In the last post, we ended up with a simplified black and white photograph still too complex to form a template. Now the task becomes more difficult - we are going to select certain areas to cut out and paste into a blank new image file. And selecting them is the hardest task confronting us - it requires good mouse control (if you have a graphics tablet you may now laugh) and patience.

Amongst all the icons for tools there is one that looks like a lasso - click on it and then right-click. This will bring up a list of options with Toolbars near the bottom. Click on this and a little window will pop up with options applicable to the lasso tool. Under Selection type, choose Point to Point. When you move the cursor back over the photo, it will change to a crosshair and we’re ready to start selecting.

Choose a large area to begin outlining - about three or four main ones will do as we will join them together again later. For instance, I outlined the left side of Herman’s face and his hair to begin with. Outlining is done by clicking where you want to start to cut a piece out, following the edge of the area, clicking each time you change direction (this anchors the line in that spot and allows you to draw the next section). Simplify shapes as you go - there is no need to follow every hair and wrinkle. Outline the entire shape to be cut out and, when you reach your start point again, right-click. PSP will join the lines for you to complete the outline.

Copy the selection to the pasteboard (Ctrl + C) and paste it into a new file by choosing Edit in the menu, then Paste and Paste as New Selection. Move the pasted shape to the correct position, allowing plenty of room for later selections to be positioned. Looks a bit scruffy, doesn’t it? Bits of white have been selected as well as the black, that’s the problem. Fill the whole shape with black by using the fill tool (the bucket icon in the toolbar).

Then repeat the process with the remaining segments of the photograph. With Herman, I cut out the right side of his face next and then a weird shape around his eyes and nose, finally adding the eyes themselves and his mouth as separate small selections.

Now we need to make sure that pieces aren’t going to fall out when cut and that means connecting everything around the holes we are going to carve (the white pieces will be the holes). The mouth, for instance, is floating out there without visible means of support. Go to Layers in the menu and choose Merge, Merge All. This is so that we can draw on all areas of the picture. Now select the pencil tool and draw lines to connect those pieces that are unsupported, using the natural lines and shadows in the original photo as your guide to where they would most naturally be.

You should now have the makings of a very effective template. There are a few more steps yet but I will leave those until the next post.