Datasheet

Extracting an Image from a Background 7
Work your way around the entire apple, including the stem. You may have to exercise
a little guesswork in the areas of extreme highlight or shadow, so work the path to make the
shape appear natural. When you have reached the starting point, click on the first point to
close the path (see Figure 1.12).
After you have outlined the entire apple, open the
Paths panel. You will see a new Work Path resident in the
shape of your apple (see Figure 1.13). The next step is to
convert the path into a selection, which you do by click-
ing the Load Path As A Selection icon at the bottom of
the Paths panel (the third icon from the left) or by open-
ing the Paths panel menu and selecting Make Selection
from the list (see Figure 1.14).
Once the “marching ants” appear around the
apple, you can copy the apple and paste it into a new doc-
ument for later use. To copy the apple, press F/Ctrl+C or
select Edit
Copy. Create a new document (File New
or F/Ctrl+N), which will be the size of the apple by
default. Ensure the Background is set to Transparent to
avoid having to extract the apple again in the future in
case you save it in a nonlayered format (see Figure 1.15).
Figure 1.13 The new path
resides in the Paths panel.
Figure 1.15 When you copy the object
and create a new document to place it
in, by default the new document fits the
dimensions of the object.
Figure 1.12 After working the path around the object,
click the starting point to close the path.
Figure 1.14 Convert the path into a selection.
97015c01.indd 7 1/12/09 2:10:19 PM