I am a bit lost. I want to select a scanned shape that does not have even edges. When I use a magic wand it takes the shape of those edges. Even if I use contract comand followed by CLEAR to even edges, it is still not even because the marque itself is not even. Is there a way to straigten it so that I make my shapes' edges smooth and even?

Balky, IF I understand your problem, using the Path tool to outline your selection would let you make straight lines and eliminate the ragged edges.

I thought about it, but it will be very much work :-( I will spend hrs just to do that

Thanks for trying to hhelp

Much of your jaggies should disappear if you rescan at a much higher resolution. For example, if you originally scanned at 150 ppi, try rescaning at 800 ppi.

Cheers
Duv

I scanned it at 300 dpi. here is a new scan at 800 and no results; is there a way to correct uneven marquee using PS7 resources?

Thanks

Balky

When I look at your closeup, it looks like a huge improvement to me. Not perfect though. You might also try running Unsharp Mask at extreme levels as I did on the attachment. Otherwise, apart from C.J's advice, you might want to try masking and painting with black or white.

Cheers
Duv

Balky, one method is as follows:
- gaussian blur -- I used 5 pixels radius on the first and about 15 on the second image -- this will vary from image to image
- adjust levels -- squeeze the black and white sliders into the middle, and play with the exact placement of all three sliders to get the effect you want

ps -- I learned this years ago from Kai Krause's tips
http://development.gurusnetwork.com/kpt/tip/4/

Scott

In Photoshop 7 you can smooth the edges by a few pixels
Under Select-Modify-smooth that will help but not too much or you will lose shape

Nice tip Scott. I'll keep this one handy.

Cheers
Duv

Hey, guys.

Thanks for the input. Boy have I tried different blurs and median and no good results. Will try this now. FOr a reason they say "Live and learn" and I know that Photoshop has millions of tricks hidden for me and for any proffy person :)

I'm not exactly sure what the end result for your project is, but here's what I'd do to get rid of the soft uneven edges. Some of this has already been suggested, so forgive me for being redundant. :)

*Use the "magic wand" and select the white areas. Hold down the shift key to select additional edges that are not connected.
*Select "inverse" from the "select" menu.
*Select "modify" from "select" menu.
*Then select "contract" (a couple of pixels - 2 to 4), depending on what you prefer)
*Select "modify" once again and select "smooth" (adjust to preference).
*After you get the smoothness that you want Right click on the layer and select "layer via copy".
*Your edges should be smooth now so you can re-create the white background with the paint bucket tool and flatten the two images.

This only takes a few moments of time.

I tried that before anything else. It does not work well. If you take too much pixels, then it changes the shape of your selection :(

Hi Balky

I guess I too am getting a bit confused as to what you actually want to achieve. You talked about a way of getting rid of the jaggies. I don't think it is possible with the wand tool. I thought Scott's (sdubose99) idea was a terrific way of getting the most out of providing sharp edges. If that doesn't give you what you want, how much better do you need to make it to satisfy your needs?

Cheers
Duv

Balky,
I believe that a better way to create a graphic would be to use Illustrator since it is vector-based rather than bit-mapped. Not an answer you want, but probably helpful in the long run.

Hi DUV. You said you too were getting confused; who else is confused? My last post was a reply to LQQKER. I did not say anything about my being unsatisfied or anything at all for that matter.

My Original question was if it was possible to straighten selection. Selection takes the shape of uneven edges, and even if you do contract it, it retains its original shape. That's all I wanted to know. I guess PS does not yet provide that trick :) The solution that SDUBOSS99 provided is great but it does not make the edges perfectly even. It makes it much smoother and less noticeable.

I want the edges to be absolutely perfectly even so I can make a shape out of it for future use. That is why I am still exploring my options.

Sorry if I confused anyone.

Hi Balky

Thanks for clarifying. It was probably just me that was confused. I think you may be limited though in getting much more out of your graphic. Perhaps CJ's idea is worth exploring. Also, if you had a Wacom tablet, you could probably find lots of curly templates at the local craft store that you could trace. Darn, just doesn't seem to be an "easy" way to solve your need.

Cheers
Duv

You will never get a really smooth edge with any bitmap image unless it is straight up and down or horizontal. The best you will ever get is an anti-aliased edge if it is curved or at an angle that is due to the way bitmap (or raster) images work.

I would suggest that you do a search for photoshop shapes there are many out there that have been created in vector programs and saved in a format that photoshop can use. Or try using some of the dingbat or script fonts to create your own.

The attached image was created in a vector program (XaraX) and exported as an AI file then opened in PS. It consists of the letter 'S' in a script font.

The second image is exported from XaraX as a png file which can be used in PS.

Christine