Clearing surrounding colors

[mszlazak]

How does one quickly clear (make transparent) the colors around an image in a jpg file.

The images surround color is white but that color also appears inside the image and should stay white within the image.

Here is the picture:

[Sarkut]

What you wish to do with this image actually represents a fairly complex problem.

Consider the double image aspect above the left bicep, the left hand and thumb.

How much of that do you want to keep or discard?

Even where the border between subject and background is fairly clear,

the brown blurs into the white to soften the transition.

In our mind's eye we may have a very clear vision of the desired end-product,

but the software can't know where we wish to draw the line between subject

and extraneous, discardable background.

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One way of doing this, with more control over the result,

is to position your image above a solid black layer,

then remove all of the white from your original image using the

Grim Color Reaper plugin effect, set to White.

Then, working on the black layer, use the Paintbrush

to fill in the subject area with white.

Once complete, blur slightly to soften the edges.

At this point, the black-and-white layer can be used as an

Alpha Mask applied to the original image.

Alternately, the black-and-white layer can have the Grim Color Reaper

effect, set to Black, applied to it.

Save as PNG.

Of course doing things this way won't happen quickly.

If the result is OK for your needs, L3ron's suggested method is much, much quicker.

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http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/5980/partialwhiteout01.png

In Progress.