User`s manual

Chapter 9 - Software Overview
79
Click an area in the background and
the Magic Wand will make a selection around the
image. If the “marching ants” selection goes into the
main design, change the Tolerance on the Property
Bar. The default is 32. Note: if you are working on a
“attened” piece of art (JPEG) with 1 layer named:
“Background,” you need to rst duplicate this layer
to switch to “PSD le mode” to get the transparent
background. The original layer can then be deleted.
Depending upon the variations and gradients in the background,
it may require some trial and error with Tolerance settings and several selections
before the background is completely removed.
If the rst click of the Magic Wand does not get all the unwanted areas, you can add
to the selection by holding down the [Shift] key and clicking another area. You can
subtract from the selection by holding down the [Alt] key and clicking on a area.
Photoshop and FastARTIST both have Magic Wand tools (it looks like a wand with a
sparkler on the end.)
Using the Extract Filter
Photoshop also has a Filter called
Extract. This will allow you to draw around an
image and ll the center with color. Photoshop
then removes all the areas around the image,
leaving you with a transparent background.
Extract does a decent job, but the Magic Wand is
the preferred method.
Keep in mind, the Magic Wand and Extract lters perform best when the
background is a solid color and not a gradient.