Cutting Out Heads

[lucyrondog]

Hi, I was just wondering if there was an easier way of cutting out human heads on Photoshop as at the moment the cut outs that I am making are really unrealistic and choppy (I am using the quick selection tool and then using the eraser to make the outline smoother).
Thankyouuuuu! :cool2:

 

[ibclare]

Why don't you upload an image for us to check out. Generally speaking, heads are not the easiest selections since they have wispy hair usually and require special treatment.

As for making selections, you'll nearly always get background artifact using any selection tool beside the pen tool (even then ...). I do not recommend using an eraser to tidy up.

• If you want to stay with the quick select and it can be a good tool to use for some extractions, zoom into the picture so you can clearly see the boundaries of the image you're extracting. Make your selection using the plus and minus of the tool. I just use alt/opt and the tool to define the edge.
• Once you have your selection you can go to select>refine edge. This will bring up a window with choices to make the marching ants conform better to the edge (you'll have to experiment or look up a tutorial on using this).
• Now that you have done that, add a layer mask and you can paint on the mask with black and white. Black will act in the same manner as an eraser, but you can switch to white and add pixels back in. You're only "masking" them, not deleting them.
• Use this to tidy up those edges more.
• As for hair, using this method, you can go back and forth with the black & white brushes on the mask or you can take an easier (or I call it smarter) approach and download some hair brushes. By using the brush palette, you can rotate and size, etc., so that you can add & subtract bits of hair. Most likely if you want to add hair you'll paint it into the image and do that on a different layer, above or below or both.

Anyway, that's what I would suggest. Upload your working images or even your psd and we'll give you a hand.

 

[NemesisWorks]

ibclare you almost missed one Good point there... matching skin tones !

The best method to match skin tones for me is the info panel and curves adjustment layer.

 

[ibclare]

Good advice there Evil.

 

[Still-learning]

This is the method that I prefer;

Starting image:


I roughly cut out the background:


Then I use <Blending options> / <Stroke> (1 pixel / red):


I then adjust the size of my <Eraser tool> (Opacity 100%)
And cut the head out by hand:

Blue arrow - You can see when you make a mistake with cutting
Green arrow - You can see when you forget to erase a bit of the background

I then proceed with cutting, adjusting the size of my <Eraser tool> when needed
untill I'm happy with the result.
Don't forget to turn off <Stroke> before you save the .png image!


This is my personal favorite method that works for me.
I'm not saying this is the best way.

It may be a bit time consuming,
but I get the best results with this method..


PS: This is a quick example, so don't attack me for the hasty cutting...lol

 

[ibclare]

Perhaps the best extraction method I think is using channels, but it has its pitfalls. It's fairly easy to remove too much detail and have choppy edges that look like grainy pixels and it doesn't work very well unless there is a lot of contrast between the hair and the background. Plain BGs of differing color and contrast are best and are not always feasible.

The problem with your results Still-learning (of a very unconventional method it seems to me, lol), are that there are harsh, geometric edges that don't reflect the wispy, organic nature of hair. I guess it depends on the way you intend to use it.

Here's my quick explanation of a channels method: http://www.photoshopgurus.com/forum...ng-awkward-hair-photoshop.html#post1533588084

Here is a more complex version of the same method in a video tutorial: http://www.photoshopgurus.com/forum.../27424-selecting-hair-advanced.html#post76114

Another good written tutorial: http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/handy-techniques-for-cutting-out-hair-in-photoshop

And finally a written tutorial on multiple methods of extraction: http://wegraphics.net/blog/tutorial...ques-to-extract-anything-from-its-background/

I suggest bookmarking all of these until you find the method that works best for you. No, wait, I suggest keeping all of them anyway. You might forget if you don't use it or you might have a situation where another would work better and you can check back on techniques.

Hope this helps.

 

[NemesisWorks]

PS: This is a quick example, so don't attack me for the hasty cutting...lol

There's no excuse in professional work mate, also I would rather never touch the eraser tool

 

[Still-learning]

@ibclare:
I quess this 'unconventional method' is used by me because I always do it this way.
I will dive into your linked tuts and try to master a new (and better) extraction method.

@Evil Nemesis:
Totally right about that, but as the TS allready used the eraser tool I thought this would be a better method.
As mentioned before, I hope to learn a new and better method..

 

[Tom Mann]

Once you get the basics down (ie, what Evil and ibClaire are suggesting), spend a few minutes looking at tutorials for commercial cut-out tools such as Mask Pro from onOne Software (eg, http://www.ononesoftware.com/university/#!/video/basic-use-90-rule ), Remask from Topaz Software ( http://www.topazlabs.com/tutorials/remask.html ), and Vertus' Fluid Mask ( http://www.vertustech.com/fluidMask/tutorials/tut_start.html ).

Even if you don't use these particular products, some the hints and suggestions they give are excellent, e.g., (1) as you develop your cut-out / mask, constantly check it against black, white, and highly colored backgrounds; (2) generate your mask using a contrast-enhanced, extra saturated version of the original, then throw that layer out and apply the mask to the actual layer(s) of interest; etc..

HTH,

Tom M

PS - Like Claire and Evil, for me, it can be months or years between uses of the eraser tool (ie, vs painting black and white in a layer mask). This is going waaay back, but I essentially stopped using it when Adobe first introduced layer masks into PS in the '90's.

 

[SCTRWD]

ibclare you almost missed one Good point there... matching skin tones !


The best method to match skin tones for me is the info panel and curves adjustment layer.

For me Curves and Color Balance have always been some kind of try and probe methods

Look at it this way: when skin tones match, there should be no visible difference between them in individual color channels, right?

So why not play it straight?

Here is what I do to match skin tones or whatever:

Make selection of the "donor" face. Hide the selection(Ctrl-h)
Go to Red channel and start Levels. Move the sliders until the donor face looks seamless with adjacent areas, matches and continues their tones.
Go to other channels and do the same thing.

Then goes healing, patching, stamping, noising, dodging, burning, etc...

 

[NemesisWorks]

Thanks man Gotta look into this as well, the method I suggested it was actually from Photoshop Secrets DVD and it always worked for me so far.

 

[Felder]

I have tried Quick Selection tool, Eraser tool, and Lasso Tool to cut things out. Nothing gives best to select when you desire and use Refine Edge.