Complex selections (not hair)

[RuidosoBill]

I have hundreds of dancer photos I need to change backdrops on. I don't have an issue with hair but many of the pictures the dancers are wearing crowns which is so time consuming I may never finish the photos. Can someone please give me a suggestion on how to handle the crowns? Here is an example of one I've completed but not completely happy with:



I have searched everywhere but only find tutorials on hair.

I am using CS6 and using the quick selection tool and refine edge.

Thanks in advance,

Bill

 

[RuidosoBill]

This is an example of what I am starting with, I have some that have 5 dancers all with crowns.

View attachment 52154

 

[ALB68]

I have hundreds of dancer photos I need to change backdrops on. I don't have an issue with hair but many of the pictures the dancers are wearing crowns which is so time consuming I may never finish the photos. Can someone please give me a suggestion on how to handle the crowns? Here is an example of one I've completed but not completely happy with:

View attachment 52153

I have searched everywhere but only find tutorials on hair.

I am using CS6 and using the quick selection tool and refine edge.

Thanks in advance,

Bill

What makes you unhappy about what you did? I am not a photographer but if I got that image as a print I would like it . I looked at the crown in PS at about 400 zoom and it looks pretty darn good to me.

 

[thebestcpu]

Hi Bill
To answer your original question, it would help to see your starting picture since the one you shared is already completed and I assume with a new background. I think that would allow bet best suggestions (assuming I understand the situation).

 

[chrisdesign]

What makes you unhappy about what you did? I am not a photographer but if I got that image as a print I would like it . I looked at the crown in PS at about 400 zoom and it looks pretty darn good to me.

Hi Larry
For once I do not agree with your comment. The masking on the Crown and the Arm need to be further improved.

 

[RuidosoBill]

I am just using the quick select tool, I agree it is not too good but the other issue is time, can someone suggest a better more accurate way to do this.

 

[Tom Mann]

If the issue is time and you are getting paid to do this work, invest in one of these commercial cut-out tools:

Mask Pro from onOne Software,
Remask from Topaz Software, or,
Vertus' Fluid Mask

There's a fairly steep learning curve to some of them, but the results are worth it.

Also, don't forget to combine selection tools with PS's native "refine edges" tool, or use multiple tools in concert to refine a mask.

Tom M

 

[chrisdesign]

For some reason I can't open your attachment , the one with the five dancers .
Could you post another dancer image and one of your background images, please. I would like to give it a try.

 

[ALB68]

If the issue is time and you are getting paid to do this work, invest in one of these commercial cut-out tools:

Mask Pro from onOne Software,
Remask from Topaz Software, or,
Vertus' Fluid Mask

There's a fairly steep learning curve to some of them, but the results are worth it.

Also, don't forget to combine selection tools with PS's native "refine edges" tool, or use multiple tools in concert to refine a mask.

Tom M

I just got Topaz's latest..Remask 4 and I am not impressed with it. Maybe one of the others.

 

[ALB68]

Chris. Yeah, you scrutinized it closer than me. I agree upon closer inspection.

Chris. Yep , your right. I didn't zoom it that close.

 

[ALB68]

I am just using the quick select tool, I agree it is not too good but the other issue is time, can someone suggest a better more accurate way to do this.

Tell you what you could do, if the crowns are the biggest issue. Make selection of the crown and top of the subjects head with say the rectangular marqee tool. Then make a new layer for the selection. (Ctrl/Cmd J) Then put a layer mask on it, zoom in really close and with the paintbrush in black, just paint away the background around the crown. Then go back to your image and do your regular procedure with the quick select etc, erase the crown and head that you have preserved in the other layer. Now you have a clean crown. Merge it after making a duplicate image if you want to.

Another tip you can try, to further refine your mask, use Quick Mask, with Black and White as your colors (default) enter Q. Everything that is in the mask is now red. To add to the mask, paint with black, to take away, paint with white. Enter Q to return to the regular mask mode.

I did this as described above

 

[RuidosoBill]

Here is another attempt using some of your masking suggestions:

 

[ALB68]

Bill, your still not getting that crown area clean, This one is 72ppi that I am looking at and I can see it at 200%. Not being critical just trying to help.
Here is that same image except in your high res version. I wish I could tell you a really fast way to do this, it's just slow work to get it right. (this one is not finished , still have some work on her arm lace).
I timed myself on doing one like this with Topaz ReMask 4 and finished it in PS with the layer mask Topaz added and it took me 13 minutes.

Below is your 72ppi at 300zoom

 

[IamSam]

I am just using the quick select tool, I agree it is not too good but the other issue is time, can someone suggest a better more accurate way to do this.

These are some of the better selection methods.

Refine edge

http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials/refine-edge/refine-edge.htm

http://planetphotoshop.com/using-refine-edge.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOjzTbP8eT8

http://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/making-complex-selections-1--psd-22705

http://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/making-complex-selections-2--psd-22714

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_z_tjNfDGU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fxoIQA8nw8



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl0SVed40O8&feature=related

Removing white backgrounds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrDgTQZhCaY

http://www.photoshopbuzz.com/removing-background-photoshop/


Channel Selection:

http://planetphotoshop.com/masking-with-channels-2.html

http://planetphotoshop.com/using-channels-to-make-better-selections-in-adobe-photoshop.html

http://phlearn.com/separate-parts-of-your-image-with-photoshop-channels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvBAvZyqPmU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsXbDLglasA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-aizjdm5Us

Calculations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqg4m2q2eek

 

[chrisdesign]

This is my attempt with magic wand, quick mask and refine edges tool. And a little painting on the layer mask.
I worked exactly 50 min. on this image. It's good, but far from flawless.

 

[ALB68]

Chris- I'm not sure flawless exists in this process without inordinate amounts of time. In the OPs case, time is money to him and to find that process that allows speed and a flawless result may not be possible. There are lots of ways to arrive at a good result but hard to find that combination that will accomplish both.

 

[Emily Rutter]

I know there are many ways to do it so I thought I'd share what I would do. Hope its easy to follow

The steps are written on the pics, but at the end I used the quick selection tool with tolerance at 10 to select the empty spaces in the lace (the larger ones) and painted black on the mask, then used a tiny brush on the mask for any little spaces.

If you click on the last image you can see it looks pretty clean.

 

[RuidosoBill]

This is my attempt with magic wand, quick mask and refine edges tool. And a little painting on the layer mask.
I worked exactly 50 min. on this image. It's good, but far from flawless.
View attachment 52175

Lovely, I even like the shadow under her foot,, that was actually going to be a followup questions, when I use digital backdrops I don't care for the "Floating in mid air" appearance.

 

[IamSam]

This is my attempt with magic wand, quick mask and refine edges tool. And a little painting on the layer mask.
I worked exactly 50 min. on this image. It's good, but far from flawless.

Lovely, I even like the shadow under her foot,, that was actually going to be a followup questions, when I use digital backdrops I don't care for the "Floating in mid air" appearance

.

Since R-Bill only likes your version, other than showing what is obviously a good result, is there any way you might be able to go into more detail and demonstrate or at the very least, explain the process that allowed you to get such a nice result?

Thanks.

 

[ALB68]

.

Since R-Bill only likes your version, other than showing what is obviously a good result, is there any way you might be able to go into more detail and demonstrate or at the very least, explain the process that allowed you to get such a nice result?

Thanks.

Yes Chris, by all means share your knowledge. However, the downside to this is that it took you, Chris, as an experienced graphics artist, 50 minutes to do this. (and that's probably pretty liberal). If Bill has 100's of these to do, that translates into 100's of hours.