Adobe 29180155 - Photoshop Elements 4.0 Tutorial page 228

Original image (left), and after erasing the clouds (right)
1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the areas you want to erase.
Note: If you select the Background, it automatically becomes a layer when you use the Magic Eraser.
2. From the Draw section in the toolbox, select the Magic Eraser tool in the toolbox. (If you don't see it in the toolbox, select
either the Eraser tool or the Background Eraser tool , and then click the Magic Eraser tool icon in the Tool Options bar.)
3. Set options in the Tool Options bar, as desired, and then click the area of the layer you want to erase.
You can set any of the following Magic Eraser tool options:
Tolerance Defines the range of colors that will be erased. A low tolerance erases pixels within a range of color values very
similar to the pixel you click. A high tolerance erases pixels within a broader range.
Opacity Defines the strength of the erasure. An opacity of 100% erases pixels to complete transparency on a layer and to the
background color on a locked layer. A lower opacity erases pixels to partial transparency on a layer and paints partially with
the background color on a locked layer.
Sample All Layers Samples the erased color using combined data from all visible layers. Deselect the option if you want to
erase only the pixels on the active layer.
Contiguous Erases only pixels that are adjacent to the one you click. Deselect this option to erase all similar pixels in the
image.
Anti-aliasing Smoothes the edges of the area you erase, making the edge look more natural.
Use the Background Eraser tool
The Background Eraser tool turns color pixels to transparent pixels so that you can easily remove an object from its background. With careful use,
you can maintain the edges of the foreground object while eliminating background fringe pixels.
The tool pointer is a circle with a cross hair indicating the tool's hotspot. As you drag the pointer, pixels within the circle and of a similar color value
as the pixel under the hotspot are erased. If the circle overlaps your foreground object, and it doesn't contain pixels similar to the hotspot pixel, the
foreground object won't be erased.
Erasing the distracting background. You can replace the background with another background by using the Clone Stamp tool or by adding another
layer.
1. In the Layers panel, select the layer containing the areas you want to erase.
Note: If you select Background, it automatically becomes a layer when you use the Background Eraser.
2. From the Draw section in the toolbox, select the Background Eraser tool . (If you don't see it in the toolbox, select either the
Eraser tool or the Magic Eraser tool , and then click the Background Eraser tool icon in the Tool Options bar.)
3. Set options in the Tool Options bar as desired, and then drag through the area you want to erase. Keep the tool's hotspot off
of areas that you don't want to erase.
You can specify any of the following Background Eraser tool options:
Size Pixel width of the brush
Tolerance Defines how similar in color to the hotspot a pixel must be to be affected by the tool. A low tolerance limits erasure
to areas that are very similar to the hotspot color. A high tolerance erases a broader range of colors.
Brush Settings Sets the presets of the brush, such as size, diameter, hardness, and spacing. Drag the Size sliders or enter
numbers in text boxes.
Limits Choose Contiguous to erase areas that contain the hotspot color and are connected to one another. Discontiguous
erases any pixels within the circle that are similar to the hotspot color.
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