frizzylee
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 170 
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by frizzylee on Oct 20, 2020 17:59:01 GMT
I have a .jpg image that needs a bit of cleanup. I can't use it until this cleanup is done.
The basics of the Eraser Tool totally elude me. I have been able to use the eraser tool in the past to clean up an image without disturbing the background, but it was always by accident that I had a situation where I could do that. I have never figured out how to use the eraser tool just to simply clean up without making the background transparent or the color of the background where the brush tool is located. Last night I searched and searched the internet for a tutorial that would explain the eraser tool basics. I found all sorts of complicated uses that I do not need. I honestly think it is so simple no one thinks to explain it.
I just want to erase problem areas on my .jpg image without losing or changing the background.
Would really appreciate help with this.
Pat
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Post by Sepiana on Oct 20, 2020 18:28:55 GMT
Hi Pat, It looks like you were using the Background Eraser tool instead of the Eraser tool. 
You may want to check this video. It's written for PSE 10 but it also applies to the PSE version you have. Hope it helps! Using The Eraser Tool |
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Post by fotofrank on Oct 20, 2020 18:54:33 GMT
Pat - you are using the eraser tool in a manner it was not intended for. The Eraser tool as its name implies erases pixel from you image showing the transparent checkerboard. If you are wanting to clean up (as in remove spots or other items) an image you need to use the clone stamp or healing brush tools.
What are you cleaning up?
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frizzylee
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 170
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by frizzylee on Oct 20, 2020 20:44:52 GMT
Good question, Frank. My sister wants me to make a photo for a birthday card. The card itself comes from an App called PhotoFacer. To use PhotoFacer you simply cut out the face of a friend, relative or whoever from a jpg photo, go into PhotoFacer and select the figure you want to place the face on. PhotoFacer then blends the two images and voila, you have a cool photo of a person you know standing next to an ultra-expensive car in a swanky setting or whatever. (People loved these cards.) But, for some reason, I am having a hard time cleaning up around the edges of the head. For one thing my person has his head at an angle and his neck area does not fit just right. I can remember cleaning up this kind of thing easily when I did a bunch of them a couple of years ago. But I'm having no luck this time.
I'm thinking that since PSE19 requires that my two images be on separate layers l am going to have to try to work at this from the other side, meaning trying to clean up the image perfectly before submitting it to PhotoFacer. That, or go into PhotoFacer and see if they have a solution. I can't be the first person who has had this problem. I wish I could remember how I did those cards years ago.
Let me poke around a bit and experiment. I will let you and Sepiana know what happens.
Pat
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frizzylee
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 170
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by frizzylee on Oct 21, 2020 15:09:14 GMT
Hello Sepiana and Frank
Thank you both, very much for your replies to my question. This morning I have the photo corrected and ready to mail off to my sister who wanted this picture. I'm not sure what to say about this. I did it without any use of the eraser tool. I started over and was very, very careful in using the PhotoFacer app to be sure there was no need of the eraser tool. I have been thinking about this. In the past when I was able to erase bits that needed to be erased I am assuming they must have been on different layers, yes? I honestly don't know.
I do not claim to be anything more than mediocre when it comes to Photoshop Elements. It truly is a powerful program and I am grateful to have it. But I can't help but wonder why something that SEEMS to be basic and easy is not possible with PS. By that I mean the ability to erase errant bits and parts on a one layer image. Am I making myself clear here? I have done stuff with PS that just blew me away with its sophistication. Yet I cannot erase bits of errant hair on a jpg image without destroying the background, too. Please don't misunderstand. This is small potatoes really. But I hope I am not being ungrateful in bringing it up. Just wondering.
Pat
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Post by globalphotoedit on Oct 30, 2020 7:30:21 GMT
Use of Eraser tool:
Eraser
Click on the Eraser tool > select the background color you like to use in place > choose between brush, pencil, and block modes according to the effect you want > Hold down the cursor and drag it across the areas you want to erase.
Background Eraser
Go to the Layers panel and choose the layer that contains the areas you want to erase > Choose a brush and adjust settings for size, hardness, angle, roundness, and spacing > Select Protect Foreground Color to help you avoid erasing the foreground colors by mistake.
Magic Eraser
Select the Magic Eraser tool in the toolbar > Choose a Tolerance value. High tolerance erases a large number of colors and low tolerance erases colors > Click the part of the layer you want to be erased >
Pencil Tool & Auto Erase Function
Designate colors for the background and foreground > Click on the Pencil tool > Choose the Auto Erase option in the toolbar > Drag the tool over the image where you want to paint the background or foreground color.
Global Photo Edit
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Post by BuckSkin on Oct 30, 2020 17:54:27 GMT
erase bits of errant hair on a jpg image without destroying the background, too. First, forget the Eraser tool for what you describe. Depending on the background, although there are other tools/methods, the ones that come to mind are: 1. The WireWorm plug-in 2. The Spot Healing Brush 3. The Clone Stamp Often, it takes a bit of all three depending on how complicated the background. Never do this work on the original background layer; duplicate the background layer and do the WireWorm on it. The Spot Healing Brush and the Clone Stamp will do the work on a blank layer that is above the background copy, or directly on the copy layer. By using layers, if you mess up, nothing is lost; just discard the layer and try again. The WireWorm plug-in, which is originally intended for eliminating telephone cables and power lines, works equally well for stray hairs, litter, sensor spots in the sky, whatever; it removes whatever and fills the void with a sampling of the surrounding area. The Spot Healing Brush works much like the WireWorm. The Clone Stamp picks up a sample of your choosing and paints it over the offending item. If you make a mistake on your last will and testament, you use an eraser to carefully erase the mistake from the paper and the paper is still there. The Photoshop Eraser erases the mistake and eats plumb through the paper, leaving a transparent void. Am I making sense ? (a lot of the time I don't) I hope this helps. |
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Post by Sepiana on Oct 30, 2020 18:33:13 GMT
erase bits of errant hair on a jpg image without destroying the background, too. First, forget the Eraser tool for what you describe. Depending on the background, although there are other tools/methods, the ones that come to mind are: 1. The WireWorm plug-in 2. The Spot Healing Brush 3. The Clone Stamp BuckSkin, Thanks for joining in this discussion! I really like your suggestion of using Wire Worm to fix this kind of problem. I also have this plug-in but never used it on "errant hair". Living and Learning!
Unfortunately, Pat is on a Mac. I see no indication on their website that this plug-in is available for Mac users. Windows plug-ins don't work on Mac and vice-versa. MV's Plugins -- Wire Worm |
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Post by tourerjim on Oct 31, 2020 17:31:07 GMT
Just as a suggestion as I don't or rarely use clone or spot tools, in Editor with your background image, drag it to copy two layers, lets say it's your garden lawn that has a dead patch of grass, with background layer 2 select Add Layer Mask and with brush tool and soft brush selected, then set background color black, check the eye that's beside background and bg layer 1, then use the brush to erase the patch of lawn, uncheck bg layer 1 and highlight the thumbnail and with the move tool 'over' the erased patch move bg layer 1 to get the best effect.
This also works good with faces
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