PS101 Group D - Selection Tools & Masks

05/12/2007 07:15:18 AM · #1

bmartuch,

Melethia,

nshapiro,

bergiekat,

colorcarnival,

Nullix,

Lowcivicman99,

suemack,

Sunniee,

TomFoolery,

cornettcag

WORKING WITH SELECTION TOOLS & MASKS
Mentor for this Group & Topic:

wavelength
Topic Author: Art Roflmao

Introduction and Disclaimers
This, and all other lessons put together by me are mostly right out of my head based on my experience. I learn new things about PS everyday, so I encourage everyone to participate in the discussion on the use of tools and methods. You should also feel free to post links to additional resources related to the current topic. Always remember that there is really no "right" way to do anything in Photoshop - find what works best for your style and comfort level.

SELECTION TOOLS
The various selection tools in PS allow you to isolate parts of an image to apply effects or filters to just that area or to copy or cut out an area. There are actually a lot of ways to "select" parts of an image: use a selection tool, CTRL+A (select all), Select Color Range and also variations of some of these.

The primary selection tools I use are the Marquees and the Lasso tools:

- Selects a rectangular area. You can hold SHIFT to constrain the selection to a square. Option settings include a fixed size and fixed aspect ratio - both can be useful for cropping or copying consistent shape and size images.

- Selects a round or elliptical area. You can hold SHIFT to constrain the selection to a circle. Option settings include a fixed size and fixed aspect ratio. This one also has the Anti-Alias setting which softens jagged edges.

- These select a single pixel horizontal or vertical row or column from edge to edge. I have used this for very unique purposes before, but don't find them all that useful.

- Good for rough freehand selection. Hard to control precision even with a tablet and once you let go of the mouse button, the selection is closed/completed for you.

- Good for detailed work and straight edge selections - zoom way in and click from point to point, tracing edges of the part of the image you want to select. Use the spacebar and drag the image to reposition as you go.

- Good for detailed work, but only works well on high contrast edges, but provides a quick way to remove a subject from it's background. Takes some practice to get the tolerance and smoothness settings dialed in to work for a particular image.

- Good for selecting / removing large areas of solid or similar colors. Options allow for contiguous selection or selection of all colors within the tolerance setting. Can be used to work on the contents of a single layer or All Layers. The All Layers option will apply to creating the selection but keep in mind that when you apply filters and effects, they will only be applied to the contents of the selection on the active layer.

- You can ADD to a selection by holding down the SHIFT key and you can SUBTRACT from a selection by holding down the ALT key when using the selection tools. If you accidentally click without pressing a key to add or subtract and lose your selection, just UNDO to get it back. Also remember that the lasso tools have additional options that can be set on the options bar. These include "feather", which will softent the edges of the selection. I rarely use the feather options on a selection tool since I can feather the selection when I am done building it.

For any selection tool that requires fairly high contrasting edges, you can use CTRL+J to duplicate the current layer (assuming everything you want to select from is on this layer), then adjust the contrast, levels, curves for maximum contrast on the edges you want to select. Build your selection on this layer, then switch to the original layer, hide or delete the high contrast duplicate and perform whatever action on your selection now on the original image layer. This works especially well with the magnetic lasso.

Using only the lasso selection tools, remove the subject from its background and place it on a solid white background. Post your completed image thumbs here for discussion and feedback. You can either use this image below, or use one of your own, but try something challenging - not something like an already silhouetted subject. If you use your own, also post the original thumb.

That's all I have time for right now. I will post the subtopic: "Masks" in this same thread in a day or two. Some of this is very basic, but it is a 101 class, so bear with us or check back as the topics are posted if these are too fundamental for you or chime in with your tips & tricks.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

05/12/2007 07:33:16 AM · #2

Ohhhh that fluffy tail's going to be tricky!! Looking forward to this class!

Glad to see you're ok Art .....was getting a bit worried bout you.

wavelength

Nikon D300

05/12/2007 12:53:47 PM · #3

Originally posted by Melethia:

I blew up the shot to 200% and used the polygon lasso tool thingie. Not great on the tail, but it really is hard to see the difference between fur and ground at that point. Then I created a "layer via copy" which had just the selection. I opened a new file, made it the same dimensions, and used the "move" tool to move the cutout to the new file. Here I cheated, because I don't know the right way. I painted a line around the edge of the layer so I could see the edges, then used that to align my cutout to the new file so hopefully the squirrel is in the same place, just in a new file.

Not sure if this makes sense. But if someone can tell me how to get the cutout on a white background perfectly aligned with the original, I'm all ears!

Purty good job there. ;)

On the alignment, if you hit ctrl+T, then you'll go into the free transform function, and you can skew/rotate/whatevah to your hearts desire. If you hit alt+shift while in that function, you can drag one corner and the whole image will shrink or grow. Hope that helps!

wavelength

Nikon D300

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

05/12/2007 01:00:03 PM · #4

Shortcut PDF files for most versions of Photoshop

05/12/2007 05:13:57 PM · #5

This was tough!!! Used polygonal lasso tool. The tail was so tricky, I was trying to make it look less 'cut out', so zig-zagged with the tool (think I over dun it abit) 0.3 feather on the selection.

Holding down the SHIFT to add to the selection was my saving grace. Very useful tip, I didn't know that before!!

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

05/12/2007 05:20:35 PM · #6

Great job, Sue! Your tail looks much better than mine. Well, you know what I mean...

I'll have to try the SHIFT to add to the selection - not exactly sure how that works. And how did you put him on a white background in the same position he was to begin with?

Message edited by author 2007-05-12 17:22:06.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

05/12/2007 05:29:45 PM · #7

I duplicated the squirrel layer. Went down to the bottom layer and added a new blank layer and filled that with white (so that was between the 2 squirrels). When I'd isolated the squirrel (working on top layer) I inverted my selection Select -> invert, Select -> feather 0.3. Then Ctrl-X cut out the background and just left me the squirrel with the white layer below showing.

Totally mucked it up the first time, so deleted that top layer and made me another from the bottom one. I tend to always work on a duplicate layer so that when I do muck things up (common occurance LOL) I have a backup to work on.

levyj413

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

05/12/2007 06:41:00 PM · #8

Originally posted by suemack:

Dang! You should be teaching people how to use the lasso. :)

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

05/12/2007 07:07:28 PM · #9

Thanks Jeff! Had lots of practice with my dove photos replacing the skies for stock shots. Fur is even trickier than feathers.

Message edited by author 2007-05-12 19:07:47.

Nullix

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

05/13/2007 12:22:15 AM · #10

Here we go. I hate using these tools btw. Here's my try:

I was going to take the option of shooting another squirl against a blue sky background and bump up the contrast to use the magnetic lasso, but I thought that might be cheating.

joynim

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

Olympus 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Digital

05/13/2007 01:20:43 AM · #11

Originally posted by suemack:

Forgive me if I am telling Grandma how to suck eggs but another way to do it is click file then new click ok this opens a plain white background then click back to the window where the squirrell is and click on the move tool to move the squirrel to the white background :)

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

05/13/2007 01:28:01 AM · #12

Originally posted by joynim:

Charlie, that's exactly what I did, but I wanted to know if there was a way to keep the squirrel in exactly the same position relative to the picture - I could see where that might be a useful thing if you're removing stuff to put it back in later or something like that. But your method is the only one I knew how to do.

05/13/2007 01:37:35 AM · #13

Originally posted by Melethia:

To keep it in the same position, once you have selected the squirrel, use CTRL+J and it will place the selected portion on a new layer in the exact same position.

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

05/13/2007 02:08:31 AM · #14

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

Originally posted by Melethia:
Charlie, that's exactly what I did, but I wanted to know if there was a way to keep the squirrel in exactly the same position relative to the picture - I could see where that might be a useful thing if you're removing stuff to put it back in later or something like that. But your method is the only one I knew how to do.

To keep it in the same position, once you have selected the squirrel, use CTRL+J and it will place the selected portion on a new layer in the exact same position.

Cool! Now how do I make that layer have a white background? And if I wanted to make that whole layer (with the squirrel and a white background) a new file, is there a nifty way to do that, too?

05/13/2007 02:19:32 AM · #15

Originally posted by Melethia:

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

Originally posted by Melethia:
Charlie, that's exactly what I did, but I wanted to know if there was a way to keep the squirrel in exactly the same position relative to the picture - I could see where that might be a useful thing if you're removing stuff to put it back in later or something like that. But your method is the only one I knew how to do.

To keep it in the same position, once you have selected the squirrel, use CTRL+J and it will place the selected portion on a new layer in the exact same position.

Cool! Now how do I make that layer have a white background? And if I wanted to make that whole layer (with the squirrel and a white background) a new file, is there a nifty way to do that, too?

Ok - what I would do is simply make the selection, CTRL+J, CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+N, D, X, G, click, then drag that layer below the squirrel layer.

...were you taking notes? :) Try those steps and see what I mean. :)

05/13/2007 03:08:47 AM · #16

And now for the second part of this topic...

MASKS

For this part of the topic, I am going to cheat a little and copy/paste some info directly from the PS help file.

Originally posted by Adobe Photoshop CS Help File - About Masks:

Masks let you isolate and protect areas of an image as you apply color changes, filters, or other effects to the rest of the image. When you select part of an image, the area that is not selected is "masked" or protected from editing. You can also use masks for complex image editing such as gradually applying color or filter effects to an image.

Masks and channels are grayscale images, so you can edit them like any other image. With masks and channels, areas painted black are protected, and areas painted white are editable. Masks let you save and reuse time-consuming selections as alpha channels. Alpha channels can store selections so you can use them again, or you can load a saved selection into another image.

Photoshop lets you create masks in the following ways:

Quick Mask mode

Lets you edit any selection as a mask. The advantage of editing your selection as a mask is that you can use almost any Photoshop tool or filter to modify the mask. For example, if you create a rectangular selection with the Marquee tool, you can enter Quick Mask mode and use the paintbrush to extend or contract the selection, or you can use a filter to distort the edges of the selection. You can also use selection tools, because the quick mask is not a selection. (See Using Quick Mask mode to make selections (Photoshop).) You can also save and load selections you make using Quick Mask mode in Alpha channels.

Alpha channels

Lets you save and load selections. You can edit Alpha channels using any of the editing tools. When a channel is selected in the Channels palette, foreground and background colors appear as grayscale values.

Layer masks and vector masks let you produce a mix of soft and hard masking edges on the same layer. By making changes to the layer mask or the vector masks, you can apply a variety of special effects.

The only thing I am going to add is my endorsement of Quickmask mode - I only recently started using it and it is great for doing detailed selection work.

The only assignment on this part of the topic is to experiment with it.

Remember "Q" takes you into quickmask mode and also toggles you back out. When in Quickmask mode, the masked part of the image (UNselected part) is the colored part - you paint the mask in with a pencil or brush. If your brush opacity is less than 100% when masking, whatever you do to the resulting selection will be applied accordingly.

--------------------------
**Don't worry if you are one of the group members and are just catching up with the thread - feel free to apply the use of quickmask mode to the original assignment and see if it makes things easier than the lasso tool. I won't be posting the next topic for a few days, so go ahead and experiment, post experiences, discuss, tawk amongst yuhselves. :)

acrotide

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

05/13/2007 04:53:16 AM · #17

Originally posted by Melethia:

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

To keep it in the same position, once you have selected the squirrel, use CTRL+J and it will place the selected portion on a new layer in the exact same position.

Cool! Now how do I make that layer have a white background? And if I wanted to make that whole layer (with the squirrel and a white background) a new file, is there a nifty way to do that, too?

The way I've done it is to delete the background layer (leaving only the newly created layer with the squirrel cutout and the checkered background), select the Paint Bucket Tool, change the foreground colour to white and click in the empty space (checkered background) surrounding the squirrel cutout. Then select File > Save As to save the new file. Not sure if there's an easier way to do this, but this is the best way I've found to do this.

05/13/2007 04:59:37 AM · #18

Originally posted by acrotide:

Originally posted by Melethia:

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

To keep it in the same position, once you have selected the squirrel, use CTRL+J and it will place the selected portion on a new layer in the exact same position.

Cool! Now how do I make that layer have a white background? And if I wanted to make that whole layer (with the squirrel and a white background) a new file, is there a nifty way to do that, too?

The way I've done it is to delete the background layer (leaving only the newly created layer with the squirrel cutout and the checkered background), select the Paint Bucket Tool, change the foreground colour to white and click in the empty space (checkered background) surrounding the squirrel cutout. Then select File > Save As to save the new file. Not sure if there's an easier way to do this, but this is the best way I've found to do this.

The problem with that is it can leave uneven or missing fill spots because you are filling the transparent background around the squirrel. If you slip a layer underneath and fill tha completely, all of the white background will show & blend AND you maintain the cutout subject on a layer in case you want to use it again.

acrotide

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

05/13/2007 05:10:43 AM · #19

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

Originally posted by acrotide:

Originally posted by Melethia:

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

To keep it in the same position, once you have selected the squirrel, use CTRL+J and it will place the selected portion on a new layer in the exact same position.

Cool! Now how do I make that layer have a white background? And if I wanted to make that whole layer (with the squirrel and a white background) a new file, is there a nifty way to do that, too?

The way I've done it is to delete the background layer (leaving only the newly created layer with the squirrel cutout and the checkered background), select the Paint Bucket Tool, change the foreground colour to white and click in the empty space (checkered background) surrounding the squirrel cutout. Then select File > Save As to save the new file. Not sure if there's an easier way to do this, but this is the best way I've found to do this.

The problem with that is it can leave uneven or missing fill spots because you are filling the transparent background around the squirrel. If you slip a layer underneath and fill tha completely, all of the white background will show & blend AND you maintain the cutout subject on a layer in case you want to use it again.

Thanks for pointing that out, Art.

Sunniee

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

05/13/2007 12:15:45 PM · #20

oops.... re read the assignment.... errrrr i cheated.... gotta re-do
I used a mask instead of the selection tool....

now Ill go do it with the selection tools.... dang... detention already!

Message edited by author 2007-05-13 12:28:06.

05/13/2007 03:16:19 PM · #21

Originally posted by Sunniee:

oops.... re read the assignment.... errrrr i cheated.... gotta re-do
I used a mask instead of the selection tool....
now Ill go do it with the selection tools.... dang... detention already!

Beautiful work Michelle!! How did you get such a great isolation on his tail? I always have trouble with hair.

Message edited by author 2007-05-13 15:16:54.

cornettcag

Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II for Canon

05/13/2007 03:31:41 PM · #22

It's a squirrel, just a squirrel, with some extra stuff by his nose that I can't figure out why it came along.

cornettcag

Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II for Canon

05/13/2007 03:38:06 PM · #23

Well, I got most of the squirrel and lots of bits of other things. How do you tell where the hair ends and the rocks start?

05/13/2007 03:38:32 PM · #24

One method for fixing up hair is to use a special brush for either erasing, or for quickmasking in the first place. I use the "Dune Grass" brush (for MANY things) and it can be adjusted in a zillion ways. Brushes can be used for burning, dodging, history brush, eraser, clone stamp and other things, so the many settings available for the brush in this palette make it very useful!