Photoshop Tutorial: How To Mask A Tree In 3 Minutes

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Tutorial goal:

The easy way to mask a tree. As a bonus, we'll also add a new background.

This is really easy, but hardly anyone knows how to do this quick. I'll let you in on a Photoshop secret ;)

Tags:maskingtree

End result:
How To Mask A Tree In 3 Minutes Final Image

Score: 9.16 / 10

Views: 27904

author:

robvdn

Credits earned for writing this tutorial:

2000 ($20)

tutorial practice contest

Step 1

A lot of people have problems with masking trees. All those leaves are a lot of work, they think.
I promise you I can show you how to do this in just 3 minutes and put a new background behind it along the way!

First we need 2 sources:
For the tree we use: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1184924
and as a new background: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1211288

Open up Photoshop and resize both images to the same width, we'll start working on the tree image.

Step 2

We'll be using a tool which is hardly ever used: the "Background Eraser Tool".

Step 3

On top you're able to change some settings:
1. take a nice big soft brush, I used one with a 2013 diameter
2. set the sampling to contigious
3. set limits to discontigious
4. the tolerance high: 40 (we can do this because the blue background behind the tree has a nice contrast with the green tree, if the contrast isn't that high you must set the tolerance lower)
5. check the Protect Foreground Color box
6. we've checked the Protect Foreground Color box so we must select a foreground color; click on the foreground color > the color Picker menu will open > now use the color picker to select an average green in the tree. This will protect this color and it will not be erased later on.

Step 4

Now the funpart starts.
Because we use a big brush you'll probably just see the cross in the centre of that brush, that's OK because that's just what we need. Start clicking on the blue and you'll see all the blue disappear, do this also on the other colors which are left (some whites and other light colors.

Check between the leaves for some left over spots of blue and remove them the same way.

You'll be left with just the tree and the grass. To show you below there's twice the same tree, once a black background and once a white background.

If you just wanted to mask the tree: CONGRATS, YOU ARE DONE!

I'll add a new background to this as well, as a bonus ;)

Step 5

Add the sky as a new layer below the tree.

If you look closely you'll there's still some white lines surrounding the leaves. That's why I'll show you as well on how to remove those.

Step 6

In the layers pallette: select the layer with the tree and right click on it. A new menu will open and select "Blending Options" on top. This will open a new window.
All we are going to do is set the "Blend Mode" to "Darken Color" and click "OK"

Step 7

There's some rubbish coming through the grass, just select your layer with the sky and gently erase them.

Step 8

Now all you have to do is finetuning your image, use a smal soft blur brush and blur the edge of the grass and new sky (be sure you have checked the "Sample All Layers" box on top) and so on.

That wasn't that hard, was it?

58 Comments

xtro

[lvl 3]
[rep 0.5]
[vp 100]
[ 7]:

you're a genius!

(186 days ago)

ponti55

[lvl 21]
[rep 375.802]
[vp 435]
[ 177]:

Great tutorial!!

(186 days ago)

lchappell

[lvl 19]
[rep 106.3]
[vp 1718]
[ 359]:

(185 days ago)

Tuckinator

[lvl 10]
[rep 159.8]
[vp 886]
[ 165]:

prtty good tut

(185 days ago)

nishagandhi

[lvl 11]
[rep 175.3]
[vp 989]
[ 77]:

great tutorial in which version do u have "darken color" option?? i think i dont have that option since i have photoshop cs2

(185 days ago)

robvdn

[lvl 17]
[rep 36.2]
[vp 447]
[ 105]:

I'm sorry Nisha, I'm using CS3 and CS4 and both have that option; never realised CS2 doesn't, but that part is just an extra and has no influence on the real goal of the tutorial: the masking of the tree itself

(185 days ago)

Akassa

[lvl 22]
[rep 101.8]
[vp 1860]
[ 375]:

Oh this is really helpful, thanks rob i always have some trouble with trees lol

(185 days ago)

nishagandhi

[lvl 11]
[rep 175.3]
[vp 989]
[ 77]:

Anyway its a great tutorial Rob i have tried masking trees before but i dont get to mask properly ....so i dont use trees in my images LOL hopefully now i am sure that i will be able to mask trees...GREAT TUTORIAL

(183 days ago)

RichieMB

[lvl 8]
[rep 24.9]
[vp 1301]
[ 493]:

Great job.

(181 days ago)

rikigoft

[lvl 6]
[rep -4]
[vp 100]
[ 0]:

Thanks...great tut

(181 days ago)

kreativess

[lvl 1]
[rep 0]
[vp 0]
[ 0]:

I was gonna say you have no idea how much time this saves and how many more options are available now because of it...but obviously you do!!! Thank you SO much! Love the steps, the clarity, the arrows, very well written and great example!!!

(181 days ago)

momvera

[lvl 11]
[rep 22.3]
[vp 1428]
[ 80]:

This is great! I have to try it.

(180 days ago)

IDt8r

[lvl 22]
[rep 46.1]
[vp 596]
[ 49]:

Nah, I sez to myself. It can't be that easy. So I tried it. Then I found a different tree and tried it again. Then I found a drippy willow tree with little tiny leaves and tried it again. It really is just that easy. Thank you so much for this time saving, frustration saving tutorial. You and it are wonderful.

(180 days ago)

freejay

[lvl 18]
[rep 4.2]
[vp 223]
[ 12]:

Handy tut and well explained....good job

(180 days ago)

ladybug

[lvl 6]
[rep 15]
[vp 91]
[ 2]:

thank you so much! this is incredibly helpful!

(180 days ago)

billyboy

[lvl 13]
[rep 51]
[vp 554]
[ 115]:

After such a tutorial I shall quit 3D and go back to Photoshop, LOL. Royal !

(179 days ago)

thetoutster916

[lvl 1]
[rep 0]
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[ 0]:

I'm new at this and i found rlly easy and quick..

thank you for this gr8 tut...

(172 days ago)

thetoutster916

[lvl 1]
[rep 0]
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[ 0]:

I'm new at this and i found rlly easy and quick..

thank you for this gr8 tut...

(172 days ago)

Jeantz080807

[lvl 1]
[rep 0]
[vp 0]
[ 0]:

Simple but High quality

(172 days ago)

Guest:

Well done tut. Thanks!

(170 days ago)

Guest:

This is amazing

(168 days ago)

wildwings

[lvl 3]
[rep 10]
[vp 0]
[ 0]:

This is not only brilliant but beautifully explained. Many thanks!

(167 days ago)

Guest:

how the hell to i change the background

(167 days ago)

Guest:

thanks....=)

(165 days ago)

Guest:

expert!!!!!!!!!!

(164 days ago)

Guest:

thanx ......ur amazing

(162 days ago)

pingenvy

[lvl 15]
[rep 32.8]
[vp 1107]
[ 68]:

Mine worked better without going to the darken mode, but this tutorial will still be one of the most useful for long-term application that I've come across. Oh, and I had never used the erase background tool before. Nice job!

(160 days ago)

Guest:

This saved me so many hours.
THANK YOU!!!!

(159 days ago)

Guest:

Wow!

VERY impressed! Thanks for the arty! (:

(159 days ago)

Guest:

i realy appretiating ur steps . give more information about photoshop for us...

(158 days ago)

Guest:

Great. Can this also work with hair? I'd love to crop portraits and paste onto diff backgrounds but the hair is always difficult.

(158 days ago)

robvdn

[lvl 17]
[rep 36.2]
[vp 447]
[ 105]:

@Guest: In theory it should be working with hair too, just play with the tolerancelevel and maybe a smaller brush.

Thank you all for the really nice comments!

(158 days ago)

Guest:

wov. Nice tutorial. U are great robvdn

(158 days ago)

Guest:

great it is just what I wanted. Thank for your share !

(157 days ago)

Guest:

Excellent tutorial, mate! Thanks for sharing it.

(155 days ago)

Guest:

awsome thanks alot

(154 days ago)

Guest:

Es un gran trabajo

(154 days ago)

Guest:

Thank you sooooo much. Time saver woo hoo!

(153 days ago)

Guest:

Step 8
(be sure you have checked the "Sample All Layers" box on top)
??? where is that Sample all layers option?

(145 days ago)

Guest:

@up: its next to blending mode and strenght, its a checkbox.

really nice tutorial, awesome trick cheers!!!!

(138 days ago)

Guest:

interesting but oddly in CS4 with me using th esame settings as you describe it does not work and I still had to click on each and every individual piece of blue in the tree and then later on, when adding the background, it appeared that in the sky, some part sof blue were only parttly removed (i.e. made somewhat translucent). What actually worked much faster was to go to 'Select' and use "Color Range" and then with the +sampler click on a few pieces of blue and white. Click OK and delete or mask everything that is selected--> done

(137 days ago)

JurgenDoe