• Step 1 - Using the Magic Wand
The Magic Wand tool can be used to select areas of a similar colour, for example, by clicking in the gap between the chains on this image, I can select all of the white section behind.

When you click on an area of the image, the selected section of similar colour appears with a black and white dotted line around it (just visible here).

Press the 'Delete' button to erase that section of the image and make it transparent.

You will often find that the area you select is too 'patchy', i.e. some areas of very similar colour next to the selected area do not have the dotted line around it.

To solve this, you must change the 'Tolerance' of the Magic Wand, in the 'Tools' box. The large the number, the larger the range of colours selected in one go.

The screenshot below shows the 'Tools' box.

• Step 2 - Using the Lasso Tool
The Lasso Tool can be used to select certain areas of an image to cut out. For example, in the second image on left (for step 1), you can see little patches where the Magic Wand has missed. It is possible to change the tolerance for this, but here is another way.

There are two types of Lasso, freedraw and polygon. The freedraw mode draws a blue line wherever you move the mouse when holding down the button, then connects the two ends of the line up when you let go of the mouse button. Polygon mode connects straight lines between where you click on the screen.

Remember to ensure that you click on the correct layer of the image before you begin cutting, otherwise you will cut out a part of the wrong one. Also note that you can only cut in Bitmap Mode, which you can enter by double clicking on the main image.

The second image on the left shows the completed image, with all parts cut out. I could touch it up further (e.g. on the middle left of the image) but the quality here is good enough. To see the completed image with fireball, have a look at 'Behind the Scenes'.