Learn English – Difference between “safe from” vs “safe of” something

To take (something) out of the picture is an idiom meaning to remove it from consideration. If you are pondering, for example, whether to trade your sandwich, apple, or cookie to your friend in exchange for his candy bar, you might decide that you would get into too much trouble if you traded your sandwich; so you "take the sandwich out of the picture", reducing your choice to either the apple or the cookies. The sandwich is no longer an option.

To "take (X) off (Y)" generally implies that item X is physically resting on top of item Y. So, to "take this part off the picture" would probably mean that you have a picture, and a part is sitting on the picture, blocking your view of something in the picture. So you move it.

To "take (X) from (Y)" generally implies that X is presently a part of Y and you are going to remove it. So, to "take this part from the picture" means that you have a picture of an something, including a particular item. You intend to remove the item, and re-take the picture without the item present.

You can use "against" when there is a tangible threat:

Mace allows people to protect themselves against assault.

And you can use "from" when there is a non-tangible threat:

Not caring can protect you from feeling embarrassed.

The relevant distinction is contained in the meanings for from and against:

against — in resistance to or defense from: "protection against burglars."

from — (used to indicate agent or instrumentality): "death from starvation."

Pragmatically, there is very little difference between the two prepositions and you can more or less use them interchangeably. That being said, patterns do exist.

1. Food protects one from starvation.

2. Food protects against starvation.

Note that "one" is used in (1). You could say "protects from starvation" but it isn't as common. Likewise, you could say "protects one against starvation" but it is also more uncommon.

You can use NGrams to check the most common prepositions for each:

• protects * against
• protects * from

This can give you a quick overview of which is used where. But, as I mentioned earlier, it isn't a major issue if you use the "wrong" one. The differences here are minute.