Replacing bkgrd behind Ryan and Jake

[Cindy Young]

I found your tutorial about "Replacing a background behind hair" in which the background is plain/flat.  Is there a tutorial I can follow to replace the background behind hair in which the background is NOT plain/flat?  I want to replace the drapes with the background in the upper right corner and retain the hair on babe and dad.

[Damien Symonds]

Sorry, it can't be done.

You'd have to replace it all with the dark colour from the middle section of the background.  Even that would be a bit dodgy, but should be passable.

[Cindy Young]

D, is there a tutorial for that?

 

[Damien Symonds]

May I have a 100% crop of Dad's hair where the dark section meets the light section of background?

[Cindy Young]

[Damien Symonds]

Gosh, you must have a heck of a camera.

Sorry, my bad.  700px won't be enough.  Could you take a 1500x1500 piece for me?

[Cindy Young]

Should I have taken the 700x700 crop from the small res file?  Anyway, here is the 1500x1500 from the original photo:

 

 

[Damien Symonds]

So sorry about the delay.  I'm taking a look at this now, I'll get back to you shortly.

[Damien Symonds]

Download the PSD

First, a chunk of hair from a bit further along, to cover that tricky black bar.

Then a Solid Color layer on Multiply mode.

Then a gradient layer for the whole background (I forgot the noise layer).

[Cindy Young]

Thank you!  Now, what do I do with the background that is still showing?  Leave it as is? Did I not select a dark enough solid color fill?

 

[Damien Symonds]

It looks like you've chosen a solid-to-transparent gradient.  That's wrong.  It has to be all solid colours.

[Cindy Young]

I'm trying to find what I need to do to find the correct gradient.  I am gradient illiterate.  I use PSCC14.1.  Am I on the right path?  How do I get "all solid colors"?

[Damien Symonds]

http://www.damiensymonds.net/2012/10/using-photoshops-gradient-layer.html

[Cindy Young]

Just like finance and insurance, my brain does not want to wrap itself around gradients.

 

[Samantha LaRue]

1 hour ago, Cindy Young said:

Just like finance and insurance, my brain does not want to wrap itself around gradients.

 

Did you get it now?

[Cindy Young]

No, Samantha, I just ended up cloning over the background.  I looked at the link and the link inside the link.  Not something this 71-year-old brain could comprehend.

[Christina Keddie]

This is the portion of the link that Damien gave you that answers the question of how to choose the correct type of gradient:

[Cindy Young]

Thank you, Christina.  That helps it not to be so overwhelming.  Maybe I will get the PSD back out and try it.  I appreciate your time.