Back to 'Cutting out hair'

[gbdurfee]

Now I'm off and searching for info on cutting out objects and putting them together with other objects (which I believe I can do - at least so far I think that is the least of my concerns). The tutorials I've searched so far seem to deal with contrasting image-backrounds. What can you suggest for ones that are so similar one isn't sure which is which? Example: Take guy and gal away from background per attached. What methods?

[stuart h]

Gail, sometimes there is a fair bit of guesswork I find! What I usually do is dupe the BG layer & add a levels adjustment layer. I play about with the sliders to draw out any definition, all the time checking the channels for the best contrast. Then I paint a quick mask to select the outline & make a layer mask from the active selection. Using a layer mask means I can hide the background & modify the mask using white/black until it looks right.
This took about 2 mins to separate the couple from the BG.

[Ed_L]

Really a nice two minute job Stuart! Like Gail, I've had a hard time finding good tutorials for removing subjects from like-toned backgrounds. Thanks for the description of how you did it.

Ed

[stuart h]

Thank you.
It was the mask that took a couple of minutes, the image took a couple more!
I used to work with a mouse & make lots of my masks with the pen tool...then I got a graphics tablet (graphire2) & switching quick mask to selected mode meant I was able to "paint" masks SERIOUSLY quickly! Generally, now I only use the pen to make paths/selections around inorganic objects.
BTW...does anyone know the benefits of an Intuos over a Graphire?

[Doug Nelson]

Tangents BAD!

Look here for the Intuos/Graphire debate.

[gbdurfee]

Over my head

Well, thanks for your great help. It would be nice if I could do this in a couple mins. I followed one of the other links a couple days ago dealing with cutting out hair - that is the name of the forum. It led me to a relatively easy one but it dealt with the contrasting backgrounds. It worked, but with a lot more clean up. Then I found a couple others to try and now Stuart's. It looks like it works really good...as soon as I figure it out.

Anyway, now you have my head swimming in gamma's, and intuos's and graphires? Not to mention calibration sites, etc. There's so much to learn in here, it's very exciting - sometimes overwhelming, but exciting. Thanks for all the trails to adventure.

[gbdurfee]

Better mouse

Hi all - I think I've finally figured out how to stay inside the same thread. Apologies for jumping all over.

I think this is related: Is there a better mouse than the laser one I use? Can laser ones get worse, it seems like I don't have as delicate control as I did before.

Grats!

[Doug Nelson]

Gail:

I answered this same question over in the Wacom tablet thread.

I'm glad you're getting the hang of the forum controls. They can be tricky if you've never encountered them before.

Mis-posting isn't a crime or anything (even though I joke about it being "evil" ). We just need to keep in mind that we're not only getting answers to our own questions here, but leaving these questions and answers for others to read in the future. So they don't do a lot of good if those future readers can't find them easily.

[gbdurfee]

OKIES

Thanks Doug - when I went back to that thread I did find a lot more info about the tablets and a site to go to. I understand them to be different writing tablets so one can draw closer or more sensitively than just the pen in PS can. I'll try to stay inside the correct loop...getting lost is sooooooo easy.