Photo Compositing - - Your best masking techniques. - Page 4

plugsnpixels · #46 10-14-2006, 07:23 PM

Donamai, if you come up with a higher-res version of that image, I'll give it a go. No point working off a pic with all those artifacts and blown-out areas--we need to give the masking apps the most data possible to work with.

bart_hickman · #47 10-14-2006, 07:30 PM

Followed the method I've used in the previous examples: namely, background eraser with tolerance around 30%, in combination with masked multiply and screen layers (a la three mask method.) About 10 minutes--the low jpeg quality is a hindrance to getting good quality so I didn't spend any time cleaning some leftover ceiling texture.

Bart

Kraellin · #48 10-14-2006, 08:40 PM

i dont know much about channel extracting. i always use rgb.

i had to give your glass sculpture a try. this was a good image to practice on with the bge. i'm getting a bit better with it. i did find i had to follow up the bge with a normal erase and then a bit of push here and there. i'm still trying to refine my settings. currently, i seem to leave a lot of small dots behind and have to follow up with some cleanup. so, this was not a short job.

cool sculpture!

Donamai · #49 10-14-2006, 09:36 PM

Hi

Sorry I had no better resolution image than that. My friend took a shot of it and used the smallest setting for his camera.
That is the only shot I had. I found it interesting because there were different colors in it and the outlines were different. I really like that picture of the sculpture but I can't fix the resolution it is bad.

Sorry about the resolution PLUGSNPIXELS but I went online and found some images you might have a go at.

Great job Bart and Kraellin.. nice job!!

bart_hickman · #50 10-14-2006, 09:54 PM

Craig, spectacular job!

Just want to point out that mid-grey is, in general, the least demanding plain color--especially in this case where the original BG is grey. To really stress an extraction, pick a BG color as different from the original as possible for the acid test (black and white are good as are fully saturated primaries.)

Bart

plugsnpixels · #51 10-14-2006, 11:04 PM

I stand corrected! Excellent work, my friends!

So I gave it a try. Here is what EZMask did with less than a minute of effort on my part. Not as good as the others'--I did not do any touch up to the results nor did I try it a second time (doing other work)--but not as bad as I had feared.

skydog · #52 10-15-2006, 06:23 AM

I didn't pick this up in the discussion: what do you mean by BGE?

While you are discussing mask programs, I recently came across "Fluid Mask". The cost is quite high...has anyone tried this one?

Thanks for this thread...very interesting.

bart_hickman · #53 10-15-2006, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skydog

I didn't pick this up in the discussion: what do you mean by BGE?

While you are discussing mask programs, I recently came across "Fluid Mask". The cost is quite high...has anyone tried this one?

Thanks for this thread...very interesting.

BGE = background eraser. It's a brush in both photoshop/photoshop elements and paintshop pro.

I've been trying the trial version of fluidmask, but I've not had good luck. I hate to elaborate more than that because it seems like the most complex and difficult-to-learn of all the tools I've tried and so I might not be using it to its fullest.

Bart

skydog · #54 10-15-2006, 10:03 AM

thanks Bart...also please keep us posted on "fluid mask"

Kraellin · #55 10-15-2006, 11:42 AM

thank you, donamai

and thank you, bart

yes, you're right about the gray background. as soon as i put it on white or black, i found more stuff to correct.

and like bart, i tried the fluid mask demo. it didnt take long to realize this program was going to take a bit to learn to get good at it. the learning curve seems a bit steep. the results they show on their web site and video look spectacular and easy to achieve but the actual process seems to be quite a bit removed from that. i dont know if it's the windows version that is like this only or if the mac is like this too. i think it's going to take more than a 30 day demo to convince me to buy it, though.

Donamai · #56 10-15-2006, 09:23 PM

Hi

I had some time to work on some of my images... You were right Bart! as you mentioned to Kraellin putting the extraction in different backgrounds gives you a better view of contamination or residual of the original background.

I did not clean it up as much as I should but I could see that some of the dots and lines were still part of the image.

I also worked on the one I found on the internet. It gave me a little more trouble as I found more color hidden and spread out in the image.

I used the "Select Color Range" the "history brush" and some of the "Extraction Tool" It took some good time to finally get the straight lines, though you can still see the extraction is not that clean. I used the "levels" on the mask but I could not get it to make it smoother as I wanted... well, you guys see for yourselves!

Take care!!

plugsnpixels · #57 10-19-2006, 10:44 AM

I spent some time with Fluid Mask when it first came out, and also with the new version (see my examples here).

The screenshot is of the current version, using my own photo. It works by segmenting your image into sectors based on tonal range/color. You choose the Delete tool and wipe away the sectors you don't want. Then you process the results.

One thing I learned is that a higher edge sensitivity than used in the screenshot seems to improve the results.

The examples on the right of the page were done with the first version, where Fluid Mask operated more like Extensis Mask Pro, and still did quite well (I think my comp of the two flower shots is cool).

I should do a feature on currently available masking tools in an upcoming ezine, since this is an important and most practical topic.

bart_hickman · #58 10-19-2006, 01:11 PM

How would you say Fluid Mask is for doing wispy hair types of extractions?

Bart

plugsnpixels · #59 10-19-2006, 01:13 PM

I personally haven't pulled that off (haven't tried much), but on a glamour retouch thread here, someone else did. I did have quick and easy success with EZMask, though.

Kraellin · #60 10-19-2006, 02:00 PM

Quote:

I should do a feature on currently available masking tools in an upcoming ezine, since this is an important and most practical topic.

that would be a most welcome help. extractions are used frequently here on RP and i think it's one of those things we all run into and all have difficulty with at times.