Erase in Photoshop CS6

Edited by Freya, Amanda, Eng, VisiHow

You're watching VisiHow. In this video, I'm going to show you how you can use the eraser tool in Photoshop CS6 in Windows 7. To begin, you should have Photoshop CS6 open, and either create a new document or open an existing one, which I've shown you how to do in other videos. As you can see, I've already got a document open, and I've drawn all over it so I need to rub some of it out.

Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas23 842856.jpg

Steps

  1. 1
    On the left side, find the eraser icon and click it
    .
    It is about halfway down, and is shaped like a standard rubber eraser.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas28 825796.jpg
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  2. 2
    On the right side, make sure that the correct working layer is selected
    .
    We've only got one layer for now.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas32 244774.jpg
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  3. 3
    Right-click somewhere on the canvas
    .
    This brings up a pop-up menu.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas45 760618.jpg
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  4. 4
    Drag the slider under "Size" to change the size of the eraser tool
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas49 2066.jpg
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  5. 5
    Drag the slider under "Hardness" to make it fluffier or more solid
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas52 018546.jpg
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  6. 6
    Click anywhere off the pop-up menu to close it
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas57 91315.jpg
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  7. 7
    Click and drag with the mouse to erase
    .
    The areas that get rubbed out change to a transparent background, which is represented by a checkered pattern. If we had a separate white background layer, it would change to show the background layer. Let's change our tool to be fluffier.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas59 833139.jpg
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  8. 8
    Right-click on the image to bring up the pop-up menu
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas67 878035.jpg
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  9. 9
    Click on one of the fluffier, less opaque images on the pop-up menu
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas68 381031.jpg
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  10. 10
    Click off the pop-up menu to close it
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas68 951029.jpg
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  11. 11
    Click and drag to erase
    .
    It's slightly diffused around the edges.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas70 372019.jpg
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  12. 12
    Right-click on the image to open the pop-up menu again
    .
    Let's change the shape of the eraser.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas72 267991.jpg
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  13. 13
    Click on an image of one of the eraser shapes
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas74 145001.jpg
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  14. 14
    Click off the pop-up menu to close it again
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas74 735978.jpg
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  15. 15
    Click and drag with the mouse to erase and test the new eraser shape
    .
    We can have a fluffier brush, or something linear. It depends. Experiment.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas75 491958.jpg
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  16. 16
    Right-click on the image to open the pop-up menu and scroll down in the images section
    .
    Here, we'll find more eraser textures to try. We can also add different brushes. The brushes apply to the brush tool, the pencil tool, and the eraser tool. If there's a pattern we want to use, like a leaf, that will apply whether it's on the eraser or not. It can be quite interesting.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas89 480872.jpg
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  17. 17
    Click on the original eraser shape
    .
    Do this when finished experimenting.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas109 988714.jpg
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  18. 18
    Right-click on the eraser tool in the toolbar on the left
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas114 037654.jpg
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  19. 19
    Click "Background Eraser Tool"
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas116 609656.jpg
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  20. 20
    Right-click on the image to open a new pop-up menu
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas123 264596.jpg
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  21. 21
    Drag the slider under "Size" to the right to make the tool bigger
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas123 382558.jpg
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  22. 22
    Click off the menu to close it
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas123 957574.jpg
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  23. 23
    Click and drag to erase
    .
    This didn't do very much on our image, but it will typically select things that look further back and erase them.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas129 234563.jpg
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  24. 24
    Right-click on the eraser tool on the left once more
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas138 360464.jpg
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  25. 25
    Click "Magic Eraser Tool"
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas138 873462.jpg
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  26. 26
    Click on an area of the image
    .
    Depending on what is selected, it will delete that particular area only. It's a lot like the selection tool that we've talked about in another tutorial.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas146 777437.jpg
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  27. 27
    Right-click on the eraser tool in the left-hand toolbar
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas154 937353.jpg
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  28. 28
    Click to select "Background Eraser Tool" again
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas156 449326.jpg
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  29. 29
    Right-click on the image to open the pop-up menu
    .
    Now we can change the "Hardness" and "Spacing" by dragging their sliders.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas157 72832.jpg
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  30. 30
    Click on the image with the circle in it
    .
    This changes the image we would like it to come from. This is worth experimenting with.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas162 857293.jpg
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  31. 31
    Look at the bar along the top, directly beneath the navigation bar
    .
    We have some different settings along the top where we can change things like the size. Many of these are the same as what we get when we right-click on the canvas. We find it much more useful to right-click when we're on the canvas and want to be working quickly.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas173 110233.jpg
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  32. 32
    Click "Brush" to change the mode of the tool
    .
    We can have "Brush", "Pencil", or "Block". Depending on what we're going for, it can make quite a difference.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas190 802091.jpg
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  33. 33
    Click the arrow next to "Opacity"
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas196 084044.jpg
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  34. 34
    Drag the slider to change the opacity
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas199 617024.jpg
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  35. 35
    Test the new opacity by clicking and dragging on the image to erase a section
    .
    It rubs out but not quite so harshly and completely.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas202 082012.jpg
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  36. 36
    Alternatively, click on the percentage next to "Opacity" and type a new number
    .
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas206 010969.jpg
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  37. 37
    Click on the arrow next to "Flow"
    .
    We can change the flow by dragging the slider that pops down, but we would recommend leaving that, unless it's for experimentation.
    Use eraser tool in Photoshop CS6.mp4-canvas208 032939.jpg
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  38. 38
    This is a VisiHow video
    .
    I've just shown you how you can use the eraser tool in Photoshop CS6 in Windows 7. If you have any questions or comments, pop them into the section below and we'll do our best to help you.
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Video: Erase in Photoshop CS6

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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Categories : Software

Recent edits by: Eng, Amanda, Freya

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