How to smooth edges in Photoshop?
Photoshop is one of the most used editing programs, as it offers a wide range of tools for all kinds of designs. A very practical option is to crop an image in Photoshop, but sometimes taking care of the edges needs a special touch.
With the Photoshop digital editing program you have access to many functions with which you can create designs with practically no limitations beyond your own creativity.
Some of the most useful ones that you can learn to master are those used for cropping the outline of an image and blurring in Photoshop. Although there are web pages that allow you to cut out a silhouette online, these do not usually generate a perfectly blurred edge, and pixels can be noticed that will affect the finish of the image.
What is cropping in Photoshop?
The crop function in Photoshop will allow you to take certain things from a photograph, to edit them to your liking or include them in a new file.
The possibilities are very wide when it comes to editing in this type of program since other options do not have the meticulousness that a person experienced in handling editing programs can show.
With Photoshop, for example, you have access to tools that allow you to take special care of edges, contrast, color tone and other parameters, to make the integration of the image in another not noticeable.
This gives it a more natural and professional finish , so its handling is part of the basic methods that everyone interested in should know if they want to dedicate themselves to digital publishing.
How to cut out a silhouette in Photoshop?
If you have taken an amazing photo with your camera (check some options to buy in this link) and you want to crop something in particular, for later editing, or simply to turn it into a separate image, here are 3 methods that you can implement whenever you want smooth edges in Photoshop:
- with quick selection
This method uses specific parameters for a high contrast image with the background, it can be used with photos of geometric shapes in Photoshop or also with inanimate objects:
1) We will start by launching Photoshop and, through the File – Open option, find the file on the PC to see it in the application.
2) Now find the Quick Selection option in the sidebar and right click on it to choose Quick Selection Tool.
3) Position the cursor over the area of the image you want to cut and the action will outline the silhouette. In case it leaves out areas or includes others that you don’t want to use, increase the zoom by pressing Alt + WheelUp and proceed to select the specific edges with the tool.
4) Take the mouse cursor to the top menu and find the Selection section. Tapping on it will bring up a new menu and you should choose Select and apply skin. Once the layer mask is placed in Photoshop, you will see an additional section with the Image Properties appear on the screen.
5) In the menu that will appear, choose Black in the View Mode – View and then bring the opacity to 80%, to darken what is not inside the selection without having to remove the background of the image in Photoshop with The magic wand.
6) Now, under the Global Refinements section, move the sliders for Roundness to a value between 3 – 6, Feather between 2 – 3 and Contrast to 30%, to finish making the cutout sharper.
7) At the bottom of Properties you will see a Decontaminate Colors checkbox. Check it and press OK.
8) Finally, go to Layer – Create new layer and choose the color of your choice.
- With layer mask
This option is easy to follow and will help you crop and blur the edges of an image in Photoshop in just a couple of steps:
1) After opening the image you want to remove the white background from in Photoshop, tap on the Quick Select icon and then click on the object or silhouette you want to cut out. When doing this, try to be attentive to the selection that marks, so as not to leave anything out.
2) After outlining the pattern, generate a mask in Selection – Select and apply mask, so that the pop-up menu appears.
3) In the Properties section, under View Mode, you will see a thumbnail representation of the image you are editing and, next to it, a button to toggle View. Here you will select On black, to darken the background and make it easier to blur in Photoshop.
4) Now choose the Refine Edge Brush tool in photoshop and go over the entire edge, to create an outline in Photoshop that looks more stylized and neat.
- with openwork
The feathering method takes advantage of the Feather tool to obtain an edge blur that will hide them:
1) With the image you want to crop already open, proceed to use the Quick Selection option to repeat the process of the previous method of creating a layer mask without using Photoshop’s magic wand.
2) When you have the layer mask and you see the pop-up menu again, this time choose the Layered option from the View options.
3) In this Properties menu you will also find a Global Refinements section which includes adjustment bars for Rounding, Feathering, Contrast and Edge Offset. Move the cursor on the Feather slider and this will adjust the pixels to perfect the cut edge in Photoshop.
By learning to master these methods you will no longer need to search for a website that allows you to remove the white background from an image online, since by smoothing the edges and knowing how to straighten an image in Photoshop, in addition to knowing what each parameter alters, you will be able to do everything kind of amazing creations.
