These 3 threads explain different ways of removing the background from an image.

The Paths Method - by fencepost

The Quickmask Method - by swmiller6

The Layer Mask Method - by Clayogre

If the background has a solid color, that is not present in the rest of image you can also use "color to alpha"
(from image menu\layer\transparence.

If it is present in the image,
Can't you just:

1[*]Use the 'color selection' tool on the background,
2[*]Toggle Quickmask on
3[*]Use the eraser to erase the parts in the picture
4[*]Toggle Quickmask off
4½[*]Feather the selection
5[*]Press ctrl+k until it's good

Or even better...select around those areas that are the same colour, invert the selection, then run Colour to Alpha.

okay i just removed the background, and all the paths are closed for the rendering of the image. how do i put in a background without getting rid of my image?

p.s. im very new at this.

You need to learn about layers.

Go here.

hey i have render cut but how do i keep gimp from putting a white bg on it cuz that just makes it dumb cuz the bg comes back i tryed saving as xcf but then image hoster wont host it

That's because you didn't put an alpha channel on the layer you cut the render out of. Do Layer>Transparency>Add Alpha Channel. Or right click on the layer and do the same thing. You can also do it by duplicating the layer and deleting the background layer. An alpha channel is what allows for transparency. The first layer in a Gimp image, by default, does not have an alpha channel.

ok so i cut the background out then do layer->alpha to channel thats all

Actually, you would probably wanna add the alpha channel before you do the cut. Then do your cut. Then, when you paste, your background will be transparent.

what do u guys think about the siox foreground extraction tool?

As plugin is just a proof of concept
As features (as in the last 2.3.x dev release of gimp ) it seem quite interesting...still often details have to be manually polished...

thanks i needed that help i was eraseing the whole thing myself ,lol.

I was about to ask that lol.

6.) Once you have finished making your selection toggle the quickmask off and do a copy paste as new.
7.) Now to really clean up your selection do
>alpha to selection
>selection shrink 1px
>selection invert
>feather selection 1px
>cntrl k



How do you do those?

Hello,

I just downloaded the gimp so I am a total newbi.

I have been able to outline the section I want to isolate, toggled the quickmask off and my image is now surrounded "by moving ants". In your tutorial you say to:

6.) Once you have finished making your selection toggle the quickmask off and do a copy paste as new.

Can you tell me how to "do a copy paste as new"?

Thanks for any help.
:h:

Both options are under the Edit menu.

Edit > Copy

Edit > Paste as New

Thanks,

I must have done something wrong. I copied the image , then tried to paste it elsewhere. When it pasted, It was the original picture-------------Like I hadn't done a thing.

I'll try again :h:

Erm, I had a picture, well a render I was cutting out, I cut away the background, then there was white around it, so I filled it with a random purple colours since my soldier had none of that colour on it. And di that colour to alpha and it made my soldier near transparent :S, And I mean so you can hardly see him.

help! there must be better way than the lasso! i so cant do it!i hate the lasso i will never use the lasso.. -.-

How about one of the two methods linked to in the first post? =\

man theyr taking so long and i dont have eye for messing with those paths so overall after ive spent 30min it still looks ugly aight i can do sigs without renders to..hopefully..

Use the quickmask method. Or you can use a combination of paths (for large smooth areas) and quickmask. There is no "royal road to rendering", you just have to practice. And yes, it can take a while.

But never NEVER do my mistake: BEFORE to save the selection, or copy&paste the render be sure to have quickmask SWITCHED OFF!
Or you will lose all your work :s: (and puzzling your mind becouse Gimp will act crazy till you don't close and reloload it.)


At least this happened to me (see http://www.gimptalk.com/forum/topic/Selection-Problem-16823-1.html)

You can try to replicate the bug to your own risk if you wish...to me once was more then sufficent!! :c:

:h: