# photoshop cutouts You can [[after effects masking|mask out elements directly in After Effects]]. The advantage is that these masks can be animated for special reveal effects. Imported images are rectangular and often have backgrounds and other portions you don’t want to see. Sometimes you just want the object and not the background. This is where Photoshop’s Layer Masks are a more flexible option that After Effects. So here’s how to get quick cutouts in Adobe Photoshop. ## starting notes **Do not use the Eraser Tool.** It is destructive and completely removes the pixels. Better hide the pixels from view in case we need them again. If you open a flat-file like **.jpg** or **.png** in Photoshop, you will see that you have only one layer in your Layers Panel. It will be shown as a **Background** layer and have a little padlock icon. Double-click on the padlock icon in the layer and it will convert to a normal, editable layer. ![[Pasted image 20221103092913.png]] In Adobe-world, a grey and white checkerboard indicates transparency. Many people think a white background means there is nothing there, but in reality it means there are opaque white pixels that will hide anything on layers below. Make sure you see the checkerboard. ![[Pasted image 20221103092617.png]] ## selection through the object selection tool Photoshop’s newest and best AI-enhanced method for creating cutouts is the **Object Selection Tool**. It takes a look at the pixels in your image and attempts to select an object from its background. The **Object Selection Tool** is found in the main **Toolbar**. ![[Pasted image 20221103093018.png]] Draw a box around the object you want to isolate and Photoshop will make an attempt at guessing what you want to cut out. It is usually pretty good, but almost never perfect. Depending on what you are doing, that might be good enough. Notice the blinking dotted line. That defines the working area. Anything outside the blinking dotted line can’t be edited or manipulated. We call the blinking dotted line “Marching Ants”. ![[Pasted image 20221103092054.png]] There are [additional methods of selecting your object](https://expertphotography.com/photoshop-selection-tools/). All of the tools can be used to add and subtract from the selected area. It is worth investigating these if you have a specific cutout need. Now that you have a selected object, you need to hide the unwanted pixels from the background… ## layer mask **Layer Masks** are a flexible way to hide pixels instead of erasing them. Think of how you use Masking Tape to block off areas you don’t want to paint. This is a similar idea. The Layer Mask is a greyscale image linked to a layer. You Brush paint on the separate Layer Mask to control visibility of the main image pixels. **Black conceals pixels and white reveals pixels.** Shades of grey are varying levels of transparency with darker greys hiding more and lighter greys revealing more. One cool trick with Layer Masks is that if you have a selection on a layer already, when you press the Layer Mask button then the selection is automatically cut out for you. ![[Pasted image 20221103094748.png]] If you need to go back and tweak the cutout, simply choose a Paintbrush and color either white or black to reveal and conceal your pixels. ## file formats You can save a Photoshop **.psd** file and open it directly in After Effects. Just go to pulldown menus for **File > SaveAs…** and save your file into your After Effects project folder. The construction work will still be editable, however the file size will be much larger than a flattened file. If you are using a flattened file, a **.png** format allows for transparency while a **.jpg** does not. So, use **.png**. Go to pulldown menus for **File > Export > Export As…** to get the Export Menu. Choose .png file format and then save your file into your After Effects project folder. This format will be much smaller in file size but has the limitation that you can’t quickly go back to tweak the cutout. --- Learn more… - [How to Use Layer Masks in Photoshop YouTube video from Envato Tuts+](https://youtu.be/ezvNc8RoAj8) - [8 Reasons Why You Should Use Layer Masks In Photoshop from Brendan Williams Creative](https://www.bwillcreative.com/why-you-should-use-layer-masks-in-photoshop/) - [What Are Layers and Masks in Photoshop? from How-To Geek](https://www.howtogeek.com/274608/what-are-layers-and-masks-in-photoshop/ "What Are Layers and Masks in Photoshop?") --- tags: #aftereffects #photoshop #animation #resources home: [[! after effects]]