For hair, Select and Mask is the main tool. Make a rough selection, open the workspace, paint along the strands with the Refine Edge brush, output the result with a mask, then drop in a new background and blend. In Online PS, brush in the direction the hair actually grows.
1
Open the image and duplicate the Background layer
- Open a portrait in Photoshop — ideally one where the hair contrasts strongly with the background.
- In the Layers panel, right-click the Background layer and choose "Duplicate Layer" (or press
Ctrl+J), hide the original and work on the copy.
2
Make a rough selection
- Select the Quick Selection tool (shortcut
W) and paint over the subject to cover it roughly; holdAltto subtract the excess. - You can also trace the body outline precisely with the Pen tool — the hair area doesn't need to be neat.
Tip: Online PS www.zaixianps.cc also has Quick Selection and the Pen tool, and works the same way as the desktop version.
3
Enter the Select and Mask workspace
- With the selection active, click Select and Mask in the options bar (called Refine Edge in older versions).
- On the left, choose the On White view to see the gaps between hair and background clearly; press
Fto cycle through the views.
4
Paint the hair edges with the Refine Edge brush
- Pick the Refine Edge brush (the brush icon with a dashed outline) and set it slightly wider than a single strand.
- Paint along the boundary between hair and background and Photoshop separates the strands automatically.
- Turn on Smart Radius (1-5px) to improve detail detection.
- Switch to the On Black view to check for leftovers; hold
Altwhile painting to bring back anything you removed by mistake. - Fine-tune Smooth, Feather and the other sliders until the edge looks natural.
Note: Sideburns and stray hairs need several passes — shrink the brush each time for finer work.
5
Output the result with a layer mask
- In the Output Settings on the right, choose Output To: New Layer with Layer Mask.
- Click OK and the new layer carries a mask automatically (white keeps, black removes).
- Tidy the edge with the Brush tool (30-50% opacity) on the mask so the transition stays soft.
6
Swap the background and blend it in
- Add a new layer below the subject and fill it with a solid color or place a new background image.
- If the colors clash, add a Hue/Saturation or Curves adjustment layer to the subject and clip it with a clipping mask.
- With a soft brush (20-40% opacity), paint lightly over the hair tips so they melt into the new background.
Tip: Online PS www.zaixianps.cc fully supports layers, masks and adjustment layers, so swapping backgrounds is just as easy.
Tips for cleaner hair cutouts
- Start with a high-contrast original: the more the hair stands out from the background, the better the result — shoot against a plain backdrop when you can.
- Use Decontaminate Colors: tick it in Select and Mask to remove background color clinging to the hair edges, but don't overdo it or you lose detail.
- Let a channel help: in really difficult cases, duplicate the channel with the strongest contrast and build a more accurate mask with Levels and the brush.
- Keep the original layer: duplicate layers or save a PSD so you can revise later.
- Online PS is just as fast: log in to www.zaixianps.cc and do the whole job in the browser — full features, smooth performance.
Friendly reminder: Cutout quality depends on the sharpness and exposure of the original. Shoot in plenty of soft natural light so the hair texture stays clear — that is when the algorithm performs best.
Once you can pair Select and Mask with layer masks, hair cutouts stop being difficult. Practise a few times, from simple to complex, and you'll be swapping backgrounds at will. Head over to Online PS www.zaixianps.cc and try it now!