Photoshop Image Extraction with Channels
If you're creating image composites, and especially if you're working with stock images, you'll find yourself needing to extract image elements from a white background. This can be a straightforward task with Photoshop, and often you'll get better results with some of the old school techniques.
For example, take this image from Shutterstock. Here we have a figure on a white background, and your first thought might be, "I can make short work of this with Quick Selection Tool." (Or the magic wand). [More]