How to Cut Out Hair in Photoshop

Cut out hair in Photoshop with real strand-level detail, using the Channels panel instead of a plain selection tool. It works best with dark hair on a light background or light hair on a dark background — the more contrast, the cleaner the cutout.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Why channels beat a normal selection for hair
02:36 Boosting contrast in the highest-contrast color channel with Levels
04:40 Turning the channel into a selection and layer mask
06:58 Fixing fringing with a clipping mask
10:50 Before and after

THE STEPS
1. In the Channels panel, find whichever channel (Red, Green, or Blue) shows the most contrast between the hair and the background.
2. Duplicate that channel and open Levels (Cmd/Ctrl+L). Push the black point up until the hair is extremely dark against the background — but not so far that the edges of individual strands turn coarse.
3. Cmd/Ctrl-click the channel copy to load it as a selection, go back to your layers, and click the layer mask icon.
4. Invert the mask (Cmd/Ctrl+I) so the subject is visible and the background drops out. Paint on the mask to fix any areas that shouldn't be transparent.
5. To remove fringing (a light or white edge left around the hair), create a new layer, right-click it and choose Create Clipping Mask, then sample nearby colors and paint over the fringe on that clipped layer.

See the full course on this technique (PHLEARN PRO):
phlearn.com/tutorial/cut-hair-photoshop/

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