need help with back ground removal

[lolli]

Hi everyone Iam having trouble figuring how to remove background from a picture. I have cs3 and have tried quick select and lasso but havent figured it out yet. I am a novice but want to learn. I am also haveing trouble with stray hairs on face and off on to background Thanks ahead of time

[mistermonday]

Hi Lolli, there are many ways to remove the background but the most efficient method depends on the image. It would be best if you could attach the image or some portion of it.
Regards, Murray

[lolli]

http://flickr.com/photos/33303153@N02/3149975495/

The blue pic remember I am a novice so can you dumb it down for me Lol thanks Pat

[OC_1]

i use paint shop pro but a quick trick you can try is to have the image open not as a background layer but as a layer so either promote to layer or copy and paste as a new image n you should have it as a later
for starts instead of using the lasso n such erase what you dont want asjust opacity size etc as you go and as you see fit for your image
hopefully this will get you started

[OC_1]

sorry this is my first post here so please excuse my typo's also remember if you save the image in the file format of the program you are working on lets you stop n comeback later in most and continue where you left off if your image has multiple layers when you saved or steps
they would be there when you brought it back up again to work on it

[amica999]

Lolli, open the channels palette and copy the blue channel, invert it and use levels on it to increase contrast. What you want to keep must be white, what you want to hide must be black, little gray for transition areas around the hair is fine. Use the dodge tool on white area, and burn tool on the dark areas to refine. Once done, go to the layers palette, duplicate the background layer, go to the channels palette again, control click on the blue copy channel to load your selection, go back to the layers, highlight background copy and clivk on the add mask icon. Voila, Hide the background layer, put any layer you want UNDER your copy....hope this helps some

[lolli]

Thanks for the help I am not quite getting it yet I keep getting lost .I am so new to cs3 and all photo shop so takes me awhile but I will keep trying . I am hoping the thing about can't teach old dogs new tricks isnt true or else Im lost Pat

[mistermonday]

I made a copy of the Blue channel. Applied a levels adjustment to add contrast. Then used Dodge and Burn tools to paint away the background to generate a mask. I then pasted in another photo backdrop I had.
The key to smooth transitions is to use a low opacity brush to paint on the areas where the flyaway hairs meet the background.
Regards, Murray

[Swampy]

Hi, Lolli! Welcome to RetouchPro! Explore and Enjoy!

If you are serious about wanting to learn Photoshop, spend $25 at Lynda.com. That will give you 1 month of full access to all the learning tutorials on any/all programs you are interested in. You can access them 24/7. (Best done on a broadband connection). Just search on Photoshop to get a list of available video tutorials.

Also... if you do join, pay your bill with a credit card then CANCEL your subscription. If you don't, you may forget and you will be billed $25 the following month.

[lolli]

I love what you did misterMonday thats what I want to do and I am joining lynda.com Swampy but my only question is does it go slow enough for beginners? Thanks for all the help I reaLLY DO APPRECIATE iT pAT

[Swampy]

Lolli.. you can take as much time as you want (within your month). Start with a "beginner" course (because they do have different levels). The idea is to get an overview of the tools and techniques. Don't worry about trying to learn everything all at once. Absorb the general concepts and buzz words. You'll find that later, you'll face an image that, for example, may need to be lightened in selected areas, you will remember you "saw that on Lynda and remember dodge and burn or Screen blend mode. THEN you can go to the Photoshop Help menu and search on "dodge/burn" or "lighten an image" to refresh your memory and learn more.

I hate that they don't print manuals any more. When I would get a new program, I would fix a pot of tea and start paging through the manual reading the sample captions and headlines. Then I'd get into a project and face a situation and say to myself... I know Photoshop can fix this, I saw it in the manual. Then I would search the manual index for key words that would apply. (clone, color, heal etc.)

[lolli]

Thanks bunches this very daunting but for financial resons i need to learn and defiinetaly need help so am joining now. It helps to have someone who knows tell you it can be done

[Swampy]

Don't forget to cancel after you get your confirmation.