masking out help
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- auejim
Can anyone recommend any techniques to extract objects/people from backgrounds? I usually just use mask and brushes? is there a better way?
someone mentioned channels to me once?
thanks
- univers0
What I was always told with photoshop, is to create a new path layer under the path tab ( should be next to your layers and channels ) and outline the person with the Pen tool. A good Pen tool will give you a clean selection, and you can use pixel feather to soften the edges needed. At the bottom of the tab there is a dashed line circle that you click to get the selection, go to your layer you want to select from in the layer tab and off you go!
I also have been told that there is no quick fix to cutting people out, the pen tool has the most power in my mind, but it all takes time.
- flashbender0
Big fan of the pen tool. Depending on the contrast I've found the background eraser tool to be quite effective - especially with hair/fur.
ANother trick is to make a duplicate layer, then go to the channels tab and select the channel with the highest contrast, tweak it to maximize the contrast and do your work in that mode instead of the full RGB Mode
- I like to shoot on a green background myself. Saves the heartache of any advanced selection work!univers
- chossy0
use the extract filter N0ob
- marychain0
You'll never get as good a selection as creating a path with the pen tool...you'll also have the most control. Then make the path a selection and remove the background...you can feather the selection if you want so it doesn't have that cutout look.
Make sure you zoom in REAL close. In my experience the Extract fitler is a useless piece of junk unless you have a really easy & clean image to cut out.
- Dancer0
Very experienced Artworker I use creates an Alpha channel bangs up the contrast and paints in the other areas. Saves that selection and load it up when it's needed. Very useful for whispy hair.
I use a pen when I cannot be arsed with ^ that
- blaw0
For the channels approach, select the channel with the most "fill", duplicate it, then adjust the levels to create a solid black silhouette of the shape you're looking for. Use a brush to paint in areas that "levels" misses, then load the selection.
That said, I mostly use that only to help isolate hair. The pen tool is my default approach to cutting out a person or object.
- detritus0
What Dancer said. Also, use the QBN 'filter' search command, as there was a topic on this subject recently.
Personally, I find the pen tool for cut outs a bit limiting as it sets such a hard path between the foreground and background, and it can also get quite fiddly.
What I prefer to do is make a copy of the layer to be cutout and add a mask. Under this, I create a contrasting colour layer, then, back on the mask, I brush-out the areas I don't want.
The reason I do this is because I find it quicker to shift-brush around the form, flipping the foreground colour and 'undo-editing' where necessary. It also allows me to control the 'blur' of the brush where the image focus might change. For hair or leaves, etc - I'd then dick around with a banged up contrast channel selection, as per Dancer's suggestion.
Depends on the image type though - if it's all hard lines, corners or wide curves - use paths, if it's organic, photographic or complex, I'd use a mask and a range of brushes. Or sometimes, a combination of the two :)
- 'combo of the two' being where I employ paths, but then set them as a selection to delete with. I never use paths in PS.detritus
- N0ob, I use 'insta wipe off remove background thingy'chossy
- Once you use the pen tool, use the feather to soften. You always want to make the least amount of pen points to create smooth transitions. Plus you have to practice, but vector is vector and is the most precise way in making a selection, thats my only point.
But again, selections all take time and there is no easy way. Right?univers - Yeah, I get it - I just prefer my method. Also, path feathering only allows you one 'level of blur', without being fiddly.detritus
- Mind you, since CS2 I've started using the Vector smart object thing quite a lot - that's great for bringing in AI stuff :)detritus
- No paths in Photoshop...your living in the PAST man!
PS does Vector...Illy does rater...it's a brave new worldmarychain
- Gucci0
my method is with the magic wand tool for starters or the extractor tool (depending on the complexity of the image it doesn't work terribly well all the time).
You can also copy the layer/channel, use threshold, levels, posterization, etc, to create a nice crisp line around the outside edge of your selection and THEN use the magic wand tool.
It's all about cutting down the time in the initial setup phase. You can tweak after it's been roughed in with the pen tool.
BUT the bottom line is: there's no one clear way to do it.
Have fun!