Do you have a favorite photo that is ruined by an unsightly background or distracting elements? Or maybe you want to isolate a person from the background for a photo manipulation effect? Whatever your reason, removing hair from a photo can be a challenging task.
Luckily thanks to just two tools in Photoshop, we can extract any type of hair quickly. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to cut out hair in Photoshop. And if you prefer video tutorials, you can watch this new tutorial from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel:
What You'll Learn in This Photoshop Hair Tutorial
- How to cut out hair in Photoshop
- How to select and Photoshop hair
- How to remove the background from photos
- How to use Select Subject
- How to use Select and Mask to cut out hair
What You'll Need
To cut out hair, we will use the following resources:
- Model With Short Haircut
- Man With Long Hair
- Model With Wavy Curly Hair
- Woman With Afro
- Woman With Locs
Find more resources on Envato Elements!
1. How to Cut Out Hair in Photoshop
Step 1
First, let's create a rough selection of the subject's hair using Select Subject. This will give us a fast selection around the subject's hair.
Step 2
Next, add a Layer Mask to the subject. The mask will take the shape of the selection.
Step 3
With the layer mask active, go to Select and Mask. You can find Select and Mask in the upper Option bar for the auto-select tools or in the Properties panel when a mask is active.
Step 4
When in Select and Mask, I first like to select the Refine Hair button in the upper toolbar. This will automatically refine the hair.
Step 5
Now, let's select the Refine Edge brush and set up our settings.
First, under Edge Detection, activate Smart Radius. Next, I like to set the Radius to 2 px for straight hair.
You may also need to change your View Mode to better see your selection. The Overlay, Black, and White Background options are excellent for various subjects, but use whatever makes it easier to see.
Step 6
With our settings dialed in, we can drag the Refine Edge brush across the edge of our subject's straight hair. This will grab any loose strands of hair.
If you notice too much of the hair being selected and masked, you can hold Alt/Option to remove the mask and bring back areas of hair. You can change the size of the Refine Edge brush using the [ and ] keys.
Step 7
You can use Global Refinements to adjust the selection if you want smooth, straight hair with no stray fly-away strands.
I like these settings for straight hair: Smooth 100, 20% Contrast, and -20 Edge Shift. This will smooth the hair and bring the edge of the selection inward to remove any straight hair strands while leaving a more natural edge.
Step 8
Next, we can check the Decontaminant Color box, setting it between 70% to 100%, to remove any leftover color from the image's background. This step is optional.
If you choose to use Decontaminate Color, a new copy of the layer and mask will be created. This is because it's a destructive setting that permanently alters the pixels of your image. So be careful, and make sure it's set to Create Copy.
2. How to Cut Out Short Hair in Photoshop
Step 1
Regardless of texture or color, all hair types will go through similar first steps. So first, let's create a rough selection of the hair; you can use Select Subject, the Magnetic Lasso tool, or Quick Select.
Step 2
Add a Layer Mask. If any large chunks of hair need to be roughly masked in, use a hard Brush set to white.
Step 3
Once your rough mask is done, ensure the layer mask is active and enter Select and Mask through the Properties panel.
Click the Refine Hair button in the upper toolbar. Refine Hair does an excellent job with shorter hair.
Step 4
Next, choose the Refine Edge brush found on the screen's left side if it still needs to be selected.
Under Edge Detection, check Smart Radius and set the Radius to 3 px.
Drag the Refine Edge cursor along the edge of the hair. If too much inner hair or background is being grabbed, hold Alt/Option to remove it from the selection.
Step 5
I do not recommend applying any Global Adjustments if the hair is short and spiky. Instead, finish by choosing Decontaminate Color, setting it to 70%.
3. How to Cut Out Wavy Hair in Photoshop
Step 1
Wavy hair can be the most challenging hair to cut out as it will have several large curls and loops, along with smaller stray strands of hair.
We want to start by creating a rough selection of the hair using Subject Select. Subject Select will do the best job for curly and wavy hair.
Step 2
Add a Layer Mask to the subject.
If any pieces of hair were not selected or portions of background were, you can roughly mask them using a hard black and white Brush.
Step 3
After masking, select the layer mask and enter Select and Mask through the Properties panel or the upper Quick Select Options bar.
Click the Refine Hair button in the upper Select and Mask toolbar. Refine Hair will do a good job with wavy hair but will often take away too much of the hair's highlight. It will also struggle anywhere there are a lot of curls and small portions of background peeking through.
Step 4
Choose the Refine Edge brush found on the screen's left side.
Under Edge Detection, check Smart Radius and set the Radius to 5 px.
Hold Alt/Option and drag the Refine Edge brush along the inner edge of the hair. This will bring back the edges of the hair and any highlights that were accidentally masked out.
Step 5
Use the standard Brush tool, found on the left-side toolbar, to manually mask any larger areas that the automatic tools can't handle.
Step 6
We can add -10% to Shift Edge to slightly bring the edge of the mask inwards, removing some stray hairs and leftover background.
We can also activate Decontaminate Color and set it to 50%.
4. How to Cut Out Afro Hair in Photoshop
Step 1
Afros and tight curls work great with Select Subject and Mask.
Step 2
However, we will be left with a lot of fringe edges. So in Select and Mask, we'll first hit the Refine Hair button in the upper Options bar.
Step 3
Next, we'll activate Decontaminate Colors and set it to 75%.
Step 4
Now, choose the Refine Edge brush and activate Smart Radius, setting the Radius to 4 px.
Zoom in close and add to the mask by clicking around the edge of the hair, or hold Alt/Option to remove from the mask.
The auto-mask tools will mistake some of the highlights on the curls for the background, so you'll want to pay close attention. Get as many curls as possible without removing the highlight of the inner hair.
I don't recommend using the Global Refinements on tight curls, as it'll often make them look stringy, thin, and sparse.
5. How to Cut Out Locs and Braids in Photoshop
Step 1
Locs and braids are cut out using a mixture of settings from afro style and short buzz-cut hair. We want to ensure the whole loc is selected and remains solid while grabbing some of the loose hair strands and texture.
Let's hit Select Subject in the quick-select upper Options bar.
Step 2
With both braids and locs, you'll likely have to remove the selection from any background gaps created by the locs overlapping each other.
I like to use the Object Select tool, hold Alt/Option, and then draw a selection around the area we want to remove. This is a rough selection, so don't spend too much time on it.
Step 3
Add a Layer Mask to the subject.
Step 4
Enter Select and Mask, using the Quick Select Options bar or the Properties Panel.
For braids and locs, I don't recommend using Refine Hair as it will usually select too much of the hair. However, you can try it for yourself. If it selects too much, use Control/Command-Z to Undo.
Step 5
However, we still want to select the Refine Edge Brush and enter the Edge Detection settings. Activate Smart Radius and set the Radius to 3 px.
Zoom in close, and run the Refine Edge brush across the edge of each braid or loc. Try and stay on the outer edge so you don't select too much of the inner area of hair.
Step 6
I don't usually use any of the Global Adjustments with both braids and locs. You can try adding a minimal amount of Shift Edge. However, I did not add any to this subject.
I am going to add 70% Decontaminate Colors, however.
That's It!
And that's it! You now know how to cut out hair in Photoshop like a pro. With a little bit of patience and practice, you can become a master at this advanced technique. Remember to use the right tools and take your time to ensure a seamless cutout. Happy editing!
Discover Awesome Resources From Envato Elements
Looking for some fun effects to pair with your new image? Try one of the thousands of add-ons and actions on Envato Elements!
Background Remover Action Deluxe Edition (ATN)
If you are looking to cut out hair in Photoshop even quicker, you can try this automatic background remover action. It doesn't do just hair but also the whole subject!
Sky Replacer Photoshop Actions (ATN)
Sometimes, you can get away with just replacing the sky in an image. This action makes it as easy as pressing play. It comes with over 20 skies to choose from, so you have plenty of variation.
Background Generator Photoshop Action (ATN, ABR)
Now that you have your image cut out, try generating a whole new background from scratch. This action creates new backgrounds every time you run it and comes with color control as well.
Digitalis Art Photoshop Plugin (ZXP, XML, PNG, HTML, PAT)
If you're looking for an artist oil paint effect to pair with your cut-out image, then this action is perfect. It creates trendy cartoon-like art and is fully editable.
30 Dreamy Pastel Sky Overlays (JPG)
Looking for a set of dreamy skies to place behind your subject? Then this is the perfect overlay bundle for you. Soft blues and peaches make this the perfect setting for dreamy and soft photos.
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