Removing black type from colored background

B
Posted By
beand
Feb 3, 2004
Views
290
Replies
3
Status
Closed
Dear Photoshop Experts:

I am teaching a unit on human anatomy to my middle school students and have found some books with fabulous 4 color illustrations.

I am scanning these images with a flatbed scanner and then using Photoshop to erase the callouts. In other words, where a line is drawn from the body part to the page edge, I want to be able to keep the line but eliminate the accompanying identifying text. That way I can have my students write in the organ name at the end of the call out line.

Thus far I have been content with using the rectangular lasso to select the text and then use "backspace" to fill either with transparency or the foreground color. As you can image, the result is rather shoddy with big blocks of the background disappearing and leaving ugly holes of emptiness. I have tried to go back and use the clone stamp to fill the holes but this takes forever.

So is there anyone to lift just the black type off the background without simultaneously removing all that shade of black from the entire image.

I thank you in advance for helping me out with this project.

Duane Bean
Portland, OR
Related Tags
background black color remove type

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Y
YrbkMgr
Feb 3, 2004
Just erase or paint over the black text.

Use the eyedropper tool to pick up the background color. Make sure that is set as the background color in the color swatch underneath the toolbar, then use the eraser tool. It will erase to the color in the "background" swatch underneath the toolbar.

Tip. Click in spot one, then move to the other end of what you want to erase, and Shift Click – it’ll erase in a straight line.

You can also use the paintbrush tool. Again, just make sure the color underneath the toolbar matches your background (shift clicking works for that too!)

I have to do the same thing with my kids homework when they need to study off their worksheets – we create blanks.

Peace,
Tony
SJ
sandy_johnson
Feb 3, 2004
Look at your channels individually (control+1 , 2 , 3 (and 4 if CMYK). Sometimes you may have better results eyedropping the background and painting in a single channel, particularly if the black type appears only in the black channel.
W
wes
Feb 3, 2004
You could also clone the background over the text. I would then type in the answers on your copy and keep a psd of your copy. That way, if you ever wanted to print out a filled in image you will have one. If you type in the answers, the print will be on its own layer and you can turn it on and off when you need it.

wrote in message
Look at your channels individually (control+1 , 2 , 3 (and 4 if CMYK).
Sometimes you may have better results eyedropping the background and painting in a single channel, particularly if the black type appears only in the black channel.

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