2Open the Mask flyout , and click one of the following:

•Lasso mask tool

•Magic wand mask tool

3Define an area in the image.

Inverting and removing masks

You can invert a mask so that the protected area becomes editable and the editable area becomes protected. Inverting a mask when defining the image area that you want to protect is easier than defining the area that you want to edit. For example, if you want to edit an intricate shape in an image that is set against a plain background, it is easier to select the background, and then invert the mask.

You can remove a mask from an image when you no longer need it.

To invert a mask

• Click Mask ` Invert.

To remove a mask

• Click Mask ` Remove.

If the editable area on your image was floating before you removed the mask, it is automatically merged with the background.

Cutting out image areas

You can cut out image areas by removing the surrounding background. This feature lets you isolate even the most detailed image areas while preserving edge detail, such as hair or blurred edges. The cut-out image area becomes an object that you can place against any background image.

To cut out an image area, you begin by drawing a highlight over its edges. Then, you apply a fill to define the inside of the area. You can preview the cut-out image with the background removed, and you can switch between the cut-out and original views of the image to evaluate the results. If necessary, you can erase and redo sections of the highlighted area.

Highlight the edges of the image area (1); add a fill to the inside (2); preview the cut-out image (3); bring the cut-out image into the image window (4); place the cut-out image against a background image (5).

You can customize the thickness of the highlighted and erased lines for best results. For example, if an image area has hard edges, you can use a thinner line to define its edges more precisely. Conversely, if an image area has blurred or wispy edges that are hard to define, you can use a thicker line.

To make it easier to work, you can change the highlight and fill color. You can also zoom in to get a closer look at image detail or zoom out to view a larger area of the image. You can pan to view image areas that fall outside the preview window.

To cut out an image area

1Click Image ` Cutout.

2In the Cutout dialog box, click the Highlighter tool .

3In the preview window, draw a line along the edges of the image area you want to cut out.

The line should slightly overlap the surrounding background.

4Click the Inside fill tool , and click inside the image area.

5Click Preview.

If you want to switch between the original and cut-out view of an image, choose a view from the View list box.

The Cutout command supports RGB, CMYK, grayscale, paletted, and Lab images. When brought into the Cutout dialog box, grayscale, paletted, and Lab images are automatically converted to RGB or CMYK images, which may result in a slight color shift. The original image colors are restored after applying or canceling the Cutout command.

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