Sometimes we need to separate quickly the image of a tree or shrub from background, this tutorial can achieve acceptable results in a few steps. If you want to get high quality result, then it is better to use classical methods for separating complex objects from the background.
So let’s start by finding photography of tree which we’re planning to separate from background. For this purpose I used this picture. Open up the picture and start with the tutorial.
As we can see the picture is blurred a little bit. It will be better if we will remove this defect by applying Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen.
Now move to the next step: we need to separate tree from the background. Apply Filter > Extract (or press Ctrl+Alt+X). Set the following settings for the filter in the open window:
With Edge Highlighter Tool create selection as on the picture below. If you made wrong line, you can remove it with Eraser Tool. Now fill in the area which you want extracting to do this select the Fill Tool on the left hand toolbar and simply click inside of the drawn outline.
Now press OK in the top right of the window and you should go back to the normal Photoshop window, and if you did the last steps correctly you will have an image without a background.
Ok, move to the next step. Select the Eraser Tool and hard round brush about 5 pixels to make small clear work only on trunk area.
After that create new layer under the current and fill it with white color. Then go back to tree layer and move it to the middle of canvas with Move Tool.
Then go back to upper layer and continue with our tutorial. Select the Clone Stamp Tool and select on of standard brushes from Photoshop brush palette to edit crown of a tree.
After that change brush size to 25 pixels. Hold down the Alt key — the cursor will change to a target. Click the point you wish to use as a sampling point. This will be used as the reference point for cloning. Click and draw where you want the cloned image to appear. As you draw, a cross will appear on the original image while a corresponding circle appears where you are drawing.
Process all the areas of the crown on the same way, don’t forget inner parts also. See the difference now?
To finish off the tutorial get out the Eraser Tool and hard round brush different size to remove separate leaves on background.
That´s it! Very quickly and simply! Hope this Photoshop tutorial vas useful for you.