Highly Refined Lady
I decided to do a shot of Rumblemumbles, so dug in the archives and found this one from Dec 2008.
I really liked the photo, but the background was very vanilla and was horrible. I can't even remember where we took it.
In order to transport her to a new level, it is first necessary to "extract" her from the original, and the difficulty in that varies depending on edges, so if you want to make your editing life easier, always have children with thick black straight hair that isn't wispy.
I decided to use a new tool in PS CS5 called Cutout And Refine Edge. You can see a tutorial here.
This new selection tool is vastly improved on the basic selection technique, and the secret is in the user interface at the edge refining part. There are various preview modes and adjustments available in the refining popup, making the final selection so much easier than in earlier versions.
I have seen 3rd party software that did a good job on selections, such as Fluid Mask, but this new PS tool makes it possible to complete without leaving PS, and will probably be the demise of those 3rd party efforts.
The edges of hair is always tricky and this was no exception, but the result isn't too bad.
After finalising the selection where she was extracted from the vanilla essence, I added a new gradient layer behind the cutout, using a plain reverse radial black and white gradient, as you can see here.
This provides a nice highlight background with a wonderful contrast to the pink top.
Yes, we do miss her since she left the nest, but she has made a great effort to visit and call a lot, so we have got used to her absence.
The original vanilla flavoured shot is below. Note I also increased the size of the canvas (not the image) to give it balance.
Isn't she CUTE
Highly Refined Lady
I decided to do a shot of Rumblemumbles, so dug in the archives and found this one from Dec 2008.
I really liked the photo, but the background was very vanilla and was horrible. I can't even remember where we took it.
In order to transport her to a new level, it is first necessary to "extract" her from the original, and the difficulty in that varies depending on edges, so if you want to make your editing life easier, always have children with thick black straight hair that isn't wispy.
I decided to use a new tool in PS CS5 called Cutout And Refine Edge. You can see a tutorial here.
This new selection tool is vastly improved on the basic selection technique, and the secret is in the user interface at the edge refining part. There are various preview modes and adjustments available in the refining popup, making the final selection so much easier than in earlier versions.
I have seen 3rd party software that did a good job on selections, such as Fluid Mask, but this new PS tool makes it possible to complete without leaving PS, and will probably be the demise of those 3rd party efforts.
The edges of hair is always tricky and this was no exception, but the result isn't too bad.
After finalising the selection where she was extracted from the vanilla essence, I added a new gradient layer behind the cutout, using a plain reverse radial black and white gradient, as you can see here.
This provides a nice highlight background with a wonderful contrast to the pink top.
Yes, we do miss her since she left the nest, but she has made a great effort to visit and call a lot, so we have got used to her absence.
The original vanilla flavoured shot is below. Note I also increased the size of the canvas (not the image) to give it balance.
Isn't she CUTE