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Issue with layering I am having (Specifically for removing hair)


djtiny

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Hey everyone, I just recently got Photo Shop and have had a great time using it, big step up from what I was using.

I am very excited with the layering tools and especially to be able to remove hair so cleanly from backgrounds.

Now, when using an image with a flat color background I can do it just fine, but when I start getting into images with a multi-colored backgrounds, I run into an issue where when I go into the Mask Edge tool and select the outline of the hair or whole image, I get the outline, but there are sploches of transparancy in it. Usually I can correct this with slight adjustments to feathering, blurring and contrast.

But this time I'm at a loss. I have attached a PDF so you can see it first hand, the body of this image is cut out pretty good (Still some things to finish with it, but I didnt do much besides a quick select and then got stuck on the hair), but look at the hair. It look like the hair is selected perfectly but its as if it has a like, 5% opacity on it.

Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong?

Thanks!

View attachment cutout test.psd
 

djtiny

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Hey there, thanks for responding.


What I did was use the quick select tool to get a rough outline of the body, then got rid of most of the head making sure none of the background color bled through the hair that was selected. Then created a layer mask and then used the Edge Detection brush to select the rest of the head and hair.

From what I can tell the hair is selected, but is more of an outline/light shading of what I want it to be.
 

ibclare

Queen Bee
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Hey there, thanks for responding.

... then got rid of most of the head making sure none of the background color bled through the hair that was selected.

You lost me here. Am I understanding you right? You want to isolate the body and the hair from the BG.

Then created a layer mask and then used the Edge Detection brush to select the rest of the head and hair.

From what I can tell the hair is selected, but is more of an outline/light shading of what I want it to be.

Maybe you set the edge detection so that it feathered in too far? Refine edge doesn't work very well for hair if you want to be precise -- in my opinion. You are doing something wrong but all I can tell from the psd is what the image is and that there is a mask. I'm sorry, I'm not following your explanation very well.

..................

Here is a tutorial you should watch:
http://www.photoshopgurus.com/forum...5-tutorial-new-refine-edge-command-masks.html

This is from lynda.com which is a subscription service so I don't know how it is here... but it is. It's an opportunity to take advantage of and may help.
 
Last edited:

djtiny

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Hey ibclare, sorry for the late response.

Well, I have been following a youtube tutorial on removing images from backgrounds.

But all of them are done with an image on a solid color or gradient background, which when I follow the tutorial using images with solid or gradient color backgrounds, it works great.

However now when trying to remove a person from a 'multicolor' background IE, a normal picture, like the one in the PSD in my first post, I can get the body just fine, but I am at a loss for the hair.

So starting from the beginning, I would use the Quick Select Tool to highlight the body, and then use Alt to remove parts of the selection that don't belong (The background) Which is mainly only needed around the hair, so pretty much the edges of the hair would not be selected, but the whole body would be.

Then I would add a layer mask, go to Mask Edge, and use the Refine Radius Tool and trace along the edges of the hair. And the result of that looks, well, horrible.

However it does get all the hair, and non of the background perfectly, but the colors are made somewhat transparent.


Here is an image of more specifically the result of what I just said-
15s0vuf.png



Am I just doing the completely wrong thing? Or is it just not possible to do what I am trying to do?

Thanks again :)
 

ibclare

Queen Bee
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Hi kiddo, we need some more technical brains on this than I. I've never seen that transparency before. I seldom use refine edge tools but that shouldn't happen. I'll PM a couple people and see if they can help.
 

Hoogle

Guru
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It looks like you have swapped from a default brush to a textured brush I just went over your mask and cut him out and pasted him in several images works fine now. for future reference if you press alt + click your mouse o the actual mask it makes a black and white image showing your exact mask basically turning your whole image into that little mask preview you get in the layer panel and it lets you see what is selected clearly and if it is grey then it is only partly selected.
View attachment cutout test.psd
 

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