Background Eraser users !!!! help...

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

08/12/2009 05:52:33 PM · #1

Howcome when I am erasing a background, and the color I have selected to protect is not even close to a color in the background, yet the eraser tool simply goes over it and seems like it only lowers the opacity.. it's not erasing COMPLETELY...

I have hot pink selected to protect and I'm erasing the background of a super duper blown out beach scene.. The water is obviously blue, the sky is darn near white and there is white caps on the waves.. When I go over the water to erase it, the white seems to be clearing off, but there are still hints of blue..

Now, when I transfer my selection after all the erasing is done, I always have a bunch of crud that's from the old background that comes too, so I end up having to add a layer mask, use my brush to finish erasing what was left over..

I must be doing something wrong here.. Is it within my settings.. Why wouldn't it complete erase everything my curser goes over ???? and some of the colors are super stubborn.. I can switch my color to protect to anything else and it still isn't getting rid of it..

Ja-9

Nikon D750

08/12/2009 05:58:52 PM · #2

ck your opacity level on your brush (like I would know...not) but ck it anyway...make sure it is at 100% or what ever % you want...

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

08/12/2009 06:33:26 PM · #3

Echo... If your brush opacity is not 100% you are in a world of grief using this tool, so check that.

R.

08/12/2009 08:13:47 PM · #4

Originally posted by Ja-9:

ck your opacity level on your brush (like I would know...not) but ck it anyway...make sure it is at 100% or what ever % you want...

But, that's just it.. There isn't an opacity level on the background eraser tool.. It's a "tolerance level".. And, the part I don't get is it's erasing lets say 95% of all of the background.. It seem to be selecting specific colors to avoid.. even though they aren't the color I've chosen to protect.. let me put the shot on a black background so you can see..

I would think that if it's an opacity issue, then all of the colors would be leaving remnants, not just some..

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

08/12/2009 08:23:05 PM · #5

See the remnants of the previous background on the sides & above the subject... Not in the middle of them, I didn't remove any of that yet..

If this tool was working the way it should, then you wouldn't see any leftover background.. So, I'm sure I must be using the wrong setting.. I found the tutorial in Photoshop User mag July/Aug 2008... This makes changing the background so much easier, except for this problem..

Thanks to anyone who can help..:-)

Ja-9

Nikon D750

08/12/2009 08:28:55 PM · #6

on your "bar" above the picture...there isn't a Opacity level there (I am talking elements...)

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

08/12/2009 09:27:14 PM · #7

Originally posted by Ja-9:

on your "bar" above the picture...there isn't a Opacity level there (I am talking elements...)

Nope, you can chose your brush, then the next option is a series of eye dropper looking tools (3 of them) and you pick the middle dropper to use as the actual tool for removing the image background, then there's a box with a drop down menu that has 3 options & it's marked "limits", discontigous, contigous and find edges. For the sake of this excersise, the tutorial said to use contigous. then the next possible option is marked "tolerance" and then it gives you the percentage box.. Looks exactly like the opacity option, but I've tried changing it and it doesn't make a difference, then the final option is a check box for protect foreground color. And again, this tutorial says to select that..

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

08/12/2009 10:54:48 PM · #8

I just did an experiment, with the icon with two droppers (left) selected, the eraser erases completely. With the middle eyedropper icon selected, tolerance needs to be at 100% for the erase to be complete. At 50% (default) the entire layer is not removed.