Selecting Trees (With Leaves), or Hair

Use the extract command or check out this tutorial:
http://synow.org/photoshop/tools/tools0104.htm

Flo

"Russell" wrote in message

Hi. What is the best way to select trees (with leaves), or hair.
I would like to create a silhouette, but the leaves and hair will be a nightmare to select.

Any ideas?

Yo Flo. Cheers bud, I will have a look.

"Flo Nelson" wrote in message

Use the extract command or check out this tutorial:
http://synow.org/photoshop/tools/tools0104.htm

Flo

"Russell" wrote in message

Hi. What is the best way to select trees (with leaves), or hair.
I would like to create a silhouette, but the leaves and hair will be a nightmare to select.

Any ideas?

Hi. What is the best way to select trees (with leaves), or hair.
I would like to create a silhouette, but the leaves and hair will be a nightmare to select.

Any ideas?

I usually try to select the background (i.e. sky) of trees and invert the selection. Hair can be much more trouble.

I do some onsite portraits with a green screen as background. Dark hair isn’t too much trouble. However, blond hair can be a huge pain. The problem is that blond hair on the edges is see through. The background will partially show through. Here is what I usually do….

I make a mask starting from a channel. For blond hair and my green background I usually start with the "a" channel in LAB mode. Then I pump up the contrast by using Curves. I watch the hair as the key indicator of where to stop the contrast. I want to select as much hair as possible while cutting as much green as possible. I usually end up with some transparency in the borders of the hair.

Then I use Brush or Eraser tools to edit the mask. The contrast tends to not leave pure black and white in the rest of the picture. That has to be fixed. For me it is easiest to just brush it to what I want.

Then I use this mask to select the background and delete it. However, it often takes a few trials to get it right. Even then I usually have to do some editing of the hair. I will use Eraser with partial opacity to cut out some of the green. I will also use Magic Wand to select some of the green and change it to a hue to match the hair. The later needs to be done a small bit at a time to keep color variation in the hair.

Yeah, it’s a lot of work. No, I haven’t found any other way of doing it that looks right. No, I haven’t found any one else who has either. I use my green background only when I have to. Then it’s worth it. BTW, I have had terrible luck with Extract with any hair.

BTW, make sure the green background is far enough away so your lights don’t bounce off of it onto the subject. Getting green tint on the edges of your subject will greatly increase the amount of work you have to do.

Thanks,
Clyde

well I was hoping to find some revelation here on how to make selecting around the hair easier.
There is some comfort knowing I haven’t been doing it the hard way if there was an easier way.

I usually work on photos with studio grey background. I select background with the wand or select color range, then using the wand on different sensitivities I make it as neat as I can, I then use feathering. I haven’t tried the channel thing yet so that’s an easier way to see the edges. Can I use the selection tools in channels? or only the brush like in mask mode?

"Clyde" wrote in message

Hi. What is the best way to select trees (with leaves), or hair.
I would like to create a silhouette, but the leaves and hair will be a nightmare to select.

Any ideas?

I usually try to select the background (i.e. sky) of trees and invert the selection. Hair can be much more trouble.

I do some onsite portraits with a green screen as background. Dark hair isn’t too much trouble. However, blond hair can be a huge pain. The problem is that blond hair on the edges is see through. The background will partially show through. Here is what I usually do….
I make a mask starting from a channel. For blond hair and my green background I usually start with the "a" channel in LAB mode. Then I pump up the contrast by using Curves. I watch the hair as the key indicator of where to stop the contrast. I want to select as much hair as possible while cutting as much green as possible. I usually end up with some transparency in the borders of the hair.

Then I use Brush or Eraser tools to edit the mask. The contrast tends to not leave pure black and white in the rest of the picture. That has to be fixed. For me it is easiest to just brush it to what I want.
Then I use this mask to select the background and delete it. However, it often takes a few trials to get it right. Even then I usually have to do some editing of the hair. I will use Eraser with partial opacity to cut out some of the green. I will also use Magic Wand to select some of the green and change it to a hue to match the hair. The later needs to be done a small bit at a time to keep color variation in the hair.
Yeah, it’s a lot of work. No, I haven’t found any other way of doing it that looks right. No, I haven’t found any one else who has either. I use my green background only when I have to. Then it’s worth it. BTW, I have had terrible luck with Extract with any hair.

BTW, make sure the green background is far enough away so your lights don’t bounce off of it onto the subject. Getting green tint on the edges of your subject will greatly increase the amount of work you have to do.
Thanks,
Clyde

KatWoman wrote:

well I was hoping to find some revelation here on how to make selecting around the hair easier.
There is some comfort knowing I haven’t been doing it the hard way if there was an easier way.

I usually work on photos with studio grey background. I select background with the wand or select color range, then using the wand on different sensitivities I make it as neat as I can, I then use feathering. I haven’t tried the channel thing yet so that’s an easier way to see the edges. Can I use the selection tools in channels? or only the brush like in mask mode?

"Clyde" wrote in message

Hi. What is the best way to select trees (with leaves), or hair.
I would like to create a silhouette, but the leaves and hair will be a nightmare to select.

Any ideas?

I usually try to select the background (i.e. sky) of trees and invert the selection. Hair can be much more trouble.

I do some onsite portraits with a green screen as background. Dark hair isn’t too much trouble. However, blond hair can be a huge pain. The problem is that blond hair on the edges is see through. The background will partially show through. Here is what I usually do….
I make a mask starting from a channel. For blond hair and my green background I usually start with the "a" channel in LAB mode. Then I pump up the contrast by using Curves. I watch the hair as the key indicator of where to stop the contrast. I want to select as much hair as possible while cutting as much green as possible. I usually end up with some transparency in the borders of the hair.

Then I use Brush or Eraser tools to edit the mask. The contrast tends to not leave pure black and white in the rest of the picture. That has to be fixed. For me it is easiest to just brush it to what I want.
Then I use this mask to select the background and delete it. However, it often takes a few trials to get it right. Even then I usually have to do some editing of the hair. I will use Eraser with partial opacity to cut out some of the green. I will also use Magic Wand to select some of the green and change it to a hue to match the hair. The later needs to be done a small bit at a time to keep color variation in the hair.
Yeah, it’s a lot of work. No, I haven’t found any other way of doing it that looks right. No, I haven’t found any one else who has either. I use my green background only when I have to. Then it’s worth it. BTW, I have had terrible luck with Extract with any hair.

BTW, make sure the green background is far enough away so your lights don’t bounce off of it onto the subject. Getting green tint on the edges of your subject will greatly increase the amount of work you have to do.
Thanks,
Clyde

Once you copy a channel it becomes an alpha layer. You can do any editing you like on it. Just remember that you only have grayscale though.

I have experimented with selecting, saving to an alpha, and repeat. This will allow multiple selections that can be blended later. I haven’t found it particularly useful. Therefore, I’ve found that the brush is just as fast.

Hey, if you find a better way, please tell. I also would like something easier and faster. Alas, I’ve spelled this out a few times and never heard anything better. Luckily my customers have loved the results – so far.

Thanks,
Clyde

thanks for clarifying the way to use channels. Yeah so far all the things I’ve done have come out well, even some where I had to make a lot of selection by hand, when there was no contrast between the edges. I think making good selections is one of the most important PS skills you can have.

"Clyde" wrote in message

KatWoman wrote:

well I was hoping to find some revelation here on how to make selecting around the hair easier.
There is some comfort knowing I haven’t been doing it the hard way if there was an easier way.

I usually work on photos with studio grey background. I select background with the wand or select color range, then using the wand on different sensitivities I make it as neat as I can, I then use feathering. I haven’t tried the channel thing yet so that’s an easier way to see the edges. Can I use the selection tools in channels? or only the brush like in mask mode?

"Clyde" wrote in message

Hi. What is the best way to select trees (with leaves), or hair.
I would like to create a silhouette, but the leaves and hair will be a nightmare to select.

Any ideas?

I usually try to select the background (i.e. sky) of trees and invert the selection. Hair can be much more trouble.

I do some onsite portraits with a green screen as background. Dark hair isn’t too much trouble. However, blond hair can be a huge pain. The problem is that blond hair on the edges is see through. The background will partially show through. Here is what I usually do….
I make a mask starting from a channel. For blond hair and my green background I usually start with the "a" channel in LAB mode. Then I pump up the contrast by using Curves. I watch the hair as the key indicator of where to stop the contrast. I want to select as much hair as possible while cutting as much green as possible. I usually end up with some transparency in the borders of the hair.

Then I use Brush or Eraser tools to edit the mask. The contrast tends to not leave pure black and white in the rest of the picture. That has to be fixed. For me it is easiest to just brush it to what I want.
Then I use this mask to select the background and delete it. However, it often takes a few trials to get it right. Even then I usually have to do some editing of the hair. I will use Eraser with partial opacity to cut out some of the green. I will also use Magic Wand to select some of the green and change it to a hue to match the hair. The later needs to be done a small bit at a time to keep color variation in the hair.
Yeah, it’s a lot of work. No, I haven’t found any other way of doing it that looks right. No, I haven’t found any one else who has either. I use my green background only when I have to. Then it’s worth it. BTW, I have had terrible luck with Extract with any hair.

BTW, make sure the green background is far enough away so your lights don’t bounce off of it onto the subject. Getting green tint on the edges of your subject will greatly increase the amount of work you have to do.
Thanks,
Clyde

Once you copy a channel it becomes an alpha layer. You can do any editing you like on it. Just remember that you only have grayscale though.
I have experimented with selecting, saving to an alpha, and repeat. This will allow multiple selections that can be blended later. I haven’t found it particularly useful. Therefore, I’ve found that the brush is just as fast.

Hey, if you find a better way, please tell. I also would like something easier and faster. Alas, I’ve spelled this out a few times and never heard anything better. Luckily my customers have loved the results – so far.
Thanks,
Clyde

KatWoman wrote:

thanks for clarifying the way to use channels. Yeah so far all the things I’ve done have come out well, even some where I had to make a lot of selection by hand, when there was no contrast between the edges. I think making good selections is one of the most important PS skills you can have.

I heard somewhere once that the key to Photoshop is selection and layers. That is where the power lies. That is where all the other tools increase their power.

Clyde