not the busy subject. Seemed simple. I don't know why that never occurred to me. I also picked up refining the areas like the hair after you export to mask yielded better results. It would have never occurred to me. Still learning from you Aaron. You are the best!

[kendallmclean]

Hello I have been a fan for a long. time just found a different was for a quick mask cut out a person similar to your tutorial instead of select mask. just click select and click on subject and see what you get... keep up the great work thanks

[NicoleHoltActress]

It's amazing to watch you make quite big changes in such a short amount of time. Thank you! I've learned quite a bit.

[gaspargonzalez]

You have a natural disposition & ability to convey your subjects so well. I am learning so about Photoshop and the things one can achieve in editing and preparing images.

[ChronosCooper]

Never thought I will have to go through the mask as well to refine. Thanks Aaron. I learned so much from you. Matter of fact, You started me in Photoshop and now I am almost a master in it which aids me to move into illustrator, Indesign, premier and am so good in After effects. I think Photoshop is the base to all of these apps. And I would say Phlearn is the base of my knowledge. So thank you Phlearn again.

[travissmith]

Thanks for taking the time to do this quick tutorial... Very helpful...

[paulsj]

Strangest and by far the easiest way. Finally found this

[sierra.lynette]

Easy and simple. I dont even know photoshop and I feel like I can easily do this.

[saracommunication]

Awesome Video !! Works wonders and very fast too.

[alexgoico]

Thank you for the summary on the end, that is the part I will use to follow along. And I'm also curious to what the person behind the camera is doing :)

[lauraroberts]

Bravo, well done! I chose my own picture with a solid background and this worked. Thank You!