Amy Marks Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Hello, I know this won't be easy or may not be possible but what is the best method to either cut this dog out or apply a different background? I'd like to try a white background. Thanks 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Yes, I'd say it's possible. But I need you to tell me more about your vision. You say a white background, but how would you intend to blend that with the ground? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Marks Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 Im trying to recreate an image by the amazing Tim Flach, I know his is in a studio with flash but I wanted to have a go either way. http://timflach.com/work/dog-gods/slideshow/#4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 I haven't done all the masking, because we're down to the painstaking part, but do you think this is promising so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Marks Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 Yes sure, looks great! I figured I could sharpen up the dog etc. afterwards. Also if i learn using this dog i can apply it to any dog and hopefully it would be easier :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Ok, here's my layers panel: First, I added the Hue/Saturation layer. This is going to sound a little crazy, but go to every channel in the Hue/Sat dialog (Reds, Yellows, Greens, etc) and pull the Lightness slider all the way to +100 for each one. Don't do it on the Master channel, though. That will make the photo black-and-white, and lighten the background as much as possible. It also makes the dog's tongue too light and desaturated, so mask strongly on the nose/mouth area, and lightly over the fur on the chest, to your taste. I hope you can see what I mean from the thumbnail in my screenshot. Next, add a Levels layer. Pull the white slider in aggressively, to blow out as much background as possible. And fiddle with the middle slider a bit. I used 0.80 for the middle slider and 195 for the white slider. Next, add a white Solid Color layer on top. Invert its mask to black, then start painting white where you want white. Use your best judgement for the shadow - I painted over the shadow with a 10% brush a bit, to make it a bit less strong. You'll know what you like best. At this point I returned to the Background layer and made a new blank layer above it, for cloning. That was to get rid of some of the stones on the ground, that I couldn't paint out with white. Again, this will be to your taste. Then return to the top layer. At this point, pour yourself a stiff drink, because you're going to be zooming WAY in and carefully masking around the fur for the bits of background that couldn't be made white by the Levels adjustment. I did a few easy parts, but as you can see, I left the hard parts. This will take you a while. But it'll be worth it! I can't wait to see what you achieve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Marks Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 Wow, thanks Damien, i will try my best today. Have a midwife appointment and a few other bits and bobs going on but I'm keen to try it! At least you'll be going to bed soon so i have all day to attempt it! Thanks for your help and ill post an update as soon as i can 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Marks Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 Damien, are you still there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Sorry, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Marks Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 Don't worry, i figured out what id done wrong and I'm getting on with it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Marks Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 I read up on how to do shadows (my PS knowledge is very basic). Do you think it works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 It would need to be blurred a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Marks Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 Ok, I'll have look into that. How is the rest looking? I found the top part quite challenging but tried my best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 It's looking great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien Symonds Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Happy new year, @Amy Marks. PLEASE dive into the Raw Class and start posting photos for me in 2019. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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