Heidotron

Hi, I'm sure this question has been asked before so please forgive me if I am going over old ground. I am trying to master cutting out people from backgrounds (especially backgrounds which are a bit complicated - not solid colours). I know there are a number of ways and a number of tools to use, but which is best? The pen tool is great for smooth clean lines, but I struggle with hair and fur on objects. I know there is a more professional way of doing cut outs using Channels and curves and creating a mask. Could someone guide me through this? I'd really like to have a good reliable method for performing cut-outs....please help!!

MindBender

First off, welcome to PSG. Yes, that topic is very frequently covered. Which is good for you since there are countless answers to the questions and tutorials on the subject.

There is no one right answer. As you said the pen tool is great for smooth lines and the channel method is better for troublesome areas like hair. I wouldn't use channels for a smooth line and I wouldn't use the pen tool for hair... so it's not a matter of best... it's a matter of best given the circumstances. Often you use more than one method for an extraction to get it just right.

That said, here are a couple of tutorials on the channels method, which is a very powerful method of extracting images with difficult edges.

http://thegoldenmean.com/technique/replace_bg.html

http://www.weichertcreative.com/tutorials/extract.php

Good luck, extractions are a complex subject, but once you master them you'll impress people at parties and woo the opposite sex... well... you'll be better at Photoshop at least.

Heidotron

Hi, thanks for your response and help. Those tutorials were really helpful and I am going to put them to practice this weekend. I think you are right in that you need to select the most appropriate method for the task in hand. Thanks again!

plugsnpixels

If the manual approach turns out to be difficult, there are software options designed for speeding up selecting/masking (look under that heading here to explore the options).

MindBender

... or you could just practice a little.

Heidotron

Hi guys, thanks again for your suggestions. I am practicing like mad, will keep you posted!