Using Apply Image Command To Separate Images From Their Backgrounds

You can use the Apply Image command to separate images from their backgrounds. It can be especially helpful for images with a lot of detail.

1. Before entering the Apply Image command, view the image color channels to see which one reveals the most tonal difference between the foreground and background. Select the channel.

2. Duplicate the color channel that you just selected.

3. With the color channel active, select Image > Apply Image. Click the Blending option on the Apply Image menu and select a blending option that increases the contrast between the foreground and background. (You can repeat Apply Image with different blending options as often as you like)

4. To boost the contrast even more, use Levels to adjust the remaining light areas to white and the dark areas to black.

5. Use the Polygon Lasso tool to select the interior of the image that you want to select and fill with black. Use the Eraser tool to erase any black areas outside of the area you want to keep.

6. Once you have the image you'd like to keep in black and the background white go to Image > Adjustment > Invert to select the image you want to keep. Return to the Layers palette and choose Select > Load Selection > Color Copy (this will be the color copy you duplicated earlier)

7. Go back to the Channels palette and select the RGB channel. You should see the 'marching ants' around the outside of your image. Choose Edit > Copy. Select File > New and click OK. Choose Edit > Past to drop the image onto a blank file.