In Photoshop Elements, you can fine-tune a selection using the Refine Edge dialog box (select part of the image, right-click the selection, and choose Refine Edge from the context menu). You can also open the Refine Edge dialog box by clicking Select > Refine Edge.
To open the Refine Edge dialog box on Mac, select a portion of the image, Control-click, and then click Refine Edge.
View Mode. From the View pop-up menu, choose a viewing mode for the selection. Press F to change from one mode to another.
Show Radius Tool. Specifies the edge refinement radius.
Refine Radius Tools And Erase clarification. Precisely adjusts the border area where edge refinement is performed. To quickly switch from one tool to another, use the E key. To change the brush size, use the square bracket keys. Note. Brush over soft areas (hair or fur) to add detail to the selected area.
Smart Radius Tool. Automatically adjusts the radius for hard and soft edges detected in the border area. Deselect this option if the entire length of the border has equally sharp or equally fuzzy edges, or if you need more precise control over the radius settings and refinement brushes.
Radius. Determines the size of the border of the selection that is subject to edge refinement. Use a small radius for sharp edges and a large radius for softer edges.
Smooth. Reduces curved areas (“bumps and valleys”) within the border of a selection, creating a smoother outline.
shading. Blurs the transition between the selected area and its surrounding pixels.
Contrast. The smooth edges of the transition along the border of the selection look sharper when zoomed in. In this case, using the Smart Radius tool and the refinement tools will be more effective.
Shift Edge Tool. Moves soft-edged borders inward with negative values or outward with positive values. Moving these borders inward helps to remove unwanted background colors from the edges of the selection.
Clear Colors Tool. Changes the color border to the color of fully selected nearby pixels. The color replacement effect is calculated in proportion to the softness of the edges of the selection.
Important information. Because this option changes the color of the pixels, you need to enter it into a new layer or document. Save the original layer so you can return it if necessary (to visually see the change in pixel color, select the “Show Layer” view mode).
Intensity. Changes the level of edge cleaning and replacement.
Output to. Determines whether the refined selection becomes a selection or mask on the current layer, or forms a new layer or document.
About Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular packages for processing raster graphics. Despite the high price, the program is used by up to 80% of professional designers, photographers, and computer graphics artists. Thanks to its enormous functionality and ease of use, Adobe Photoshop occupies a dominant position in the graphics editor market.
Despite all its apparent complexity, the functionality of Adobe Photoshop is based on several basic sets of functions. Selection, creation of a separate area with which you can work “in isolation” from the full photo is one of the basic functions. And by understanding the philosophy of selection and layering, you can create images that are impressive in their complexity. At the same time, the creation process itself is very, very simple.
Topic 2. Part 9. Selection of objects. Light selection with the Refine Edge tool in Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS6.
In previous lessons in the Photoshop course, we looked at almost all the ways to select and create a fragment from an entire image. Including complex selections. The topics covered in lessons 1-8 are common to all versions of Adobe Photoshop. Starting from license plates, Adobe Photoshop 5, 6.5, and ending with the Creative Suite. Up to Adobe Photoshop CS6.
However, progress does not stand still. In older versions of the program, a group of tools has appeared that can help you quickly and efficiently make very complex selections. Both “regular” and layer-mask complexes. This group was called “Refine the Edge.” We will analyze its functionality in this lesson.
For a complete understanding, you should familiarize yourself with the previous lessons in Topic 2 “Selection in Adobe Photoshop.” At a minimum - lessons on complex secretions and classes on working with masks.
Practical part
As an example, we will use a familiar photograph of a horse. Why? The answer is simple. On the same image it is easier to see all the pros and cons of each selection method. And choosing the “ideal photo for a lesson” is somewhat a deception of users.
To use the Refine Edge tool, you need to make a basic selection. Moreover, its accuracy does not play a big role. The main thing is that the main groups of colors that are present on the target fragment fall inside the area. In our case, these are black, gray tones, white, brown shades.
Note that the selection is INSIDE the area. Do not try to accurately select the edges. It's too much.
After you have made a basic selection, pay attention to the button "Refine edge" in the context menu of the selection tool.
If another tool is selected, but there is a selected area, you can use the " Selection» - « Refine edge» or a combination of hot keys « ALT+CTRL+R».
The Refine Edge tool palette appears. The state of the tool's context menu will change. The latter is responsible only for the size of the brush of the Refine Edge tool. That is, the radius within which a zone will be searched for to add to the selection or remove an area from the selection.
Tool palette overview
There are more tools in the main palette. It makes sense to give a brief overview.
So, the palette "Refine edge" is divided into 4 main blocks: View, Edge detection, Edge Setting And Conclusion
Block « View» is responsible for how the selection work area will be displayed on the screen.
The following options are available:
- Standard view or "Marching Ants". The selection area appears as a dotted line. The hotkey for switching to this view is the Latin letter M.
- Blend mode. (Overlay). In this case, the area not included in the selection is highlighted in the same way as a mask. By default – in the form of a red backlight. Hotkey - V.
- Display on black (On Black). The selected area is displayed on a black background. Convenient when you highlight light areas. Hotkey - V.
- Display on White). Complete opposite. Everything that is not selected is replaced with white. Hotkey - W.
- Black & White Display. The selected area is white. Not highlighted – black. Complete analogue of mask display. Hotkey - K.
- Display on layers (On Layers). Creates the illusion of placing the selected part on a new, transparent layer. The hotkey to turn on the mode is L.
- Mode Reveal Laye r shows the layer on which you make the selection without any extraneous marks. Hotkey - R.
And finally, two additional points.
- By checking the box next to " Show Radius", you will see only the selection radius (without internal zones).
- Check mark next to " Show original" shows the original photo.
note: Setting display modes is just the appearance of your selection on the screen. Setting the output mode (tool use) is in another block.
Advice: Do not work with the same display mode all the time. During operation, switch modes for self-control. This is easy to do. Sequential key press F scrolls through the modes. Return to the original view by pressing the key X.
Creating an Initial Extended Path
Now let's get straight to work. The initial area is specified in paragraph Edge detection.
To properly highlight, for example, a mane:
- If you are working with a very complex contour, where there are both hard and translucent boundaries (in our case, mane hair), check the box next to "Smart radius" (Smart Radius).
- By adjusting the slider Radius, achieve the necessary parameters for “moving” the selection beyond the original boundaries.
- Next we work with a brush "Specify radius". Set the brush diameter to LESS than the width of the selection area. This is done in the context menu.
- Improve the selection. To do this, hold down the left mouse button and drag along the middle parts of the desired image. DON'T draw boundaries - it's useless.
- If you need to remove certain areas, select the brush " Erase clarification" Or, without switching, swipe with the brush key pressed ALT.
- Remember: a single stroke with the brush does not always give the desired result. Swipe over the same place 2-3 times.
Refinement of the created contour
Once we've made a basic selection, we need to refine it.
The next item on the palette will help with this. Namely the block "Adjusting the edge." The tools in this block are largely identical to the “Modification” block in the “Selections” menu. The difference is in the clarity of the result.
- Slider "smoothing" is responsible for the smoothness of the selection edges. When setting the maximum parameters, the selection area tends to be elliptical.
- Slider shading (Feather) is responsible for the radius of transition to transparency. You can read about shading in the lesson “Selection with shading”.
- Contrast setting The opposite of "smoothing". Intensifying this effect leads to the appearance of corners and small details at the borders of the selection. The downside is the appearance of artifacts - small selected areas outside the main selected area.
- The most interesting thing seems to be Shift Edge slider. In Russian it means “to move the edge.” Shifting the slider to the left “compresses” the selection boundaries inward. Shift to the right side – expands. Moreover, the expansion occurs quite correctly, taking into account the boundaries of color transitions.
What to do next after clarification?
Once you have created a zone, you can simply click OK. However, this is not the best option. The fact is that the “refine edge” palette provides greater selection options. To do this, just select one of the items in the drop-down menu “ Conclusion" Briefly about the possibilities:
- Output to selection- nothing extraordinary happens. The result is simply a selected area.
- Output in layer mask mode. Adds a mask to the current layer. You can read more about masks and working with them in the lesson “how to separate a translucent image”. This item is convenient because you can always modify the selection mask in other ways.
- Output to new layer. This mode copies the area to a new layer. In this case, the selection boundaries disappear.
- Output to a new layer with a mask(New Layer with Layer Mask) One of the most convenient tools. It creates a copy of the layer, adding to it a mask created from the selection. You are left with an untouched original and a copy appears that you work with.
- “Output to new document” mode creates a document from the selected fragment. All areas not included in the selection are replaced with a transparent background.
- Output to document with layer mask similar to the “New Layer with Layer Mask” method. The only difference is that the image and mask are copied not to a new layer, but to a new document.
However, selection is never perfect. To refine foreign moire (the presence of other colors at the border of the selection), use the checkbox " Clear colors"(Decontaminate Colors). It tints the border pixels with the main color of the inner selection zone. On the one hand, this is convenient when highlighting translucent hair. On the other hand, it can lead to loss of contrast at the borders. Be careful.
Attention: When the “clear colors” mode is turned on, output to a normal selection and to the “layer mask” mode is not available.
As stated above, none of the selections give perfect results the first time. Therefore, the Refine Edge palette toolset should not be taken as a panacea. This is a very powerful and lightweight tool. But it works best with repeated use.
- Making a selection
- Refining the edges
- Output to normal selection
- Call the “refine edge” panel again. In this case, we already have a better selection and “zeroed parameters” of the palette. We can “clarify” again.
- We repeat the clarification as many times as necessary.
- Output with mask. In this case, having drawn out the zones, we finalize the boundaries on the mask.
- Output to selection. In this case, you can refine the selection with other tools (lasso, selection by color, and so on).
If you highlight, for example, hair tied with an elastic band, specify the edges of the hair. Do not touch the transition to other zones. That is, they “made hair” - they added an elastic band.
When refining the edges, don't forget to change the brush diameter. This is very useful for “subtle” highlighting.
Comment: Unfortunately, practice shows that the “refine edges” panel is practically useless when trying to highlight white areas on a light gray background.
If you did everything correctly, separating, for example, a horse from a complex background will not take you much time. Fast, clear, convenient.
Knowing how to properly create and modify selections is an important skill for any Photoshop user. In this tutorial, we'll look at ways to modify selections in Photoshop. Here you can read about the main combinations that will greatly help simplify the process of working with selected areas; we will also look at selection tools, quick mask mode and Selection panel options.
Lesson details:
- Estimated completion time: 23 minutes
- Difficulty level: beginning
- Program: Adobe Photoshop CS6
Final result:
1.Basic combinations:
The following combinations for creating selections are basic:
- Add a new one to the selected area(by holding Shift and using the selection tools, you can add new areas to an existing area)
- Subtract from a selection(to do this you need to hold Alt/Option)
- Intersection area(to create an area where two selections intersect, you need to hold down Alt/Option and Shift at the same time)
- Select all(using the combination Ctrl/Cmd + A you can select the entire canvas)
- Deselect(to remove the selected area, you need to press Ctrl / Cmd + D)
- Revert selection(to return the previous selected area, you need to press the combination Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + D)
- Invert selection(by pressing the combination Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + I, you can swap the selected and unselected area)
- Move the selected area can be used using the arrow keys on the keyboard
- Selected area perfect circle or square can be created using the appropriate selection tools by holding Shift)
- To create a selection, starting from the center need to hold Alt/Option
2.
The saved selections may be useful later. The selected area can be saved in channels. A selection saved in an alpha channel can be loaded at any time.
3.Transforming a selection
This function will allow you to edit only the selected area, but not the contents of the layer. This can be very useful when we need to create a distorted selection. To change the selection, you can hold down the Ctrl / Cmd button and drag the anchor points, or use the warp functions.
4.Quick Mask mode
This is a very convenient function for making changes to the selected area. To enter the quick mask mode, you need to click on the button in the lower toolbar, or press the Q key. You can exit the mode in a similar way. Once you've entered the Quick Mask mode, you'll see that the selected area remains unchanged, while the rest of the image is shaded red. You can change the settings by double-clicking on the quick mask icon. To create the desired selections, in this mode you have to work with gradients and brushes. Using black as the window's foreground color will make it possible to remove the area from the selection, using white will help increase the selection.
5. Magic wand, quick selection, adjacent pixels and similar shades
Magic Wand is a classic Photoshop tool. It allows you to create a selection based on the similarity of neighboring pixels. The Quick Selection tool is hidden in the toolbar and is somewhat similar to the Magic Wand. This tool takes the form of brushes and with a simple stroke you can create the selection you want. The name of the tools: adjacent pixels (grow) and similar shades (similar) speaks for itself.
6. Feathering
This function allows you to soften the edges of a selected area. Depending on the desired softening, you need to select the appropriate size of the softened area.
7. Refine Edge
A very powerful tool for creating a selection. Here you will find a lot of useful settings that will come in handy when creating selected areas with fine details. Here you'll find Smart Radius, Clear Color, offset selection edge option, and more.
8. Shrink/Expand
The function allows you to shrink or expand the selected area by a specified number of pixels.
9. Border
One of the least common selection functions. It allows you to create a ring-like frame around your previous selection.
10. Color Range
One of many people's favorite selection tools. It is somewhat similar to a magic wand, but by working with it, you can more precisely control the selected area. The main difference from the magic wand is the ability to immediately see the resulting mask, as well as further adjustment of pixels that did not fall within the set threshold.
Translation – Duty room
When editing photos, you often need to select an object and move it to another background. There are usually no problems with simple objects, but complex selection in photoshop things like hair or fur can be confusing and time consuming. But let's talk about everything in order.
After a photo shoot, I usually import Raw files into Adobe Lightroom, remove various defects, such as distortion, add them, and open the desired image in Photoshop with the “Edit in Adobe Photoshop CS5” command (you can use “Ctrl + E” for this).
Complex selection in Photoshop We will do this using the Quick Selection tool and an additional photoshop option – Refine Edge.
Let's start with a simple example illustrating the capabilities of the Quick Selection tool in Photoshop.
Original photo.
The Quick Selection tool in Photoshop helped us select an object in the photo in a couple of minutes, and the additional option “Refine Edge” optimized the selection. As a result, we received the following image:
The whole process takes only two minutes, but this is too simple an example, we will not dwell on it. Complex selection in Photoshop objects such as hair are worth our attention.
This is the image we will work with.
Complex selection in Photoshop using the Quick Selection tool
Using the “W” hotkey or using the panel, select “Quick Selection Tool”
Select the desired object, you can do this quite roughly.
Paint over the erroneously selected areas by holding the “Alt” key, thereby deleting unnecessary areas.
In the Refine Edge dialog box, you can choose the viewing mode that suits you best.
Select the most suitable display method from the View drop-down menu
- Marching Ants
- Overlay
- On Black
- On White
- Black & White
- On Layers
- Reveal Layer
Turn on the “Smart Radius” checkbox; the result is usually better with it.
The more complex the selection, the larger the radius value you need to set.
To see if there are any missing areas in our complex hair selection, switch the view mode to Overlay.
As you can see, the hair is practically not highlighted.
Point Photoshop to problem areas of a complex selection using the Refine Radius tool.
You can also use the “E” hotkey to call it.
Paint over problem areas. Complex selection in Photoshop with the help of these tools it turns into a simple and quickly completed task.
After painting over the problem areas, the selection will be redefined, leaving you with beautifully highlighted hair with all the details.
Check the Decontaminate Colors checkbox to remove any remaining background from the original image.
The selection results can be sent, for example, to a “new layer with layer mask” (New Layer with Laer Mask), if desired, you can adjust the selection on the layer mask by selecting the “Brush” tool (Brush) and paint over the desired area on the mask.
Complex selection in Photoshop not as difficult as it seems at first glance.
This is what we got.
The same on a blue background
Complex hair selection in Photoshop using the quick selection tool takes about five minutes and is done quite simply - try it from your own experience.
After editing is complete, save the image and it will appear in Lightroom next to the original file, after which you can add
The most common operation in Photoshop is selecting objects to replace the background or transfer to another photo. There are a huge number of selection methods in Photoshop that can be combined with each other to achieve the best result.
From this lesson, you will learn how to select a method for a given specific situation and select objects in Photoshop as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Good highlighting starts with choosing the right tool. The very first group of buttons in the toolbar is dedicated to selecting objects.
The arrow in the lower right corner means there are additional variations of these tools. If you click and hold the mouse button on one of them, a list of additional tools opens.
At the beginning there are simple selection shapes "Rectangular area" "Oval area" and stripes with a thickness of one pixel. Most often, the first two are used.
Holding down the SHIFT key while drawing produces a clean square or circle.
Regular Lasso(Lasso Tool) draws a line along the trajectory of the mouse. As a rule, it is quite difficult to hit the edge of the subject with the mouse, so this tool is suitable for rough selections when precision is not important.
(Polygonal Lasso Tool) draws a selection using straight lines. Suitable for highlighting objects with right angles. For example, boxes, buildings, pencils.
Double-clicking closes the selection, so be careful.
(Magnetic Lasso Tool) works in automatic mode. It is enough to weigh along the edge of the object, the computer will recognize its shape and the line will "magnetize" to the edge of the object.
If the line does not lay correctly, press the Backspace key on the keyboard to remove the last links and lay the line on a new course. Also, this button works with the rectangular selection tool.
(Magic Wand Tool) automatically recognizes spots of the same color and selects them.
The magic wand is suitable for objects lying on a plain background; one click on the background will recognize it and highlight it.
The sensitivity of the magic wand (tolerance) is adjusted in the options panel. The higher the value, the more the wand “sees”. Sensitivity that is too low will leave a white halo, as in the picture above, and sensitivity that is too high will capture the edges of the object.
(Quick Selection Tool), works in a similar way, but more effectively selects multi-colored objects. The tool lives up to its name and indeed, it selects an object faster than all others.
Select the optimal brush diameter and draw inside the object. The brush will grab it in parts, trying to guess the boundaries of the object.
Even if the Quick Selection Tool has grabbed the excess, holding down the ALT key allows you to remove pieces of the selection back.
Absolutely all of the above tools can be combined with each other. It is this technique that allows you to achieve high quality selection.
- Hold SHIFT adds the next selection to the existing one.
- Hold ALT subtracts the new selection from the old one.
When working with lasso tools, you can always modify an existing selection by adding a new one or subtracting from an old one.
In addition, each new selection can have its own shading. This allows you to highlight a subject with blurred edges, as in the image above.
The feathering value can be set before drawing (in the options bar, as in the picture above), or after drawing by pressing SHIFT+F6 (or right-click - Feather).
How to quickly select an object in Photoshop
Quick selection methods include all of the above automatic tools, and especially the Quick Selection tool. Additional functions will also help you cope with complex tasks.
Color Range
If the picture contains several objects of the same tone, use - Highlight/Color Range... This function, unlike the "magic wand", allows you to capture all elements at once and see how the sensitivity setting affects the selection.
Click the eyedropper on the desired area and adjust the "Scatter" so that your subject has maximum contrast to the background.
Improved automatic selection
However, it is important to understand that the speed of selection always affects the quality. If you want to make it as simple as possible and save time, make an automatic selection, for example with the magic wand tool.
And then, manually refine what the tool could not correctly recognize by holding down the SHIFT or ALT keys to add or subtract pieces.
Quick mask
High-speed methods of extraction include a quick mask. Take a black brush and go to quick mask mode (Q key). Paint the desired area with the brush, changing the size and hardness of the edges. Painting with gray shades allows you to create a translucent highlight.
In the "Quick Mask" mode, you can use not only brushes, but also lasso tools by filling them with black.
When you click on the quick mask icon again, you will have a selection that you will need to invert (CTRL+SHIFT+I).
Selecting with a layer mask
This method is not related to the selection tools, but has a huge advantage over the previous one in that it makes it possible to easily edit the selection as you work, add parts of the shape and remove them. Therefore, I decided to talk about him too.
Drag your image onto another background without cutting it out so that it is the second layer. Click on the layer mask icon.
Painting on the layer with black will hide the image, and painting with white will show it again. You can paint over areas using either a brush of varying softness or lasso tools.
Another advantage of this application method is the ability to make translucent selections, for example, by painting with a gray brush. It is much more convenient to paint with brushes on a layer mask; using pressure on the handle, you can adjust the transparency, and the strokes are much more accurate.
Video tutorial: 4 ways to make selections in Photoshop
How to select a complex object in Photoshop
Complex selection objects often include hair or objects with a large number of small details. Such objects are very difficult or even impossible to identify with standard tools.
If the edges of an object are blurred, automatic tools may not be able to cope, and a manual line may not be straight. In this case, it is better to use the Pen Tool, which will be discussed below.
Two ways to highlight hair
Levels. Create a new layer and set it to black and white (CTRL+SHIFT+U). Click - Image/Correction/Levels... Adjust the side sliders so that the person's hair is in maximum contrast to the background, as shown in the image below.
Paint over the light parts of the girl with a black brush to create a solid silhouette without gaps, as in the screenshot below.
Now, select the black silhouette with the “Color Range” described above, and the second layer can be deleted.
Edge refinement. For example, let's take a photo of a horse's mane. Select the body with the Quick Selection Tool or any other convenient tool. For precise selection of the mane, click - Select/Refine Edge...
Now you need to run a brush-like tool along the edge of the mane. And set the optimal settings. It is possible to see the quality of the selection on a black and white background. This is especially convenient when transferring an object to another background; you can see mistakes in advance (for example, a colored halo) and correct them.
If you erased too much or not evenly, go over the mane again while holding down the ALT key on your keyboard.
If the selection captures part of the background along the edge, for example, a white halo around an object. Click - Select/Modify/Compress...
In the window that opens, set the number of pixels by which your selection should be reduced. The same can be done for extensions selection area.
Border creates a selection only along the border of the object to the thickness specified in the settings. This function is convenient to use when drawing shapes.
Smoothing rounds the sharp corners of the selection, making it more rounded.
Blurs the edges of a selection.
Selection with the Pen tool
The Pen Tool allows you to make precise selections of objects with rounded and sharp corners. Take the Pen tool and click on the edge of the selection; if you press and hold the left mouse button, you can get a curved line.
A short click creates sharp corners, and holding allows you to bend rounded lines without errors. As you draw, you can edit the line using the following keys:
- Holding CTRL allows you to move anchor points and change the angle of curvature.
- Holding ALT adds anchor points and allows you to make sharp corners
- Holding SHIFT makes the curvature at angles that are multiples of 45°.
When your pen drawing is ready, close it, right-click on it and select "Select Area..."
The resulting selection can be used in your work, and the vector path can be deleted.
Video lesson: selecting a complex object
How to move a selected object
As a rule, an object is isolated for transfer to another image or for editing separately from the background. There are several ways to transfer an image to a different background:
The easiest way to transfer is to copy (CTRL+C and CTRL+V). Or click - Edit/Copy. And on the other image - Insert. The selection is imported as a new layer.
There is another way. Using the Move Tool, simply drag the object onto another image and release it.
And finally, the most correct way is to press - Layer/New/Copy to new layer...
How to resize a selected object in Photoshop
Almost always, after transferring a selected image to another background, it needs to be scaled. You can make the image as small as you like, but if the size is already small, then when stretched it will be blurry and in a lower resolution. In this case, it is better to reduce the background rather than the main object.
Click - Editing/Transforming/Scaling...(or CTRL+T). A frame will appear around the object.
Be sure to drag the corner while holding SHIFT on the keyboard, otherwise the proportions of the layer will be distorted and the seagull will be flattened.
Also, it is possible to rotate the layer, distort, deform, flip horizontally and vertically.
How to save a selected object in Photoshop
Once you've got the selection you need, it wouldn't hurt to save it right away, just in case. Click - Select/Save selected area...
Now the selection has been saved and can be loaded again or added to an existing one at any time.
The saved selection will only be saved in Photoshop (PSD) format; if you save your image as a JPEG, all selection information will be deleted.
How to delete a selected object in photoshop
You can remove a selected object from a photo by simply pressing the DELETE key or painting the selected area with the background color.
As you can see in the picture above, painting the image with the background color does not give the desired result, so this can only be solved with retouching tools. Such as "stamp" and "Healing brush".
For example, if you want to completely remove a person from a photo, you need to restore the background underneath using retouching tools. Sometimes photography allows you to do this.
Such an operation requires certain skills in using retouching tools and a certain amount of time, just as it is all done manually. Take the Clone Stamp Tool, hold down ALT, click on a sample of a similar background that goes under the person and click on the person.
The border running along the legs must be drawn separately, transferring similar pieces with a stamp.
If the background is uniform, select the area using any of the above-described selection tools with feathering and move it to the place of the person.
