Masking

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think Laurie was asking the other day about refining edges. I had seen a lesson on using channels but that was far too complex for me. But I found this tutorial that looked so easy. Of course it wasn't for me. But I spent part of this icy day working on it. For me I had to follow carefully, first opening the background and then the photo I wanted to make the mask from. When I tried to make the mask first it did not go well. I think the hardest thing we have to do is masking doodle hair. This attempt was not great but I thought it was good. It took a lot of experimenting and restarting. Ad as you know it's never done so sometime I may go back and do more. I hope you try it.

The tutorial: http://tv.adobe.com/watch/the-russell-brown-show/masking-basics-in-...

This fellow, Russell Brown has many tutorials on Adobe TV.

http://tv.adobe.com/

And here is the result of  my first cocerted effort.

The background

The backgroound  I removed Calla first.

And my final product

[Tom Ferguson]

Hi Looks good

I too have lots of "practice" at making masks of my dog's hair. Russell Brown is very good. The refine edge tool in CS CC is quite good if the background is clean. However the masking breaks down fast when you have a complex background such as a dog on grass like the first image. your blue background was perfect. Additionally, if you notice that the areas inside the mask are sometimes "translucent" you can fine tune afterwards.

Sometimes channels make a very fast mask .... look at them and if one basically covers the outlines you want, grab it. alll you do is cut and paste a channel (black and white) into the mask if you alt click the mask you can treat it like a black and white image.

Hope this makes sense.

Tom

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks. I will have to play with channels sometime to understand them really. But you could always give us a lesson : )

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

F, you did a great job!!!!  I've been without power, heat, or water for the past 24 hours (back on now TG). Will try to get to the video this weekend.  (I don't have curves or smart objects in PSE11 -- now starting to understand the difference in software :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thank you. I am on a learning jag : )

OMD. So sorry to hear about the power, Laurie is still powerless, now that gave me a chuckle but it is awful. Glad your power is on. I am now watching fanatically for black ice but we managed a walk on the block today. 

I think maybe SO are a plug in with PSE but don't count on that. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Power is on, but the damage is worse than Sandy. My beautiful barrier of pine trees along the road -- decimated. Two eight feet tall magnolia bushes that were beautiful globes--reduced to splinters.  3 trees down in the yard. And branches everywhere.  Some branches are the size of small trees.  One is lying partially on the main road and I can't move it, can't even get to it on the frozen snow so there it sits.  I took my camera out and couldn't even take pictures, it was so sad :(  Hope Laurie fared better.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Cheryl, How awful! We woke up to find downed trees covering our driveway. Poor John with his bad rib had to get out the chainsaw and cut down trees. I was mostly worried about our beautiful cherry tree. The limbs were almost stretched to the ground and I actually stood on a ladder to try and knock some of the ice off. It looks like it will survive. We could hear branches breaking off all around us and we are surrounded by trees. Our poor state park has downed trees all over the place. This was a bad ice storm, for sure. I am so sorry about your yard. It is very sad!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Thanks Laurie. Isn't it scary when you hear those breaking branches! 

[F, Calla & Luca]

We've had storms where it sounds like gunshots.

[DJ & Chance]

Yay for the cherry tree!  Take care, Laurie.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Oh no Cheryl. That is so very sad. Awful, awful. We are so powerless in the face of nature. I saw tree guys on my block today but I was lucky. My arborvitae screen has some bending that won't get better till mid summer but they have done this before. I can't even walk on the frozen tundra that is my yard. Each step requires breaking through the crust. And I am so scared of falling.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Oh F, please be careful. I stick my cell phone in my pocket when I take Finn out so if I fall I can hopefully manage a 911 call. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks Cheryl. I am taking my phone too.