The pen tool is used to make a controlled and detailed cut out.

This tool requires a little bit more time to use over the magic wand or the quick selection tool, but it can give you the best results.

Let's remove a single holiday cookie from this image.

First opening your image in Photoshop, then we're going to duplicate the layer.

This keeps a nondestructive version of the image available for reference in the Layers panel left.

Click and drag your background image down to to create a new layer icon.

Now click the layer visibility icon for the background layer.

This will make the background layer hidden.

Now let's locate the pen tool in the Tools panel on the left side, depending on what workspace here in the organization of the tools may look different.

We're using the Essentials workspace, which is Photoshop default.

The pen tool was easy to find.

It looks like a pen.

Let's zoom in on a single cookie and begin using the pen tool with the pen tool.

We're going to make an outline of the object we're trying to select.

Click on your image and make your first point to start making your selection.

I'm going to start at a corner of the cookie.

Now you're going to begin working your way around the object.

I'm going to go to the right.

You want to make a second point on the same curve, not multiple curves.

Later, click and hold on your next point.

Drag to create the curve and line it up with what you're cutting out, then unclipped.

Repeat this for the next point on the cutout.

Now, if your next points curve is a little off, hold down option and click on the curve adjustment points to adjust the curve like this.

You can also hold down command to move the cutout point.

If it is slightly off, or if you're unable to make the curve correct, repeat these steps all the way around the object until you make it back to your first cut out point.

Click on the final cut out point to complete the cut out on the right.

Go your layers panel.

Make sure you have selected your visible layer and click on the work path tab.

Inside the work Path box.

Hold down command and click.

This has created a selection around the pen path drawn earlier.

Now that the object is selected, go to the select Drop down menu and click selected mask.

This will open up the select and mask workspace.

Here.

You can make adjustments to your selection to refined it.

Adding a slight feather is always a good starting point and will help with making your image more seamless.

With any background you put behind it, go down to output settings.

Make sure output to has layer, mask selected and click OK.

Your background is now removed and you can save this as a PNG file type, which keeps the background transparent and saves a cut out version of the image to export.

Open the file, drop down menu and go to export.

Then select export as change format to PNG.

Here, you can also change your image size and then click export Name your file and save your image is now saved is a cut out with a transparent background and ready for any background you want to put behind it.