Whispy Hair...Help!!

[QueenBrownShuga]

This is a nice photo. I want to put it on a different background, but the whispy hair is making me crazy! Any tips on how to remove this photo, whispy hair and all, and put it on a different background?

The photo is HERE

[unimatrix001]

Not sure is this is want you want but i think it will work.
http://av.adobe.com/russellbrown/AdvancedMasking.mov

[philbach]

This technique I learned from Russel Brown and I would recommend you check his tutorial as listed.

The first thing I did was make a rough selection with the pen tool to select most of the subject. I saved this as a separate channel.

Then I selected the green channel and copied it to a new channel then I increased the contrast in this channel using curves. Later the dodge and burn tool.

Finally I added the two selections together and saved that as a third alpha channel and used that to make the final selection.

[Lasa]

Used the Photoshop extract tool...light eraser and the smudge tool set to shape dynamics: control: fade 25 to help even out the right side of the image due to the miniblinds..
Lasa

[Lasa]

Once you add the new background the extraction looks even better.
Lasa

[geru]

Originally Posted by QueenBrownShuga

This is a nice photo. I want to put it on a different background, but the whispy hair is making me crazy! Any tips on how to remove this photo, whispy hair and all, and put it on a different background?

The photo is HERE

Queen there is a "free background extractor" called GML Matting plug-in that works very much like the one found in CS2. It works well in PSP X & XI.

Download and install it in your plug-in folder, it shows up in plug-ins as GML.

[QueenBrownShuga]

Originally Posted by philbach

This technique I learned from Russel Brown and I would recommend you check his tutorial as listed.

The first thing I did was make a rough selection with the pen tool to select most of the subject. I saved this as a separate channel.

Then I selected the green channel and copied it to a new channel then I increased the contrast in this channel using curves. Later the dodge and burn tool.

Finally I added the two selections together and saved that as a third alpha channel and used that to make the final selection.

I don't have photoshop. I use PSPX

[Lasa]

The GML plugin works as well even better then the Photoshop extract...
Lasa

[QueenBrownShuga]

Originally Posted by Lasa

The GML plugin works as well even better then the Photoshop extract...
Lasa

I d/l the GML and found it be not to different from Corel Knock Out 2 which is what I have. Even using Knock Out I found it hard to deal with the whispy hair.

THanks for all your help everyone

[leuallen]

Use GML and lots of art work on the right hand side of the hair where it was blown out by the backlight.

Larry