How to Remove a Head in Photoshop

I was once asked by a newspaper to produce images of a range of celebrities, showing how they would look if they were bald. I patiently explained to the commissioning editor that when you erase hair in Photoshop, people aren’t bald underneath. The bald heads would have to be added individually.

When removing an object from an image, the hardest part is usually patching the background – especially if you aren’t putting a different object in its place. Here’s how to take out someone’s head in a convincing manner. Use it to create a fun Invisible Man effect.

Step 1: The starting image

I chose this stock photograph of a contractor on a building site as a deliberately tricky image to work with. If your person is in front of a hedge, or a brick wall, you’ll find it a lot easier.

Step 2: Start to patch the background

Make a new layer, and set the Clone tool to Sample All Layers using the pop-up menu in the Options bar. Sample relevant areas of the background and paint over the head. If you go over areas such as the shirt by accident, this isn’t a problem: you can always erase them, as it’s a separate layer.

Step 3: Continue to patch

Keep patching the background, sampling relevant areas and painting over the existing head. You may want to make selections to prevent overspill: here, I selected the area to the left of that vertical piece of white timber, so I could clone right up to it without affecting it.

Step 4: Fill the shirt

Make another new layer, and use the Pen Tool to select the area inside the shirt. Make that path into a selection, and fill with any flat color.

Step 5: Fill with texture

Select a piece of relevant texture, such as the breast of this shirt, and Copy the selection. Then Paste it on top of the shirt area you made in step 4, using Option Command G/Alt Ctrl G to make a Clipping Mask with the layer beneath.

Step 6: Add some shading

Use the Burn Tool to darken the shirt texture so it appears more like it’s inside the shirt. Use a low opacity, and build up the shading in small stages for better control.

Step 7: Finish the shading

To make the shirt look more realistic, use the Pen Tool to select the inner collar, then inverse the selection and add a little more shading beneath it. Use the Dodge Tool to add some highlights on the top of the collar, and you’re done.