Use cutouts

A cutout is an area of a picture that you remove, which you can then use as a separate picture or object. For example, you could make a cutout of a person from one picture, and then add the cutout to a photograph of different people.

Original picture Picture with cutout selected

You can create a cutout in four ways:

Please click one:

Use the Edge Finder
Trace the area manually
Use a color selection
Use a cookie cutter shape
To trace the area manually:
  1. Select the picture or object you want to edit.
  2. On the Format menu, click Create a Cutout.
  3. Click By tracing an area on my own.
  4. To trace the edge, drag the cursor along the edge of the area you want to cut out.
  5. Click the yellow diamond to close the cutout area.
  6. Click Next.
    7. Optional: Smooth the edge of the cut out.
    Optional: Cut out another area.
    Optional: Remove an area from the cutout.
    Optional: Remove the area inside the boundary.
    Optional: Place the cutout.
  7. Click Done.
To use color selection:
  1. Select the picture or object you want to edit.
  2. On the Format menu, click Create a Cutout.
  3. Click By color selection.
  4. Under Click a selection mode, select whether the cutout will be added to or removed from an existing cutout. If you are creating a cutout for the first time, Add to cutout is selected by default.
  5. Under Select areas, select whether the cutout should be only the area contiguous to where you click on the picture or should include all areas with the same color.
  6. In the picture, drag the eyedropper across the colors you want to include.
  7. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the range of colors.
  8. Click Next.
    9. Optional: Cut out another area.
    Optional: Remove an area from a cutout.
    Optional: Remove the area inside the boundary.
    Optional: Place the cutout.
  9. Click Done.
To use a cookie cutter shape:
  1. Select the picture or object you want to edit.
  2. On the Format menu, click Create a Cutout.
  3. Click With a cookie cutter shape. The gray shaded area represents the portion of the picture that will be deleted.
  4. Under Click a cutout shape, click the desired shape.
  5. With the move handle, drag the cutout shape to the desired location on the picture.
  6. With the resize handle, drag the handles of the cutout shape to change its size or shape.
  7. Click Next.
    8. Optional: Cut out another area.
    Optional: Remove an area from the cutout.
    Optional: Remove the area inside the boundary.
    Optional: Place the cutout.
  8. Click Done.
To use the Edge Finder:
  1. Select the picture or object you want to edit.
  2. On the Format menu, click Create a Cutout.
  3. Click With the Edge Finder.
  4. Click along the edge of the object you want to cut out.
  5. To close the outline, click the yellow diamond.
  6. Adjust the outline by clicking and dragging the cutout boundary.
  7. Under Edge Finder width, select the width of the trim box. The width of the trim box determines the area the Edge Finder will search to locate the exact edges of the object.
  8. Click Next.
    9. Optional: Smooth the edge of the cutout.
    Optional: Cut out another area.
    Optional: Remove an area from the cutout.
    Optional: Remove the area inside the boundary.
    Optional: Place the cutout.
  9. Click Done.