Learning The Ropes Of Image Masking

[Darius]

Okay, I was trying to follow the topic to use PWP to mask hair, and many of the images are gone. How to use the Color -> Monochrome transformation to extract the B channel? I'm just specifying 16 bit output and filtering for the color set to blue. Is this correct? If it is right, then when you open up the mask dialog in brightness mode, how does one go about setting the cure to obtain the mask for the hair?

[den]

A hair masking technique and alternatives I will sometimes use:
http://www.ncplus.net/~birchbay/tutoria ... pyhair.htm

The suggested technique was proposed in 2005. With PWP7's Mask Tool and Monochrome Channel Mixer there are added features that can be used to find/isolate wispy hair contrasts for a mask.

I'm just specifying 16 bit output...

-- No, mask images are 8 bit BW

and filtering for the color set to blue. Is this correct?

-- Yes

how does one go about setting the cure to obtain the mask for the hair?

-- a curve set up is illustrated for the starting image in Step 1 of the linked 2005 tutorial.

Masking hair is 'very' image specific and at times exceedingly tedious with complex backgrounds... ...can you post your image?

...den...

[den]

Another alternative to masking the 'wispy' hair of the 'starting image' used for the 2005 tutorial linked in the previous post...

...is to use the Mask Tool's Color Range feature in the HSL color space... ...followed with preference Misc Tools and Cloning from the 'starting image'...

See: http://www.ncplus.net/~birchbay/tutoria ... yhair2.htm

Recognize that the 'starting image' is a special case in that it is a studio photo with a nearly all white solid background.

...den...