What method would you use to remove this from this photo?

[danrw84]

Hello everyone.
new to the forum!

I have a question, i have spent a lot of time trying to figure this one out. usually i don't have a problem with this type of stuff but this one is killing me!
i am trying to change the background in this image to pure white. lassoing it just doesn't look right and ive tried so many different ways i am stumped! i can get close but thats it.
What would you do to only select these beads? or only select the background? horrible surface, so many shades!
Thanks so much!!

Dan

 

[Gaussian]

Welcome danrw84 8))

Forget about using masks, channels, magic wand, extract, third party tools, the only thing that works to some extend is the pen tool.
I say "to some extend" because you have extensive blur in the background, so every extraction in that area will always look artificial.
So if you end up extracting the beads and place them on awhite background, then you have to finish of by restoring the background blur with a lens blur in combination with a proper channel setup, but again...the result won't be perfect and it probably never will.

I won't deny that it's time consuming, but you will have a reasonable extraction, with all the other methods I can guarantee you that none of them will make you happy.

I do think that anyone with descent pen tool skills will be able to finish the job in less than 5 minutes.

 

[danrw84]

hrmm.
what surface should the types of pictures be taken on to make it easiest to make it completely white?

could you give me a quick run though on your method, how i should do it? havent used the pen much


dan

 

[MindBender]

Actually I would think building a mask with selectively blurred areas would be a good way to knock out the basic image. Then using things like the blend-if sliders and judicious painting by hand would get the background out.

Danrw84 what you're looking for is a light box or light tent. Take a look on google for some of those terms to see what comes up. You can build one yourself fairly cheaply out of foam core and some shop lamps. Basically anything that is white, has a non-reflective surface, curved is better so that it doesn't create harsh shadows. Make sure you use some kind of diffusion on the lights if you can so that you don't get sharp highlights. Also make sure you not only have a light pointing at the subject but also fill in around the sides and behind it.

 

[Rich]

I know this doesn't answer your question but I would find some beads and retake the photo on a white background. Most methods will be very time consuming and I don't think you'll be happy with the results.

I guess as I get older (I'm in pre-mid-life-mode) I've begun to value my time a little more.

Rich

 

[Gaussian]

could you give me a quick run though on your method, how i should do it? havent used the pen much

I can't explain to you how to use the pen tool, because it would mean writing a complete tutorial.
I can however recommend this tutorial: http://www.thegoldenmean.com/technique/pen1.html ( 5 pages )

Basically it comes to this:

- Create a vector mask with the pen tool (in my example, the layer called Extraction).

- Add a Solid Color adustment layer, set it to dark green and invert it's mask by clicking control+i, which makes it black and then paint with white where you want your shadows. Use the original as a guide. Vary the size, hardness and opacity of your brush if needed and use the blur tool to soften the edges of the strokes when necessary. When you use the blur tool, make sure you also experiment with different sizes, hardness and opacity.

- Add a new layer on top of the vector mask layer, select the blur tool and in this case also select in the option bar Sample All Layers. Use a medium opacity, like 20%, a medium hardnesss and a small size brush to blur the edges of the beads. Start at the center and end on the right side. Repeat again, but start slightly more to the right. Repeat a few times, each time moving the starting point to the right. Depending on your skills, you migth consider to use lens blut instead, in combination with a channel; the results will be better, but it's an approach that is not always easy to understand for beginners.

Below is just an example of a quick extraction of the background and building up the shadows and soft edges. Ignore the areas marked with red where othjer beads meet; I didn't feel like doing all the beads, after all it's just the explantion of my method that you were interested in.

Again, it can be time consuming depending on your skills, but you get the best results.
Also finishing an extraction like this will make a similar extraction a lot faster, it's all about practice.

 

[Gaussian]

See that's what I mean guys; I try to explain someone in another thread the postive sides of the pen tool and wanted to use this thread as an example and it's now totally useless because the original poster didn't attach the image to his post but stored it on another server.

So again I want to remind everyone; please attach all your images to the post and don't store them on a different server. Photoshopgurus forum is meant to be a knowledge base for everyone who needs desperate help, so it's important that we can offer that help even months from now.

Thank you.

 

[Rich]

Great example G

Rich

 

[Gaussian]

Thanks Rich.