Photoshop CS5 Top 5: Refine Edge

Refining selections and creating masks are unglamorous but utterly essential Photoshop techniques—you've got to master both in order to perform tricky compositing tasks, such as extracting a person from an image and then adding a different background.

In Photoshop CS5, the Refine Edge command makes the process less tedious. In today's installment of Photoshop CS5 Top 5, Deke McClelland shows it in action. Watch as Deke uses Refine Edge and its cousin, Refine Mask, to create a finely crafted mask that encompasses every strand of a model's hair.

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Howto & Style

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• photoshop CS5
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• Deke McClelland
• Photoshop t*
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[ReaperGFX]

i have to agree, it seems everyone is demonstrating this tool against solid backgrounds instead of mixed backgrounds and its getting frustrating as hell trying to find an actual guide to use this properley. the amount of ghosting im getting is unbelievable. maybe cs6 will finally hit the nail on the head.

[coolineho]

dude, talk too much, just get to the point.

talk about Refine Edge as shown in title instead of every detail that's unrelated.

other than that, great tutorial.

[Rh0dan1970]

Talk too much? The man is trying to teach you an art , God forbid you would actually have an understanding of the details of your work.

[Biffo347]

I agree with the guy up above.He prattle`s on too much,and he already has the masks and layer`s done. Or i forgot to feed the dog before i started this tutorial.

[laf98z]

Dude! You are a Godsent!

[pmurfy80]

@ReaperGFX Not only is it a solid background, but the original background is blue being overlayed onto a blue sky and blue ocean. That's bound to help show the technique at its best.

[Betinho9er]

@coolineho AMEN! lol.

[BlackX068]

learned more than one technique from this tutorial. Thanks so much, appreciate that you have taken the time to do this.

DeLarren Sr.

[VengefulPurity]

This video was EXTRA helpful while watching. But while trying to follow, I tried to work on a photo and my refine mask tool wouldn't work. I click on the radius, smooth, feather; move them from side to side and nothing changes. Can anyone explain what I'm doing wrong? Wrong settings? Did I miss a step?

[MrRomankidds]

Out of all the videos i have watched.... this was by far THE MOST HELPFUL! and also i've learned (on my own since i couldn't really find any help on the subject) is that with mixed backgrounds you should dup the layer (i always put my dup layer under the original)... then go and cut it out with the lasso tool... everything very close (except hair) then go in and follow his instructions. afterwards go in and erase everything from your dup layer that you dont want (normally background).

[2010iamlove]

You are an awesome teacher. Your tutorials are very detailed, which i need because this is my first time working with photoshop so i am learning basically from scratch. i learned so much in this one video. thanx!