Cutouts from Photos
Dennis Pitchforth
object from a photo? I have tried freehand, point to point, magic
wand and masks. Some are difficult and do not produce an accurate
edge, whilst masks are very time consuming.
Sean O'Dowd
"Dennis Pitchforth" wrote
You are using the correct tools ...its just a difficult and time consuming
task.
The difficulty is trying to separate colours which are almost similar.
Here is a different approach which I have just found useful
1. Download and install Ilya's simplifier plugin
(http://photoshop.msk.ru/as/simplifier.html)
2. Open your image and make a second copy of it
3. Using the second copy, apply the Simplifier filter with settings which
give fairly well defined edges (experiment with the settings)
4. Use the Freehand selection tool set to Smart Edge, Feather 1 and go
around the image carefully, thus making a selection.
5. Save the selection to disk (Selections > Save to disk)
....Now, Working on the original image
1. go to Selections > Load from Disk, choose your saved selection.
2. Invert selection, hit delete
...that's it!
Fine tuning and practice will produce better results
--
Sean
www.firebird.net
Kris Zaklika
There is no easy way since the computer doesn't know
what you want to keep and what you want to discard.
Here are a few suggestions.
1. If you are using the Lasso tool in Freehand, Smart
Edge or Point To Point mode, zoom in on the image.
Select a piece of the edge accurately and then
just loop into the center of your object. Next
scroll your image a bit until you see some unselected
area. Press Shift and select again. This will add
to the existing selection. By working your way
around the object border you can make an accurate
selection at the edges. It is a simple matter to
take care of any remaining hole in the center by
Shift-selecting it.
2. Try promoting your image to a layer (Layers >
Promote To Layer. Use the Eraser at large size and
maximum hardness to remove all the image far from the
object to be kept. At the object edges erase carefully
with a softer and smaller Eraser. Remember that if you
make a mistake right mouse will unerase.
3. Try splitting the image into channels with Colors >
Split Channel. Try RGB, HSL and CMYK. Pick the
channel where the edges of the object contrast most
strongly with the background. Make a mask from this
channel and apply it to your original image. Fill
any interior holes in the mask by roughly painting
over them in Mask Edit mode.
--
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Kris Zaklika Jasc Software, Inc. The
Product Ideas: id...@jasc.com Power
Customer Service: customer...@jasc.com To
Technical Support: tec...@jasc.com Create
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ilya Razmanov
"Sean O'Dowd" <se...@firebird.net.yes> wrote in message
news:QrTx8.10038$e5.6...@news.indigo.ie...
>
> "Dennis Pitchforth" wrote
> > Can anyone suggest what is easiest cutout an irregular shaped
> > object from a photo? I have tried freehand, point to point, magic
> > wand and masks. Some are difficult and do not produce an accurate
> > edge, whilst masks are very time consuming.
> >
> >
>
> You are using the correct tools ...its just a difficult and time consuming
> task.
Could't agree more. Selecting and masking objects on photos is one of the
most difficult things to do. It's relatively easy to select the chair
against the white wall... but when it comes to woman photo with long flyaway
hairs subtly mixing with complex multicolored background... ouch.
> The difficulty is trying to separate colours which are almost similar.
> Here is a different approach which I have just found useful
>
> 1. Download and install Ilya's simplifier plugin
> (http://photoshop.msk.ru/as/simplifier.html)
> 2. Open your image and make a second copy of it
> 3. Using the second copy, apply the Simplifier filter with settings which
> give fairly well defined edges (experiment with the settings)
> 4. Use the Freehand selection tool set to Smart Edge, Feather 1 and go
> around the image carefully, thus making a selection.
> 5. Save the selection to disk (Selections > Save to disk)
>
> ....Now, Working on the original image
>
> 1. go to Selections > Load from Disk, choose your saved selection.
> 2. Invert selection, hit delete
>
> ...that's it!
>
> Fine tuning and practice will produce better results
>
> --
> Sean
> www.firebird.net
>
WOW! Many many thanks Sean, it's truly amazing to see what uses *really*
creative people may find for the tool not originally ment for it... the only
"useful misuse" I found for Simplifier so far (and want to share here hoping
it may help someone) was vastly sharpening some blurred logos before
converting them to vectors.
From the other side, it seems like we both were thinking along very similar
lines... ;-)
Many thanks again, it's always nice to see people doing more than just
trying the tool once at default settings... ;-)))
Ilyich.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ilya Razmanov (a.k.a. Ilyich the Toad)
http://photoshop.msk.ru/ - Photoshop plug-in filters
"It's a big blobby grayshape. I was taking an art class." - Quohog,
Full Throttle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sean O'Dowd
"Ilya Razmanov" wrote>
[snip]
> WOW! Many many thanks Sean, it's truly amazing to see what uses *really*
> creative people may find for the tool not originally meant for it...
Here's a bunch of 'creative' thought you might like to follow up:
Ask Jasc to buy the filter, incorporate it into PSP and add a MACRO
capability, and maybe even a few PRESETS and RANDOMIZE features as well.
...now we would have a possibility of easily performing one of the most
difficult image tasks, image cutouts!
:)
--
Sean
Triumph The Insult Comic Dog
if you goof, restore what you erased with the right mouse button.
if you're doing hair that's all over the place, the freehand selection tool or point to point
with antialias on does a great job, touch up as needed.
avoid the smart edge selection option at all costs.. it's kind of... not so smart ; )
-woof.
"Dennis Pitchforth" <denn...@onetel.net.uk> wrote in message news:3cc7...@212.67.96.135...
Dennis Pitchforth
I must find time to try out to see which suits my needs the best.
"Sean O'Dowd" <se...@firebird.net.yes> wrote in message
news:QrTx8.10038$e5.6...@news.indigo.ie...
>