Clipping Path simply means differentiating between the background and the subject in the same Image. It means separating subject (may be a human or objects) and the background. For example you are clicked with your lawn in the background, by using clipping path your same picture could be used with a variety of backgrounds , whatever you want whatever….

This is the most sought after and most frequently used technique of the Photoshop. Take anything like flyers, print ads, magazines, billboards, logos and the likes of these could not be complete without the use of this magical technique.

Every graphic designer and a Photoshop artist use this technique to bring their work to perfection. But it should be noted this is not easy as it seems to be because it takes a lot of practice and patience to master this art.

Clipping path is executed by using pen tool. This ensures the quality and all the pixels are maintained in the Image. It keeps images undistorted while taking them apart from their background.

Lets have a brief of how to use this technique :  File Menu > Image > Left window – Toolbox > Pen tool > Zoom Image (ctrl+) >lot of patience and your expertise in handling the mouse.

This is what it really is and this technique is a perfect example of an old saying ‘Practice makes a man perfect’.

How to do it….

Start with enhancing the colors on the image as much as possible by using levels, hue/saturation correct ions and curves. Depends on the colors and quality of your Image which of the methods will be useful.

Now that the colors have been corrected let us move to the retouching part with using tools like healing brush and cloning stamp by which you will be able to remove blemishes and eye bags as well as other imperfections on the face. Under the filters menu select the liquefy filter to smudge, move or squish the image. Plucker and Bloat tools are also very helpful for this purpose. These are useful for correcting lips, nose, chin, ears etc. But you got be very careful while using it. Go slowly and with a small brush size.

Now select the cloning stamp tool (size – according to the skin area to be smoothened), A touch of Gaussin blur filter can also be added. Patience is the key here. Taking new snapshots in the history palette lets you return to exact step in the history brush.

Keep on going until you feel the skin have been smoothened as desired and that is all. It is done.

This technique takes time as you need to beautify the face without distorting it that is why even the specialists take time in executing it as a lot of patience and practice is required.