How to: Extract part of an image to place on new background

**AndyD** · 10 November 2014, 08:07 PM

HI All,

I have not been playing with Xara for photo editing for a while, in fact not at all with the 2013 version I have. I have the Photo and Graphic Designer 2013. I am trying to lift my two daughters from a photo so that I can place them on a Christmas Card background. I found Egg's great tutorial on this site but wondered whether things had change for the 2013 version, ie, is there a quicker way?

Thanks in advance
Andy

**Egg Bramhill** · 10 November 2014, 11:39 PM

Hi Andy,

If the tutorial your referring to is the cow cut-out one, then yes things have changed in Xara since then. However a lot depends on the contrast/difference between the part of the image you want to keep (by using a mask) and the bits you want to remove. Could you supply a copy of the photo you want to work on?

**gwpriester** · 11 November 2014, 12:43 AM

This is a very old Xara Xone Workbook tutorial, but this is still the method I use: http://www.xaraxone.com/webxealot/workbook36/page_4.htm

**angelize** · 11 November 2014, 01:04 AM

There is a quicker way but you would have to upgrade to P&GD or XDP 10. The newest versions have a new background erase feature that is quick and easy.

**AndyD** · 11 November 2014, 07:02 AM

Thanks for the feedback folks. I sort of managed to removed the girls from the backgrond and place them on top of a Christmas background but wasn't sure how to remove the troubling scenery between the girls. Please find attached.
Thanks
Andy

**AndyD** · 11 November 2014, 07:07 AM

Girls onone of the backgrounds I was trying.

**angelize** · 11 November 2014, 09:16 AM

Zoom in and use the shape tool. start with the bit between the girls and draw a shape over the unwanted part (just like in the aforementioned cow video). Take your time and adjust the curve handles as necessary to get a precise shape once you have reached the end and the shape is closed select it and the girls and use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+2 and boom it will be gone

Also I would use the shape tool and add more nodes in a few places along their pants, around the pom poms on their toques and around their feet and adjust the curve handles to mask the girls a bit more precisely Then you can back off on the feathering just a bit and as a final touch if you have the eraser tool you can use a a small setting about 20 or so and make it really soft and go over the bottoms of the girls shoes just a bit to give the illusion they are standing in the snow.

If you don't have the eraser tool you draw some small blobby white shapes and give them a large amount of feathering and place them over the bottoms of the feet to achieve a similar effect

**AndyD** · 11 November 2014, 09:43 AM

Many thanks Angelize. This was only a quick extraction done whilst sitting in bed last night. I'll follow your guide and tidy it up a bit.. well, a lot actually.
Many thanks folks.

**AndyD** · 11 November 2014, 11:37 AM

I must be doing somethng wrong. How can I check the portion between the girls is "closed"? I try to select the girls and "Ctrl 2" but it selects the girls and the portion between them. I presume I haven't closed that area.

**Egg Bramhill** · 11 November 2014, 01:09 PM

You can tell if it’s a shape & not a line by selecting it and in the status bar bottom left of the window it states 1 line or 1 shape.

See the attached

I also did some more editing around the trousers shoes and pom-poms. This is the great thing about Xara as it's non destructive and always editable.