Photo Studio's Magic Wand lets you click a pixel and select other pixels with a similar color. It works well on a product photographed against a plain backdrop, a screenshot with a solid panel or a simple graphic with repeated blocks of color. You can use it free in your browser to make a selection and then paint or mask within that area.
The two controls that matter most are Tolerance and Contiguous. Tolerance sets how different a pixel can be from the one you clicked and still count as a match. Contiguous limits the search to a connected area. A clean result depends on choosing a representative starting pixel and checking the boundary before you edit.
Step 1. Open the editor and prepare the photo
Go to the Free Photo Editing Software homepage. Click Photo Editor in the navigation or Open Photo Editor in the header to open Photo Studio. Choose Open a photo, then upload a JPEG, PNG or WebP from your device. Use Open photo in the top bar if you already have an image open. Once your photo appears, look at the region you want to select and find an area of steady color.
For a product cutout, check the full perimeter before you start. One side of the backdrop may be darker than the other, and a shadow can look like a separate color. Use Fit to find all areas that need attention, then zoom in enough to tell a true subject edge from a blurred transition or reflection.
Step 2. Select Magic Wand and choose a starting pixel
Choose Magic Wand in the toolbar or the Select menu. On a keyboard, press W. In the tool options, start with New selection under Mode. Leave Contiguous checked for a single connected background. Click a pixel in the area you want to select, away from the edge of the subject. A visible outline shows the selected region.
Imagine a white mug on a pale blue board. Click the blue board in an area that looks typical of the backdrop. A click on the mug's rim could start from a highlight, and a click in a dark shadow could capture very little of the blue. A representative starting pixel gives you a better baseline for judging what to adjust.
Step 3. Adjust tolerance and click again
If the first click selects a patch that is too small, raise Tolerance and click the background again. Keep the same starting area while testing settings so you can see what the slider changed. If the outline moves into the product or includes a reflection you want to keep, lower the tolerance and click again.
There is no universal setting for a clean cutout. A flat graphic can often use a low tolerance. A photographed background with subtle variation may require a higher setting or several separate clicks. Inspect the area near the subject, where the selection matters most. Covering every far corner of a backdrop is less useful if the same setting removes part of the object.
Step 4. Choose whether separate matching areas should count
Keep Contiguous on when you want a selection that spreads outward from the place you clicked. For example, the opening inside a mug handle may show the same background as the area outside. If the mug separates the two patches, the first click outside the mug can leave the opening unselected.
Uncheck Contiguous and click again to include similar colors anywhere on the visible canvas. This is handy for flat design elements that repeat across an image. On a photograph, check whether the same setting includes part of the subject. An alternative for the mug is to keep Contiguous on, change Mode to Add and click inside the handle separately. That includes the second area while leaving unrelated color matches alone.
Step 5. Refine the selection around problem areas
Use Add in the Mode menu to include another missing patch or Subtract to remove an unwanted area. Intersect keeps the part shared by the current selection and your next one. Check the result after each click, especially if a small change in tolerance covers a much larger area than you expected.
Magic Wand reads the visible composition. If a caption, adjustment or shape changes the colors you see, the selection can change too. For a selection based on the underlying photo, hide layers that cover the region before sampling it. When the background and object share similar colors, switch to Polygonal Lasso or Freehand Lasso to refine the edge by hand. Set Add or Subtract again after choosing the lasso.
A backdrop with a light-to-dark transition is a good case for several passes. Click the lighter side first, then add the darker side as a separate region. For a small shadow next to the product, zoom in and decide where the shadow should end before adding it. If the wand keeps selecting part of the object along with the shadow, draw that boundary manually. This gives you control over the part of the selection where the two colours are hardest to tell apart.
Step 6. Apply the selection to the photo layer
With the unwanted background selected, open Layers, click the Photo layer and choose Hide selected pixels. The mask hides the selected portion of that layer. If nothing sits below it, the hidden area shows transparency. If you selected the object instead, use Keep selected pixels to hide the area outside the outline.
Use Deselect or Select → Deselect pixels once the mask is in place. Inspect the photo against the checkerboard or against the layer that will sit underneath it. Look for a rim of the old backdrop, gaps inside handles and missing light areas on the subject. A layer mask brush can hide remaining patches or reveal areas you accidentally concealed.
Step 7. Save the result for the intended background
Choose Download image to export a PNG with transparency. If a particular website needs a smaller file, open Download options and check the format and dimensions before downloading. Use a format that preserves transparency if you plan to place the cutout on a different background. A JPEG fills transparent areas with white.
Keep a Photo Studio project through File → Download project if you plan to change the mask or refine the edge later. Before publishing, open the exported image and check small openings and fine edges at its intended display size.