# Photoop Elements users Magic Extractor Problem
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoop-elements-users-magic-extractor-problem/418579
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 9, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoop-elements-users-magic-extractor-problem/418579 "2007-09-09T16:24:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoop-elements-users-magic-extractor-problem/418579/1 "2007-09-09T16:24:38Z")
I have access to a computer that has Photoshop Elements on it. I’m trying to remove the background from a few scanned album pages using the Magic Extractor but it’s removing more than the background.
The main reason I am trying to remove the background is I had to stick some images together and while the content matches the background does not. My ultimate goal once I have the pictures removed is to put them on a sample of the book background.
[Stitched Page](http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/MannyLNJ/photoshop/image3combined.jpg)
[Edited Images](http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/MannyLNJ/photoshop/image3edited.jpg)
[Background](http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/MannyLNJ/photoshop/background.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoop-elements-users-magic-extractor-problem/418579/2 "2007-09-09T18:00:07Z")
These tools do an imperfect job at best - they generally rely on differences between the background and foreground object, and when the background colors are patterned and close to the foreground, they’ll make mistakes. So often, some hand-editing is required.
What I would recommend you do is trim your photos down by a couple of pixels, rather than try to get it exact. I haven’t used elements, although I do use Photoshop from time to time. There are a couple of easy ways to take an oval picture like you have and trim it a bit. Or you could zoom in by hand and go around the picture removing pixels that look ‘wrong’ with the eraser tool.
Here’s a tutorial for making a ‘clipping mask’ in Elements: [Clipping Mask](http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pselements/ss/dreamyphoto_7.htm). You want to make one that’s an oval just slightly smaller than the original photo.
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### Author:  [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoop-elements-users-magic-extractor-problem/418579/3 "2007-09-09T20:32:53Z")
Thanks for the link I’ll try it at the library tomorrow as they are closed today