Remove Tourists From Vacation Photos In Photoshop – Stack Mode Tutorial
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Remove tourists from photos in Photoshop by loading several shots into a Smart Object and letting the Median Stack Mode erase anything that moved between frames.
In this Photoshop tutorial, we will use Image Stacks to remove people walking through a scene. This technique does require some planning and the use of multiple photos, but the results are excellent!
The Image Stack Mode method is perfect for removing people from crowded places or unwanted objects moving through a scene.
If your scene has more people scattered through it than a couple of tourists, this companion Image Stack tutorial covers the same method for busier crowds.
The Image Stack Mode will take a statistical average of the content found in all the photos. It will keep identical areas and remove everything that changes between the shots.
Cars and people will likely move and change locations. Thus they will be removed when the algorithm is applied, leaving only the background.
When taking the photos, make sure your camera is on a tripod so that the images line up better during the blend. If you do not have a tripod, ensure that you hold your camera as steady as possible when shooting your images.
Wait 20 seconds or so in between each shot. You want to give people and cars time to move. In most cases, you will only need between 8 to 20 photos.
If shooting a whole series is not practical, Content-Aware Fill can remove a single distraction from just one photo instead.
Note: This tutorial was recorded in Photoshop 2017 (version 18.0). Every menu path it uses still works the same way in the current version of Photoshop. That includes File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack, Edit > Auto-Align Layers, and Layer > Smart Objects > Stack Mode > Median.
Key Takeaways
- Once you remove tourists from photos in Photoshop with Image Stack Mode, moving cars and crowds disappear too, not just people.
- The Median Stack Mode keeps whatever stays in the same place across every frame and erases whatever moves.
- A tripod is not required. Handheld shots line up fine once you run Auto-Align Layers first.
- The technique needs 8 to 20 separate photos taken seconds apart, not one long exposure.
- The Statistics script does the loading, aligning, and stacking in a single command.
- An object that lingers in roughly the same spot across several frames, like a waving flag, can survive the blend and need manual retouching.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Keyboard Shortcuts To Remove Tourists From Photos In Photoshop
- Load Multiple Files as Layers
- Auto-Align Layers
- Put The Aligned Images into Smart Object
- Apply The Median Stack Mode To The Smart Object
- Faster Way of Doing This! Statistics Script
- Fixing Image Stack Errors
- Crop The Image
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to load a folder of photos into Photoshop as stacked layers
- How to use Auto-Align Layers to line up handheld shots
- How to convert a layer stack into a Smart Object and apply the Median Stack Mode
- How to run the same process in one step with the Statistics script
- How to fix an element the stack blend removed by accident, like a flag
- How to crop the final image
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2017 (version 18.0) or the current version
- 8 to 20 photos of the same scene, shot from a fixed position
Practice Files
Download the images used in this tutorial and follow along step by step.
Keyboard Shortcuts To Remove Tourists From Photos In Photoshop
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Select all layers | Ctrl Alt A | Command Option A |
| Copy | Ctrl C | Command C |
| Paste in Place | Ctrl Shift V | Command Shift V |
| Crop tool | C | C |
In this tutorial, we will use nine photos I shot with my cell phone without using a tripod.
For this video, I wanted to use photos that were not shot under the perfect conditions so that you could see the power of this technique.
Load Multiple Files as Layers
The first step is to bring those files into Photoshop as layers. To do so, go to File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack…
In the “Load Layers” window select “Folder” from the “Use” dropdown.
Then click on the “Browse” button, and look for the folder containing your images. If you are following along with my images, find the folder titled “stacking.”
Press OK after you have selected the folder.
The file names will appear within the window. If all the files are there, press the OK button to move the files into Photoshop.
Auto-Align Layers
For the Image Stack to work, these layers need to align. If you used a tripod when shooting the images, then your layers should already be aligned.
The photos used in this tutorial were not shot with a tripod, so they will need to be aligned in Photoshop.
To align the layers, select them all by pressing CtrlAltA (Windows) or CommandOptionA (macOS).
Then go to the Edit menu and select “Auto-Align Layers.” Make sure that “Auto” is selected, and press “OK.”
Photoshop will then look through all your layers to find similar pixels and align them together.
Put The Aligned Images into Smart Object
Select all your layers again, right-click on the side of any selected layers and choose “Convert to Smart Object.”
Apply The Median Stack Mode To The Smart Object
Now that all the layers are inside a Smart Object, we can control how the set blends by using a “Stack Mode.” Go to Layer > Smart Objects > Stack Mode > Median.
This Stack Mode takes a statistical average of the content found in all the photos. It keeps identical areas and removes everything that changes between the different shots.
In other words, Photoshop will eliminate any object that is not constant through all or most layers, such as people walking through the scene.
Faster Way of Doing This! Statistics Script
You can get to this point in the tutorial by simply using one command.
Go to File > Scripts > Statistics.
In the Image Statistics window, select Folder as the use, and click on the Browse button to find the images you want to use in the Image Stack.
Once the images load, select Median as the Stack Mode and check “Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images.”
This command will Auto-Align the images and put them in a Smart Object using the Median Stack Mode. Getting you to this part of the tutorial.
Note: A Smart Object is a container that can hold one or more layers. It lets you apply editable adjustments, distortions, filters, and transformations.
Fixing Image Stack Errors
Problems may arise when dealing with background elements that are constantly moving, such as water or flags.
In this example, the two flags on top of the Tribune Tower disappear. We can bring them back by copying and pasting a flag from one of the original images.
For a smaller leftover artifact like this, Remove Anything From a Photo in Photoshop covers a few faster patch methods worth trying first.
To do this, go to Layer > Smart Object > Edit Contents.
A new tab will open up that contains the contents of the Smart Object.
Then go to the layers labeled “02.jpg” this image, in my opinion, contains the best version of both flags.
Select the Lasso and make a selection around the American flag. With the selection active, press CtrlC (Windows) or CommandC (macOS) to copy.
Go back to the working document and paste the flag there with CtrlShiftV (Windows) or CommandShiftV (macOS) to paste in place. Repeat these steps with the smaller flag below the American flag.
Crop The Image
Use the Crop Tool to crop the picture. Press C (Windows) or C (macOS), then use the handles to adjust the crop size. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (macOS) when you’re done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Image Stack Mode is the tool that removes tourists from photos in Photoshop. It blends several photos of the same scene into a Smart Object. Photoshop then compares every layer, keeps only what stays the same, and erases what moves, like people, cars, or crowds.
Most scenes only need 8 to 20 photos. Take them from a fixed spot, waiting about 20 seconds between shots so people and cars have time to move to a new position.
No. A tripod helps the shots line up automatically, but handheld photos work too. Run Auto-Align Layers before converting the layers to a Smart Object and Photoshop matches them up for you.
Median looks for the value that appears most consistently across the stack, which works best for removing people and cars. Mean averages every layer together instead, which suits noise reduction better than object removal.
Yes. Go to File > Scripts > Statistics, load your folder of photos, choose Median as the Stack Mode, and check Attempt to Automatically Align Source Images. This loads, aligns, and stacks the photos in one command.
An object that barely moves, like a flag waving in the wind, can end up partially erased instead of fully removed. Open the Smart Object‘s contents, copy the missing piece from one of the original layers, and paste it back into the final image.
This tutorial was recorded in Photoshop 2017, version 18.0. Image Stack Mode and every menu path it uses still work the same way in the current version of Photoshop.
Conclusion
Now you can remove tourists from photos in Photoshop with Image Stack Mode. A handful of ordinary shots turns into one clean photo with the crowds, cars, and other distractions gone.
The process comes down to four steps: load the photos as layers, align them, convert them to a Smart Object, and apply the Median Stack Mode. Or skip straight to the same result with one click of the Statistics script.
Watch the video above for the full walkthrough, and comment on the video if you have a question.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Once you have this manual technique down, try Photoshop’s AI-powered Remove Tool for even faster object removal.
Related Links
Final Image
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You are Great!
I have used the Photoshop a years and had no idea of all this trikes.
Thank for sharing!
You’re welcome, Maria!
Jesus, I just discovered your excellent site. Thank you for this stacking tutorial. I live in San Miguel de Allende, MX, it is an incredible place for photo but almost impossible to shoot without people admiring the sights. This will make the difference.
I do have a question: as part of a personal challenge I want to place a transparent cloud into a room in an abandoned hacienda.
Do you have a tutorial that will help me achieve this effect.
Thank you,
TC
TC
Maybe this tutorial will help
https://photoshoptrainingchannel.com/create-smoke-fog-brush/
Why do not you put the links of images in your tutorials
I’m not sure what you mean. This tutorial has images you can download.
They’re probably requesting the images you used to make the finished product so that they can follow along to this tutorial without making their own shots.
Ah, you have to close the social media plug request box to get to the download links!
Where? I just spent 15 minutes looking.
Really like your tutorials and presentations. great job.
Quick question, can I use the Median Stack Mode (or other modes/scripts) to remove all people BUT one? Can I select a region in the photo to not be excluded?
It would be great when you want to keep you subject against a busy background or to keep a random person to make the photo more interesting
Yeah, basically what you can do is the same thing I did with the flags. Copy and paste the person from one of the original shot.
I hope this helps!
Why not work whit only 2 photos?
You need more than one photo. Like the video, you need 10 or more photos depending on the scene.
I think you need more than 2 photos for sure cause the software needs section of image is correct. As with any data, the more the better.
From where we can downlaod the images used in this tutorial?
How can I do the opposite effect? I need to add all new elements.Maximum adds Lighter elements, Minimum adds darker elements. But I need them all. TIA
Jesus, I cannot find the files to work along with you on this tutorial. Can you give me the link?
Just started using your tutorials. Do you have sample files that I can unsealing with the tutorials?