[Photoshop] Simple Method to Remove Edge Fringe
Posted May 20, 2020 10:07 PM
There are quite a few different tricks people have come up with over the years to get rid of that annoying edge fringe on stock images or renders. This is most often common when trying to cut-out an object or person from an image, especially if it has a busy background. For those of you who don't know what I am referring to, here is an example:Spoiler (Click to View)
![[Image: Ea7mfhq.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Ea7mfhq.png)
![[Image: zE3XcFP.png]](https://i.imgur.com/zE3XcFP.png)
As you can see, the selection tool they used to remove the figure from it's original image picked up some of the color from the background. This leaves an ugly and noticeable "Cut & Paste" vibe to anything you use this image for. Some designers may consider this image useless; they think it would be impossible to incorporate this into their background and setting without long and tedious editing.
However, this is where they are mistaken. There is actually a quick and simple method to fix this issue. Let's begin.
1) If your image doesn't have a transparent background, fix that. Cutout the image, and put it on it's own layer. If you don't know how to do that, find another tutorial.
2) With the layer selected, CTRL(CMD)+L.CLICK on the layer thumbnail. This should select everything within the layer. Go ahead and add a layer mask as well.
Spoiler (Click to View)
![[Image: Mnt79RV.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Mnt79RV.png)
![[Image: xGTeYYy.png]](https://i.imgur.com/xGTeYYy.png)
3) Ensure the layer mask is selected by clicking on it in your layers panel. Select your smudge tool. Settings for the smudge tool can vary per image, however, a good starting point is as follows:
Size: 80px
Hardness: 0
Strength: 25
4) We are going to want to begin smudging from the outside of the render in towards the render. This is going to cover the fringe with the layer mask. Below I have included a .gif showing me doing this action, however my recording software didn't want to record the brush properly. You can still notice the direction in which I am pushing, and the fringe fading away.
Spoiler (Click to View)
![[Image: QRwLHzB.png]](https://i.imgur.com/QRwLHzB.png)
![[Image: OnN9Bjp.png]](https://i.imgur.com/OnN9Bjp.png)
This is much quicker and safer than using the eraser tool. It also looks much better, especially if you put time into it. There are many more methods to solving the fringe issue, some more advanced than others. Stay tuned to some more of my blog posts and you may just learn some more. Good luck and happy designing!
