Erase tool takes away background?

R
Posted By
Rick
Oct 30, 2005
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445
Replies
5
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Closed
Editing an monochrome image with white background.

I erased part of an image and the background, instead of becoming white, leaves the checkerboard (I presume this is PS’s default to show transparent background).

Both background and foreground colors in the tool bar are white (sampled from the image).

How do I erase such that the remaining color is white?

Photoshop CS v8 (Macintosh).

Thanks,

Please, no "Go Google this" replies. I wouldn’t ask a question here if I hadn’t done that already.

DaveC

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DF
Derek Fountain
Oct 30, 2005
How do I erase such that the remaining color is white?

You don’t. The eraser erases – hence the name! If you want white, switch to a brush and use a foreground of white.

But erasing information is destructive, as is painting over it with white. What you probably really want to do is create a layer filled with white, put it behind your image layer, then create a mask for the image layer. You can then paint on the mask to hide/show the image layer. Where you choose to hide it, you’ll see the white layer behind it. It’s all in the manual…
HL
Harry Limey
Oct 30, 2005
"DaveC" wrote in message
How do I erase such that the remaining color is white?

If there is a layer, filled with white, under the layer you are erasing, you will reveal white!!
T
Tacit
Oct 31, 2005
In article ,
DaveC wrote:

I erased part of an image and the background, instead of becoming white, leaves the checkerboard (I presume this is PS’s default to show transparent background).

Yes, that is correct. If the image is on a layer, the Eraser tool erases–it makes the layer go away.

Both background and foreground colors in the tool bar are white (sampled from the image).

How do I erase such that the remaining color is white?

You are using the wrong tool, or perhaps thinking incorrectly conceptually.

The word "erase" does not mean "make white" in Photoshop–it means "make go away."

If you want to make something white, use the paintbrush tool, not the eraser.


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F
Fasth
Nov 5, 2005
Flatten the image. Then the erase tool will work as you want it to.

/Fasth
JM
John McWilliams
Nov 7, 2005
Derek Fountain wrote:
How do I erase such that the remaining color is white?

You don’t. The eraser erases – hence the name! If you want white, switch to a brush and use a foreground of white.

But erasing information is destructive, as is painting over it with white. What you probably really want to do is create a layer filled with white, put it behind your image layer, then create a mask for the image layer. You can then paint on the mask to hide/show the image layer. Where you choose to hide it, you’ll see the white layer behind it. It’s all in the manual…

All true. But for beginners, using a layer mask may be a bit much. It’s easier conceptually, for some, to copy the image, and work on the duplicate of the image with the eraser.

The white layer in both instances is a good idea.


John McWilliams

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