Instant Mask is a nifty bit of freeware which lets you quickly and easily remove unwanted background stuff from your photographs. The free version offers a fairly rudimentary erase process, but there’s also a $19.95 Pro version (pictured) which gives more power over things like feathering and area selection.

The free version is great for simple masking tasks, like removing the odd object here and there, but you’re going to need more delicate control if you want to do anything sophisticated. Nevertheless, it’s a neat bit of free software.