Creating a clipping path or deep etch to omit a background
Software: Photoshop, InDesign
Skill Level: Basic
As designers, we use clipping paths to drop out unwanted backgrounds or omit certain parts of an image. More often than not, we then go off and insert our nicely clipped image (sans background) into InDesign.
This tutorial will allow you to remove the background, without effecting the original image. This technique is also called Deep Etching.
1. Let’s open the image we want to clip in Photoshop. We can now begin to clip around the image with the Pen Tool.
2. When you click on the Pen Tool, these icons will appear in your Application Bar at the top. The first icon highlighted is called Paths, make sure this is selected. The second icon that needs to be selected is called Exclude Overlapping Path Area, this will enable you to place more than one clipping path into one Path layer (if need be).
3. Start creating a path around the object you would like to display using the Pen Tool, by clicking and dragging anchor points. Click (with your mouse) to create achor points with straight edges and click and drag an anchor point to create a curved path. When you click and drag, handles will appear either side of the anchor point.
4. Keep doing this until you’ve clipped around your object, making sure you have closed the clipping path.
5. Now open your Paths palette. Go to Window and select Path, if the Paths window is not visible.
6. Select the Working Path and then double click on that layer and rename it. The default name is Path 1, but you can call it whatever you like.
7. Under the Options icon in the right hand corner of the Paths window, select Clipping Path. If you have more than one working path, make sure you select the working path you want to use from the Path drop down menu. In this case, we selected Path 1. Now set your Flatness to about 0.5 device pixels.
7. Go to File > Save As. Give your file a name and save it as a Photoshop EPS. You must always save it as an EPS in order for the clipping path to work. You can also save this file in any other format and the path will always remain in your Paths palette (it shall not disappear unless you delete it).
Your final EPS should look like the one below. An image containing a clipping path! Yes it doesn’t look any different, but it will, when we bring the image into InDesign.
Now we’re going to put it into InDesign. Yes, without the background removed!
8. Open InDesign, create a new document, then drag an empty rectange without a fill or stroke using the Rectangle Tool. Now let’s import our EPS.
9. Go to your menu, select File > Place (Command + D) and your EPS should appear nicely clipped, background removed! With your original image uneffected.
You can now place another image or different colour behind the one you placed.
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