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Hair on white background looks horrible :(


Noz03

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I don't even know how to describe it, but a lot of times when I take a backlit photo the edges get a bit weird and it looks terrible :( Does anyone know what could be done to fix this in photoshop?

hr_DN3_0996.jpg
 

IamSam

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Hello and welcome to PSG.

You say you took the photo.............is this a Photoshop question or a photography lighting question?

Did you remove the original background?
 

Noz03

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Hello and welcome to PSG.

You say you took the photo.............is this a Photoshop question or a photography lighting question?

Did you remove the original background?

Hi :)

I am asking about photoshop, I know I should have taken the photo better but for this shot it is too late now :(

This is the photo without any editing at all. I plan to completely whiten the background and do a bunch of retouching, I am just unsure what to do about the horrible edges of her hair.
 

IamSam

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This is more of a studio lighting problem than anything.

Removing stray hairs makes the photo look Photoshopped. But it can be "cleaned up" with Photoshop.

Duplicate the original and deactivate.

Create a new layer below the duplicate and fill with white.

Add a layer mask to the duplicate layer.
Use the Brush Tool with a medium soft brush with a lowered opacity to clean up the hair.

Screen Shot 2017-03-21 at 10.50.50 AM.png

Screen Shot 2017-03-21 at 10.51.02 AM.png

There was some shadowing on either side of the subject that gets removed. You can add that back later if you like.

Create a stamp visible layer. Select the uppermost layer, Shift/option/command/E
Use the Blur Tool to blend the edges.

note: I did this very fast so it's not perfect. You take your time.
Screen Shot 2017-03-21 at 10.57.41 AM.png
 

IamSam

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Sorry, I did not see your latest post.

If you have a Wacom style Tablet, a better option might be to use the Brush Tool to enhance or draw in extra hairs. This looks more natural to me.
Screen Shot 2017-03-21 at 11.20.43 AM.png
 

Noz03

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Sorry, I did not see your latest post.

If you have a Wacom style Tablet, a better option might be to use the Brush Tool to enhance or draw in extra hairs. This looks more natural to me.
View attachment 72793


Thanks!

I used a combination of both the methods you suggested, here was the result:

www.photoshopgurus.com.jpg

Feel free to give your honest opinion how I did :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

IamSam

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I still think these two areas need some work.
Screen Shot 2017-03-22 at 12.15.51 PM.png

The most important thing is how it looks for you or your client. As long as you and the client are happy, then you've accomplished your goal.
 

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