CONVERT A PATH TO A SELECTION AND CREATE A NEW LAYER
Purpose Of This Photoshop CS2 Tutorial
This tutorial shows you how to draw a path around an image in a photo and convert it into a selection. Then, it describes how to make a new layer of the image selction. This tutorial assumes you are adept at using the Pen tool to draw straight and curved paths; if not, please first practice using the Pen tool.
Start Adobe Photoshop. Open your photo file by selecting File>>Open. My file is called raptor.jpg. A red tailed hawk pestered by a crow is displayed. This tutorial will isolate the hawk image from the crow and sky.
Configure The Pen Tool Options.
In the toolbox, select the Pen tool. The menu changes to feature the Pen pop-up palette.
On the Pen tool options bar, select or verify the following settings:
- Select the Paths option by clicking on the icon.
- Click the arrow for the Geometry Options and make sure that the Rubber Band check box is not selected in the Pen Options pop-up palette.
- Select the Add/Delete options.
- Select the Add to Path Area option by clicking on the icon.
In the Layers palette group, click the Paths tab to bring that palette to the front.
The Paths palette displays previews of the paths drawn, and currently, it is empty as a path has not been drawn.
Draw The Path
Repeatedly use ctrl+, ctrl+ to increase the image size until it is displayed with sufficient edge detail. Use the Pen tool to outline the shape by clicking to create a point and moving the cursor slightly along the images edge and clicking to create the next point to create a closed Path around the image. If your image has definite curved edges, draw a curve path. I used small, incremental straight paths between pints for this image. Use the window scroll bars to manipulate your way around the edge of the image. If you make a mistake, choose Edit>>Undo (Ctl-z) to undo the last step and then continue drawing. As you draw the path, a temporary storage area named Work Path appears in the Paths palette.
When you are finished surrounding your image, you need to create a closed path. Position the Pen tool pointer over the starting point and click to close the path. The path points that appeared as hollow squares now appear as red dots on the outline (Clicking again would start a new path).
Save your work path, especially if you want to create multiple discrete paths in the same image file. If you deselect an existing Work Path in the Paths palette and start drawing again, the original one will be lost, and a new work path will replace it. To save a work path, double click the Work Path in the Paths palette. A Save path dialog box appears with the default name, Path 1.
Rename The Path
You may rename and then save the path which will remain selected in the Paths palette. Type the name of your choice (mine is hawkpath.jpg) in the Save Path dialog box, and click OK to save the selection outline. Renaming it is not necessary but can facilitate things if you have more than one image to work with at a time.
Choose File>>Save as to rename and to save your work. I renamed my file selected.jpg.
Convert The Path To A Selection
In the Paths Palette, click the hawkpath to make it active, if it is not already active. Convert the hawkpath to a selection by dragging the hawkpath to the Load Path as a Selection button 
at the bottom of the Paths palette. Dancing ants appear around the image. The image is now isolated. Next, you will create a duplicate of it on a new layer, which will then be available to do what you want with it, like copy it to another image file or a new background.
Convert the Selection To A New Layer
In the Layers palette, switch from Paths to Layers and only the Background Layer appears. Select the Background layer. In the image window and in the thumbnail, you should still see the selection outline. If not, repeat the previous steps in “Convert The Path To A Selection” section.
Choose Layer>>New>> Layer via Copy. A new layer appears in the Layers palette called Layer 1. The Layer 1 thumbnail displays only the image of the hawk in my example, not the crow or the sky.
Convert The Selection To A New Layer
In the Layers palette, double click on the Layer 1 title and a selection box appears around the text. Type in the name of your choice. I typed hawk to rename the layer. Then, press enter (Windows). The hawk layer and Background layer appear in the Layers palette. The isolated image in the hawk layer is now available to do what I want with it.
For instance, either open a previously prepared background of your choice or you could select File>>New to open a new Photoshop file. Leave the canvas white or choose a color. Note, the canvas size needs to be large enough to accommodate the image size of the new isolated graphic. If necessary, move the image windows so you can see at least some of both of them.
Make the selected.psd image window active, and select the hawk layer in the Layers Palette.
In the toolbox, select the Move tool.
Drag the image from the selected.psd window to the new image window so the hawk appears alone.
Close the selected.psd without saving changes and leave the new file open and active. When you are satisfied with your image’s size and position, choose File>>Save as and save it with your desired name and format (I named mine alone.jpg).
The How to isolate an image with Photoshop CS2 by MainHeading, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.