another problem with hair..

[jaroslav]

So I've got another problem - how to remove background.

Pic : http://www.sendspace.com/file/f6pxt9

I played with "blend if" and calculations with levels and nothing...

any ideas how to do this ?

thx U

[ruud92]

try color select, that may help in this case.

[igot2pman]

Hello again,

1. Duplicate the BG
2. Open a new levels adj layer
3. Use the white dropper to select a med dark grey point (this will allow you more room in the CR selection) (red dot is where i clicked)
4. Copy murge to a new layer
5. Use the color range (CR) tool to select the whites (i used 119 fuzziness)
6. Hide or delete the levels ADJ layer and the copy merge (its no longer needed)
7. With the selection shown; use the quick select (subtract selection) on the parts of the hair or shoulder that you want shown
8. Invert the selection
9. Create a new layer mask on the duplicate BG; the selection should become the mask. fine tune where necessary (probably the shoulder)

I further edited by making another levels and pushing auto (with the grey BG shown as its a grey point).

Hope it helps,
-Keven

[plantphoto]

Personally my approach would be to use a channels.
Find the channel with most contrast for darker hair to manipulate into a mask.
Then to the same for the lighter hair.You can then apply both these masks into one.
Simon
Here's a trailer for a similar masking job I did using these methods http://www.prophotoinsights.net/making-gabe.html

[StormFX]

There isn't enough contrast to build successful mask in RGB indeed. I suggest convert to CMYK and use yellow channel to build the mask. After that you can use level, curves, D&B, apply image etc. to finish the mask

Very quick and dirty example, just to show the result:

[mepaulus]

Originally Posted by StormFX

There isn't enough contrast to build successful mask in RGB indeed. I suggest convert to CMYK and use yellow channel to build the mask. After that you can use level, curves, D&B, apply image etc. to finish the mask

Very quick and dirty example, just to show the result:

wished i could say quick and dirty lol , took me hours but i got there with lots of fiddly close in work.

[chillin]

Here is one tutorial.

[jries51]

Hey StormFX, I hope you've been able to make this work by now. Chillin, thanks for the tutorial! I've been using Photoshop to retouch pictures for over 11 years now and I can still learn new tricks.

[ray12]

I know this solution is not cheap...but I use Fluid Mask by Vertustech.com and it is possible to get hair strand accuracy in the cutout without any halos or fringing at each hair strand edge (price approx $149-179USD). The selection process takes just a few minutes and it returns a perfect mask back to Photoshop with the cutoiut ready to go. If you have a fairly even background this works just about perfect and quick...but if you have a busy or complicated background right behind the hair...no eye, mask, or extraction program is going to be able to tell the difference between a strand of hair or a pine needle or leaf edge. I have been able to get perfect and often flawless cutouts in minutes...but with other more complicated edges...you still have to do some minor repairs obviously. Hair is tuff.

Ray12

[Swampy]

I used my tutorial "Masking the Sky" for the bulk of the work (requires CS3 or higher) . On the resulting B/W channel, while cleaning up, I did an Apply Image set for SCREEN, to finish blowing out the background. I got to this point in less than 5 minutes.

See the tutorial link in my sig.

[jaroslav]

Swapmy could you show me a psd file with full description. It'll be easier to understeand this method , I tried and hair are not smooth.

[Swampy]

Jaroslav,

I'm attaching the text log from my PS work on your image. It pretty much follows my video tutorial "Masking the Sky" with a few minor adjustments. (PS tutorials HERE) The fist B/W adjustment layer does not show in my layers palette because it gets merged down into the "Junk" layer that is then used to build the mask in the channels palette.

The main modification to the tutorial was that after applying the mask I did another B/W adjustment layer (set to Luminosity blend mode) and moved the sliders to the right to bring back more reds and yellows in the hair)

Follow along with the attached text file might help you too.

[jaroslav]

Swampy thx

btw. I installed fluid mask, looks pretty good

anyone got any guidebook to this plugin ?

[Swampy]

I hear the learning curve on any of the 3rd party masking plugins are pretty steep. I've got MaskPro (OnOneSoftware), but find that for 90% of the stuff I need I still end up back in PS with channels and stuff.

[jlrsn]

A legal discounted full version of Vertus Fluid Mask 3.0.10 is available for $129 from PhotoshopSupport.com at:

http://www.vertustech.com/fm_partners_photosup.htm

This is the full licensed version.
Jim