Creating Cutouts Using the Pen Tool
In Adobe Photoshop 5.5

Before
 

After



     
  1) Open File
Go to File, Open
     
  2) Rename Background Layer
Double click on the background layer and rename it Layer 0
     

 


















 




3) Select the Pen Tool
Select the Pen Tool from the tools palette.




4) Create a Path selecting the outer part of your image

Create a path by clicking several times around the outer part of your picture. In this case, there was a path around the edge of the elephant.








5) Open the Paths Palette.
Open the Paths Palette by choosing
Window --> Show Paths.









6) Rename your Path

Double Click on the Work Path, and rename it. In this case, it was renamed to elephant.

 

7) Click the button
This button is located at the bottom of the paths palette.








Your image should look like this...














8) Hit the Backspace Key
Hit the backspace key on your keyboard to delete the selected part of your image.