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What Method Do You Use To Extract Images?
I'm just curious because I'm looking for a better method. For years, I've been extracting people and objects using the pen tool. It works, but it falls for when it comes to extracting subjects with hair or fur. Mind you, I'm using Photoshop CS6 with a Photoshop 6 state of mind, LOL. What are the best methods currently to extract people and objects cleanly? Especially those with hair. Dec 08 12 09:14 am Link A common method is to look at all three channels and pick out the one in which the hair contrasts most with the backround, boost the contrast further and use this as a mask. Dec 08 12 09:30 am Link If your shoots are planned and you know you will want to extract the people, then consider shooting them on Green Screen. There are really excellent programs now that allow you to extract people, objects, etc when shot on chroma green backgrounds. One of them advertises regularly here. FWIW Dec 08 12 09:32 am Link As with most things, it depends on the image, I still like the pen tool for it's precision. For hair, I sometimes make a rough selection and use the blend if sliders. I prefer a plain, neutral background to avoid color pollution. Dec 08 12 10:04 am Link I'm asking this because I heard about some method of using the selection tool and refining edges. I tried that but it didn't pan out well. So I'm trying to see if there's a better way than the pen tool because the pen tool is really time consuming. Dec 08 12 10:08 am Link Sean Alexandre wrote: I've yet to EVER get the new Refine Edge tool to work in CS6 so I feel your pain. Dec 08 12 10:13 am Link Sean Alexandre wrote: Refine edge works well with the combination of pen tool. Pen tool for hard edges and for soft fluffy or hair like edges, refine edge. In about 90% of cases that should work just fine. I would say that is the science behind extracting images. Dec 08 12 12:27 pm Link Krunoslav-Stifter wrote: How come I didn't think of that....? Dec 08 12 01:03 pm Link I learned a lot from http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Composi … 356&sr=1-2 Matt describe quite well how to use refining edges and blend modes to extract objects. Dec 08 12 01:51 pm Link Refined edges for objects blending in land escapes, pen tool= for straight edges like buildings, cars, mostly objects with square corners, in this case I used blue chanel to extract the beautiful model. Foto BY sultan Photography.  Dec 08 12 02:02 pm Link double post Dec 09 12 12:14 am Link I made this a while ago to try a compositing....  You can check out Calvin Hollywood or Glynn Dewis for some stunning composites Here's another one  Dec 09 12 12:27 am Link Krunoslav-Stifter wrote: +1 Dec 09 12 12:40 am Link richy01 wrote: How does that answer the question? Dec 09 12 03:35 am Link Almost always pen tool at 400% zoom and a whole lot of patience  On some photos I use quick magnetic lasso on edges and select color if there's a model in say black dress against white that stands out, and select it on highlights, which will always be the white background in these cases. Dec 09 12 06:23 am Link Sean Alexandre wrote: For hair, you have to get creative with some brushes. I'd suggest the David Nagel series. Dec 09 12 07:46 am Link Outsourcing Use Clipping Path India http://www.clippingpathindia.com/ I could sit there with the pen tool all day, or pay a guy who extracts images for a living, in India, to do the same job for a few $$ ... Any work we've had back from them has been flawless Dec 09 12 08:41 am Link I can only get fair results cutting hair with CS6. The hair edges certainly take a lot more work. Its especially hard if your original image has shadows or textures imbedded behind the hair. Ultimately for me...cutting out well... begins way back at the photography and lighting stages! Using a solid light gray background helps significantly, pulling the model out from the background so there are no shadows behind the hair, not using hot hairlights as usual etc... I have been able to get single hair strand precision extractions... without halos, clumping or holes... with the help of some 3rd party plugins like fluid mask and topaz. I have collected a number of hair strand edges in the past that come from perfectly cut out hair. I blend in these perfect hair strands where i need to patch in bad hair edges. Sometimes I have to actually carve out the imperfect hair areas... and substitute in my own clean hair edges. Ive been able to create repair brushes from these good strands... and have to use them often to finish up a job. I also have a library of smart object hair strands...perfect hair repair whisps and fine hair edges on a transparent background... that can be placed, transformed and puppet warped into position. Dec 09 12 08:49 am Link TMA Photo and Retouch wrote: I also use Fluid Mask + Topaz Remask + Photoshoop tools&tricks I have collected a number of hair strand edges in the past that come from perfectly cut out hair. I blend in these perfect hair strands where i need to patch in bad hair edges. Sometimes I have to actually carve out the imperfect hair areas... and substitute in my own clean hair edges. Ive been able to create repair brushes from these good strands... and have to use them often to finish up a job. and smart object hair strands that can be puppet warped into position. I use some hair brushes too, but I do not have *HIGH* resolution ones... Dec 09 12 05:22 pm Link Sean Alexandre wrote: Sorry, I forgot to mention the selectionmethod I am using. Dec 10 12 01:39 am Link Benski wrote: they're not good with hair though Dec 10 12 03:27 am Link I agree with Pictus up there. Although I have used Topaz for some selection work in the past, I've more or less relied on Ps for selections using a variety of methods. About 2 weeks ago I went on a LR4 seminar in Toronto by Matt through Kelby training and while waiting for the class to start, a guy from Topaz was hucking is warze outside the classroom... BLOWN AWAY could be used to describe the demo I witnessed. He took a white haired poodle, shot in front of a white bricked fireplace that has a very shallow DOF, and extracted that in about 6 seconds... right down to the finest of hairs on that little punt dog. I personally have never seen an extraction that good, that fast, and applied to a new background in my life. Being a little skeptical, I asked him to use 2 images of MY choosing... He did. Same time, same results.. I have to get used to using the tool and more familiar with it's capabilities.. I know they say you can do everything inside Ps CS6 without the use of a plugin. But I've never seen anything quite THAT fast, and THAT good in my 6 years with the program. Just my opinion. Dec 10 12 03:40 am Link Most of the time I stick with good old channels method. I tried Topaz re-mask, didn't work for me - I can do it faster and more accurately with channels and sometimes combination of channels and pen tool Cheers, Christiana Dec 10 12 05:08 am Link I always start with the pen tool, then use combinations of Refine Mask and Calculations. It all depends on your subject. Dec 10 12 05:24 am Link Christiana1990 wrote: ...really curious ...wouldn't a maskingbattle with the same image sound like fun? Dec 10 12 05:30 am Link I second the vote for "fluid Mask", also find "perfect Mask" a little cheaper and works well for most things. But CS6 selction tool and refine edge works for most normal things. Doug Dec 10 12 05:49 am Link For hair, I tend to use the 'background eraser tool'. It works well if the background is not too complex. If I know I'll be exacting a model, I prefer to shoot against a white backdrop. It seems to contaminate the hair less than 'green'. If there are small white spots, I use the burn tool to hide them. Dec 10 12 06:11 am Link Pictus wrote: Please tell me more. Dec 10 12 06:33 am Link Michael Pandolfo wrote: I think it works awesome! but... you definitely need to have a solid or out-of-focus background for good results. Dec 10 12 08:26 am Link quick select with refine edge is pretty handy. sometimes hair still requires some special handling. Dec 10 12 08:37 am Link Ezhini wrote: I am doing this for eons, so learned how/why use the right Dec 10 12 09:19 am Link JarodSLFlow wrote: +1, wa going to recommend that book too, helped me understand refining edges better, before i was just fiddling with the sliders without knowing what i was doing, Dec 12 12 03:56 pm Link if u have an solid color background is easy whit channel, duplicate the channel with more contrast , then adjustment with more contrast and levels try to make the mask turning everthing white and black , but normal images zoom the images en go pixel by pixel whit pen tool or if u using an masketo delete u will get an nice selection and then soft it with raduis40 and then use minimize filter its were the high pass filter is sometime u will have to paint back some edges specially when is hair selections Dec 12 12 06:05 pm Link JarodSLFlow wrote: I checked that book out based on your recommendation. The author is probably the only person I've seen describe how to successfully extract people from backgrounds using quick selection and refine edge. Great stuff. Dec 19 12 11:56 am Link Check out Terry White's take on the issue as well: http://youtu.be/vfkjHnsAsvg Dec 19 12 12:37 pm Link |
