Help me select this hair!

[2003blink]

I would really like to learn how to use a combination of HP tools, to get a good selection of this hair. I want to fully replace the background, but keep all the hair. I can post the non edited version of this if you think it would be easier to figure out a selection process from that.

Thanks! (sorry I can't get the image to show in the message img code is off)
http://www.retouchpro.com/gallery/da...thair.jpg?6640

[Ed_L]

It's gonna take someone a *lot* better than me to be able to save all the hair. There are different places where the hair is very similar to the background, and that creates a big problem. I'll be watching this thread to see if anyone has some magic. Good luck.

Ed

[Stephen M]

I sometimes wonder if I have had to cut more folk out of backgrounds than I have had hot dinners. <g>

Often I will attempt to cut the persons hair out as clean as possible using CHOPs (channel operations, masks based off image channels) or whatever methods/combos of methods works best for each image.

This is never perfect as is.

Finishing off with faking the hair in with retouching where needed is often quicker and better looking.

Smudge tool, dodge/burn, minor blurs, adding noise etc to the fake hair. Sometimes paths are drawn and smudge tools or paint tools are painted along the path. Tablets are often a must, but one can get by with a mouse.

More detailed tips can be found in the 'Covergirl' challenge in the retouching challenge area of this site.

P.S. On the colour correction side of things, if departing from 'true life' to 'ideals' (presuming this image is accurate) - the red and blue or cyan and yellow channels could do with some work. I like channel mixer and apply image for these channel blending/building tasks in the full version of Photoshop. Another thing to try is a duped layer set to overlay at n% to add some contrast and depth to a portrait and to warm it up a bit.


Regards,

Stephen Marsh.