easiest shot for cutting background

[evilguyme]

ive tried photoshopping a lot of high res images from google with a solid white and solid black background but its just so very difficult to get a sharp crisp real image on a transparent background..

im doing a restaurant menu and the sample that ive seen shows crystal clear edges on the food products and they have a transparent background.

I was wondering how this is possible.. i assume there is an easier way instead of photoshop to do this, perhaps when im taking the picture from my camera..

what is the best and easiest way to get a transparent background on my dishes for the menu? the sample menu that i have seen you cant even tell its edited and it has a transparent background.. i know theres a professional way to do this i just cant seem to figure out how..

if you get the chance, check out officialpsds.com and check one image from there.. theyre all real life photos but the background is so perfectly removed.. how can this be done?

any help is appreciated thanks !!

 

[tirediron]

Can you post a LINK to one or two of the images to which you refer?

The best way to cut out an object from the background is to start by photographing it to advantage; lots of contrast between subject and background (this is why a chroma-key background or "green screen" is often used), and then selecting the correct tools with which to cut; IMO, the best tool(s) are Photoshop-native selection tools combined with the brilliant "refine edge".

 

[evilguyme]

Ohh alright so basically its the background .. I tried to download green screen food images and tried color range tool in photoshop but nothing gives me this perfect..

This is the link
PSD Detail Mojito Hi-Res Official PSDs

Check it out its too pro how can it be donr? And all the files there have the perfect transparent background..

So if its a white plate i shud try a solid blue screen and color range it then refine edge? Thats what the pros do? Cuz in the professional stuff u can never tell the edge was cut..

 

[tirediron]

When I look at that image, I'm seeing a white gradient (white transitioning to very light grey) background not a transparent one.

 

[evilguyme]

Noo bro..

Please download the psd and open it and check it out..

The front image is completely different from what is in the file..

But so the pros do it with a solid green screen?

 

[tirediron]

Green or blue are the most common colours.

 

[dennybeall]

The basic error I think is your earlier statement "i assume there is an easier way instead of photoshop to do this".
Using the selection tools in Photoshop is the easy way. Easier if you do a good job with the green screen. Your sample with the nice straight edges would be particularly easy using the Pen Tool for the edges.

 

[klaesser]

I use Perfect Photo Suite 9.5, it puts PS to shape for making selections

 

[CCericola]

Green and blue screens are used in professional video and by amateur photographers. If you contact some veteran commercial photographers a lot of them will tell you how useless the chroma backgrounds are for stills. They are a pain to light and create a color cast that is avoidable with a white background. The images are then given to the pool of newby hires that slave away at the computer in photoshop; carefully selecting the image and taking it out of the background. Or they send their files to an overseas graphics mill and get them back perfectly done in 24hours.

You want a simple way to do it in photoshop and there is no easy way. Even older addons like Knockout could never work as good as a person who knew how to use a pen tool and understood bezier curves.

 

[chuasam]

You don't use chroma key for food. You choose a background colour closest to what you're going to be putting the pictures of food on top of.