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Issue making a selection using CTRL+Click Layer accurately.


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captaindoodle

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Hey everyone,
I was hoping someone could help solve an issue I'm having.
For some reason when I make a selection using CTRL+Click it never fully matches the cutout of the layer I am mimicking. There is always trim.
I've posted a picture to best describe what is happening.

HZnZD.jpg
Fig A.
I've made a cutout using the background eraser. Because of this you can see how the cutout appears to be somewhat transparent around the edge.

Fig B.
When placed on 50% gray the hair trim is as detailed as I wanted. It's a satisfying result.

Fig C.
I now make a selected of this semi transparent cutout by cimply CTRL+Clicking the layer.

Fig D.
I now duplicate the original (not cutout) and use this selection to cutout again (don't ask why) but the cutout doesn't match 100%. It's close, but it simply doesn't match. I've also tried using this selection to make a mask on the non cutout image and the edge is exactly the same.

I thought some auto anti-alias may be turned on but I can't seem to find anything. I really need a duplicate of this cutout to match precisely. Any ideas?
 
Anti-aliasing and feather shouldn't be a problem with the BG eraser tool.
Did you try refine mask or refine selection? Or select>modify>contract?
You might try making your selection active, duplicating, then inverting the selection, and deleting.

I'm not sure how to fix that, but since I started using the pen tool for selections, I haven't had the issue come up. I consider the eraser tool to be hit or miss and not very accurate. But I'm glad it worked for you.
 
It's just strange because I always thought CTRL clicking was making a perfect selection.

I've uploaded a PSD to see if anyone is able to achieve it.

The top layer is the 'cutout' layer. The 'original' is the image below on it's original white background.
I figured CTRL+Click 'Cutout' layer would make the selection and selecting the 'original' layer and selecting cut would make the same exact cutout... but it doesn't. The two simply do not match 100% and it seems there's no way replicate that cutout without making it by hand again.
 
Hey cap, there should be a whole bunch of members coming online pretty soon. I've gotta turn in for the night. If you still need help in the morning, I'll look into it some more and check out your psd.
 
I have no idea really, im just a amature, but maybe it could have something to do with tolerance?
 
you will find control + click will select the content of that layer however if you have semi transparant pixels it will pretty much ignore them you would be better of making your selection via a channels selection control click the channel layer that has best contrast.
 
Hoogle said:
you will find control + click will select the content of that layer however if you have semi transparant pixels it will pretty much ignore them you would be better of making your selection via a channels selection control click the channel layer that has best contrast.
Click to expand...

Hoogle: I mean that's definitely the perfect way to describe it. Control + click will select the content of that layer however if you have semi transparent pixels it will pretty much IGNORE them... in fact it seems to ABSOLUTELY ignore them to an extent.

Now taking into consideration making a selection via a channel...
Channels definitely seems to keep the edge detail but I can't get the same EXACT cutout still. None of the contrast channels are the perfect cutout (in RGB, CMYK, or LAB). I llower the contrast to make a specific channel darker and then Control + click to select it but now the edges are still subtly effected by the lowered contrast. There seems to be no way to directly mimic the original cutout. Obviously I could duplicate the layer but that is not my intent.
Honestly I wanted to turn that cutout into the perfect selection so I could apply it as a mask to the original image making an editable mask with that EXACT cutout. I didn't think it'd be too difficult but I've gotten extremely technical trying to solve this.

Just wish a CTRL+Click could have solved this quickly using the alpha data that already exists on my 'cutout' layer.
 
Last edited:
See I would have done it all from a channels selection in the 1st place never used the background eraser and probably never will.
Maybe start again with a simple method like this.
 
Before anyone tries any further the only logical conclusion I can come to is that the background eraser is actually modifying the edges in a fashion that may be somewhat like dodging and burning. Maybe the cutouts do match 100% but when applied to the original it doesn't appear the same because the original edges were not dodge and burned while the background eraser was also cutting out.
 
is your background eraser hardness set to 100% if not that is what is making semi transparant pixels
 

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