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Photoshop Selection Techniques
Photoshop Selection Techniques
Photoshop Selection Techniques
More on Masks
The easiest way of creating a Layer Mask is to click the Add Layer Mask button with something
selected on the canvas. The selection will be saved as a layer mask attached to the current layer and
everything outside the selection marquee will be masked and hidden.
Activate Layer Masks
Alt-clicking on the Layer Mask makes it active for editing. Only activated layer masks can be
edited which are represented by a thin white outline around them.
Addition
With the "Layer 2" loaded as a selection, Command + Shift-click on "Layer 1" to add it to the
selection. Now non-transparent pixels of both "Layer 1" and "Layer 2" are combined as the new
selection. Notice the small plus sign in the Command-Click box.
Subtraction
Revert to the initial state and Command + Alt-click on "Layer 1." This will subtract any
overlapping pixel of "Layer 1" from the current selection of "Layer 2." Notice the minus sign.
Intersection
Revert to initial state and Command + Alt + Shift-click on "Layer 1" to keep only the overlapping
pixels as a selection. Notice the X sign. If the layers are not overlapping this action will deselect all.
Garbage Masks
Garbage Masks are created to roughly isolate the 'region of interest' from rest of the image. Further
trimming is carried out inside the Garbage Mask with precision.
Vector and Raster Selections
Draw an outline around the region of interest in the image with any of the Lasso Tools and double-
click to complete the selection. A Garbage Mask needs to be saved for further refining, which can
be done both as a Layer or Vector Mask. We must choose it depending on complexity of the outline
and how we are planning to trim it later on. With the Lasso selection click Add Layer Mask to save
it as a Layer Mask.
Alternatively, we can also save the selection as a Vector Mask which can be later refined by
working on the shape spline that defines its outline. With the Lasso selection still intact (2), go to
the Paths tab (3b) and click Make Working Path from the Selection button at the bottom. This will
save the selection outline as a Shape Working Path.
Now load the selection again, and return to Layers tab. Click Add Layer Mask once to create a
Layer Mask (Command-click to load again) then click the same button( 6b) once more to Add
Vector Mask. Saving selections as Vector Masks or Shapes saves memory.
No Feedback
When brushing the mask we may sometimes trim off relevant parts accidently and keep focusing
on the wrong silhouette only to be discovered later. This is highly probable when foreground
background have similar hues and there is no immediate visual feedback.
Immediate Feedback
This problem can be averted by following a simple rule of keeping a multiplied duplicate of the
current layer in the background as a guide layer. Multiplied gradient maps will show-up as high
contrast versions of the subject outlines if violated.
Luma Select
As already mentioned Luma is the illumination levels of an image. Luma can be used to extract
components from the image which have a considerable brightness difference than others.
Simplest Luma Hack
Unlock the background and make a duplicate of it, then hide the original Layer.
Apply Threshold
Apply a Threshold Adjustment Layer on top. You will notice that some parts of the image have
been turned instantly black and rest are pure white, and there are no intermediate grayscale levels.
Adjust Threshold
Adjust the Threshold Slider and try to enclose the subject or background (whichever is darker) in
black. Hide the Threshold layer and look at the original image for guidance when required.
Merge Layers
Command-click to select the top two layers and Merge them into one. Select the bottom layer,
make it visible and create a blank Layer Mask.
Reduce Brightness
Select Use Legacy mode and slowly move the Brightness slider to left, try to get as many black
areas from the rocks as possible. This process will reduce the brightness of the Water too so don't
overdo it.
Increase Contrast
Now slowly increase the Contrast slider to the right. With each increase dark-grays will turn to
black and lighter grays will glow more brightly. We are going to get the whites as opaque and grays
as semi-transparent. Try to get both Whites and Grays where necessary. Over increasing the
contrast will make it look like a Threshold Layer, if so there will be no translucency left.
.
Merge the Layers
When satisfied with the results Merge the top three Layers. Go to the background layer and Add a
Layer Mask and copy the merged Layer into the Layer Mask.
Yet Another Possibility
Other than the above two procedures there is also another way of Luma based extraction using the
Lab color method.
Lab Color Technique
Open an image and turn it to Lab Color mode by clicking Image> Mode> Lab Color. Goto
Channels Tab and find the lightness channel or press Ctrl+1 to directly select it. This is where the
illumination levels of all pixels are indexed in the Lab Color mode. You can play with that channel
and try to isolate some element from the background. Don't forget to duplicate the Layer or the
Channel before you alter any channel.
And filters that doesn't work on the image in Lab Color mode works on the Lightness channel, and
yield almost similar results.