What do clipping paths mean? The article is a quick guide to creating clipping paths in Photoshop. The first sentence of the opening paragraph should state that the article is a short guide to making clipping paths in Photoshop. The second sentence can be about how clipping paths are used in Photoshop to cut an object from its background. The third sentence can mention that clipping path tools are found in the "Paths" menu, and they have been improved in recent versions of Photoshop CC.

Create a new document with dimensions 1000 x 500 pixels (or whatever size you want). This will serve as your canvas for our example image. We'll use this same document later when we create our clipping mask. Create a new layer above all other layers called Clip Mask 1.

Add the figure to the document Photoshop by using the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) or any similar selection tool. Ensure that the Selection Type is set to None so that no part of the original image gets selected. Then press the Enter/Return key twice to add the rectangle to the current layer.

Layer > New Layer ... and name it "Clip." Set its Opacity at 50% and make sure that Fill Color = #000000, which means black. You can also change the Blend Mode if desired. The result should look like Figure 2-2.

Fill these layers with pixels by using the Ctrl+Backspace shortcut key combination or clicking on the layer thumbnail at the bottom left corner of your screen. The Fill Layers dialog box will appear where you can choose from different colors, gradients, patterns, textures, etc., depending on what effect you want to achieve.

Add a gradient layer on top of the image layer (Figure 3). This is a helpful tool for creating various effects such as shadows, highlights, reflections, etc. To add a Gradient Map:

1. Select the Gradient Tool in the Tools palette. Click anywhere inside the canvas area to create a new point.

On the Gradient Tool window, select linear vertical gradient, then click on the upper part of this layer and drag it down until you reach the bottom edge of the canvas. You should see that the color changes gradually along with the mouse cursor's position. If not, try again by clicking somewhere else on the canvas or selecting another gradient type.

Group all layers at the top of the Layers panel into one group (Ctrl+G). This will make them easier to work with later.

### Note

You can also use Layer Masks instead of gradients to control how colors are applied. See Chapter 5 for details about using masks.

Merge layers by pressing Ctrl+E or choosing Edit→ Merge Down from the menu bar. The merged image is now in a new file called _merged_gradient_.png.

If you are looking for a way to remove objects from photographs in Photoshop, the easiest way is to use clipping paths. This technique will save you time, but it will take some practice to get it just right. Here is how to do it!

This article features an easy-to-follow guide on creating clipping paths in Photoshop. There are many different ways of doing this, but one of the most popular methods is using a rectangular marquee tool. This tool can be accessed by pressing "M" on your keyboard. You can select which pixels you want to keep and exclude those that need to be cut out with your mouse.

Why do you need to create clipping paths in Photoshop? Simply put, a clipping path enables you to mask out part of an image layer that is either too large or contains unwanted elements. When you create a clipping path, you're simply drawing a shape around the area of your image that should be masked and telling Photoshop only to show the "inside" of the body.