help needed for selection

[graphicsxp]

Hello,

I'm struggling with selection. For the image below, I've isolated the model using the quick selection tool and then the refine edge tool. However, I cannot figure out how to get rid of this grey tint just below the left ear. This is due to the original backdrop, which was grey. I've tried several times with the refine edge tool, but I can't do any better than that. Could someone help me ?

Thanks !

 

[MikeMc]

Could you post Lucy on grey ?

 

[graphicsxp]

hi,

here's the original version (in low-res otherwise it's too big), on grey background.

 

[ibclare]

The most difficult selections are those of low contrasting adjacent areas, the hair and the pale grey BG. One thing you could try is to run the burn tool at low exposure on midtones and thicken the hair. Run the dodge tool in the large remaining areas. This is just a technique to clean up what you've got, though even with sophisticated channel extractions, you may need to fix edges that refine edge or refine mask leave behind.

Someone will doubtless post an extraction technique for you. If you can't get it to work for you, let me know. I have several of different methods. The quick select is great for many things, but you will need to learn better selection tools if you continue with selections and manipulations like this.

You have other edges and corners that need removal of the BG though they are less noticeable.

 

[graphicsxp]

>You have other edges and corners that need removal of the BG though they are less noticeable.

And in fact, I haven't noticed them Would you mind pointing out ? To me, the most annoying remaining bit of background is obviously behind the hair near the ear.

Funny you say that the quick selection tool is not good enough, as in every tutorials I've watched this was the tool people used. Then they use the refine edged tool. I don't see people using the old-fashionned lasso tool, but maybe i'm wrong.

As for channel extractions, I haven't managed to get this to work at all. Like I said, the picture I've posted is the best I could come up with.

 

[ibclare]

>You have other edges and corners that need removal of the BG though they are less noticeable.

And in fact, I haven't noticed them Would you mind pointing out ? To me, the most annoying remaining bit of background is obviously behind the hair near the ear.

Funny you say that the quick selection tool is not good enough, as in every tutorials I've watched this was the tool people used. Then they use the refine edged tool. I don't see people using the old-fashionned lasso tool, but maybe i'm wrong.

As for channel extractions, I haven't managed to get this to work at all. Like I said, the picture I've posted is the best I could come up with.

And you did a good job. You need to put your model on a solid colored BG; one that will contrast with the grey, like black or dark green or something. Then you'll see the little areas that need cleanup. The quick select is a great tool for certain kinds of selections and refine edge can help but is not very selective, working globally on the image. The pen tool is the tool of choice with hard-edged selections and can be used to refine that kind of edge once you have a mask in place. I never said the lasso was a good tool for hair extraction. Heavens, no.

I also said that channel extractions don't work well when the contrast is not great and you have low contrast separations. Channel extractions takes some practice anyway to figure out how far to go with levels adjustments, and some tutorials instruct you on brushing in overlay mode and some don't. And as I mentioned, you can also darken the hair strands including some of the grey to make it look like part of the hair using the burn tool.

Here is a quick channels amsk. I used the eraser to clean up the BG on the duplicate channel and used the black overlay brush to darken the hair. Then I created a mask. I used refine mask and tightened the edge. This did not finish the work and rarely does. I then went around the image and brushed some of the edges (on the mask) to 'erase' them. I di a little of this inside the hair area. Then I used the burn tool on the hair.

Because it is such low contrast, it is hard to get a satisfactory result. My second picture show my solution to these problems. I don't have the right kind of brush, but they're out there. I sample the colors of the hair, make a layer (below in this case) and brush in a reasonable facsimile. When you have a difficult case like this, that is my recommendation.

 

[MikeMc]

I did the normal selection, and refine edge. Then I went to quick mask and cleaned up the hair. More contrast or a different BG will make things easier....You can always change the BG from a contrast color to a nice one

 

[ibclare]

Almost any method will lose the finer hair strands. It would take painstaking work to get them back and a very small brush. You would be basically painting them back in. The only other thing I can think of is to trace some strands and clone them from her hair. You'd make the selections, move it over the hair, change to the move tool (v key), hold down alt/opt and move it back into place. Of course you would "erase" the original section. Rather than using the move tool and alt key, you could just make a copy then move it. Well, any method you use will require some manual enhancement.

Good luck and enjoy the journey!