Transparent backgrounds again 2

[RonLF06]

I want to montage small photos onto a large one. I erase the background of the small photos, but they only erase to white. I need feathery edges, so a clipping path is not appropriate. How do I erase a background to transparent?

 

[mscallisto]

See Pixelchik's post on thread229-1451103

sam

 

[apepp]

...press and hold alt/option key, double click the layer that is a locked "background", then anything you delete becomes transparent...

andrew

 

[RonLF06]

That's the one – so simple, and I'd forgotten it! And with the eraser set as brush, opacity can be lowered for partial transparency. Thanks a lot.

 

[spamjim]

Also research 'layer masks'. Using the eraser tool totally eliminates portions of the photo. You have no option to restore or adjust what you remove.

A layer mask allows you to adjust the dissolve easily.

http://www.google.com/search?q=photoshop+layer+mask

 

[RonLF06]

Thanks Spamjim. Have never got my head round masks and it's past time I did.

 

[AkutaSame]

Masks are actually really simple. If you remember back when you were a kid at how they had you make a pinhole into a piece of paper to watch the eclipse, masks work in a very similar fashion.

A crude example of this would be to take a photograph and a white piece of paper and cut the paper to have a square hole. This is now your "mask." You can glide the mask around the image and it shows ONLY what is in the hole.

See? Simple!