How to extract dark hair from darker background live graphic designer discussions.

Extracting dark hair from darker background - help!
Can anyone help me figure out the best way that is not so time consuming to extrat a model's dark hair from a dark grey background? There has to be a more effective and less time consuming techinque than masking/pen tool-ing it. I have a whole bunch to do in a time crunch! Thanks
3 days ago
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ASHISH DHIMAN, hammami salem and 1 other like this
15 comments

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Christopher Rubin de la Borbolla • what tools are you using? preferred scenario?
3 days ago• Like

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Amanda Koss • I'm using photoshop4 but I can use 6 if I transfer the files to my personal computer. Tools - I'm up for anything.
3 days ago• Like

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Amanda Koss • I forgot to add, it's a model with brown hair on a dark grey background. I need to make sure I get all of the flyaway hairs because we will be placing her on alternate backgrounds.
3 days ago• Like

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Bob Parsons • Is there any way you can replace her hair with a layer you have created that has brown hair in the same color with say a bright green background? In other words, overlay the hair that is difficult to work with using hair that is easy to work with?
3 days ago• Like1
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ASHISH DHIMAN • open any image in Photoshop and make selection 2 time. First you have to select the whole image selection and in another layer you have to select only hair and apply multiply on layer effect.
3 days ago• Like1

Follow Benoit
Benoit Dubois • A few ideas:

Maybe one of the image's alpha channels has better contrasts and you can make your selection on the alpha channel.

The Grow command found under the Select menu might help too. Do a basic selection then try Grow and see if it works.

Also (assuming you meant photoshop CS4 and not just plain 4) you can try the quick select tool (tutorial http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/selections/quick-selection-tool/ ) and the Refine edge command.

Hope this helps
3 days ago• Like3

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Christopher Rubin de la Borbolla • like @benoit_d says, use the Refine Edge Tool in higher versions of CS after having made your selection via any of the selection methods (i like the quick selection mask). the following tutorial may be of use in that regard; if not, just google "refine edge photoshop tutorial" + go from there. best of luck!

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-editing/selecting-hair/
3 days ago• Like1

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Erik Roadfeldt • Maybe you could copy the image onto a new layer, adjust the levels on the new layer to increase the contrast and then make your selection using that layer?
3 days ago• Like2

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Amanda Koss • Thanks! Unfortunately I cannot replace her hair, they need it how styled it. I am definately going to try Benoit's and Christropher's techniques! Thanks!
2 days ago• Like

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Sam Colbear • I would use the pen tool to cut round the general shape of the person, select the path and use it to create a mask. I would then use the brush tool and edit its options to make it go thick and taper to thin. The brush the hair back in using the layer mask.

hope I have explained that right! :-)
2 days ago• Like

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David Wright • You could send it me: http://www.davidwright.org
I'll give an estimate if you want. I do this kind of stuff for design studios all the time.
2 days ago• Like

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Jonathan Stevens • 1. Duplicate the layer
2. Select 'black and white' from the adjustments menu
3. Play around with the options until you have as much contrast between the hair and background as possible
4. Set the brush tool to overlay, the fg & bg colours to black and white, brush opacity to about 20%
5. Go over the image to increase the contrast further
6. Go into channels and use the select button at the bottom of the channels pallette
7. Go to the original image and alt-click on the 'add layer mask' option at the bottom of the layers pallette
8. It should now mask out everything but the hair

Play around with this method til you get used to it. It can be a bit fiddly, or talk to David Wright if you have real problems (or even me, I suppose ;) )
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ASHISH DHIMAN • Thanks Amanda Koss
1 day ago• Like

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Chiali Tsai • there is plug in for masking, vertus fluid mask, http://www.vertustech.com/
its good for small detail of masking, I only used once, its a bit long to load but does not too bad job if you have a lot of photos need to be edited.
22 hours ago• Like

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Richard White • photoshop techniques

1. background eraser tool is use full for this, if you havent used it before then experiment with the tolerance probably about 50% should do and use it on a brush sized so when you click the middle on the part you want to delete the round edge overlaps a bit on the part you want to keep. work slowly. its quick enough and you can get good results on hair in a couple of minutes.

2. another technique i use is draw around the outline with pen tool cut and paste onto a new layer leaving just your background.Do whatever you need to do to clear up so its full background layer, clone, patch whatever. then on your layer with the figure, change its blending mode to multiply. now duplicate this layer and change its blending mode back to normal then using your earser tool or mask and brush remove the areas from round the edge so on whispy bits of hair you take away the foreground leaving the multiply layer so the very fine bits of hair blend seemlessly in.

3. use both the above combined for best results :)