Photoshop gives you the raw information you need to accurately
define the edges in the image. Then it’s up to you to figure out how
to assemble the pieces. Fortunately, you can do so using not just a
few selection tools but virtually every function in Photoshop’s ar-
senal. And because a mask is a channel that can be saved as part
of a TIFF or native PSD file, you can recall or modify the selection
outline any time you like.
Using the Color Range Command
Photoshop’s Color Range command uses a masking metaphor to
generate selection outlines. In this regard, it serves as a bridge be-
tween the worlds of selections and masks, not to mention as a won-
derful introduction to our lesson.
Essentially a sophisticated version of the magic wand, Color Range
lets you adjust the range of colors you want to select until you
arrive at an acceptable, if not perfect, selection outline. And it
does so dynamically, so there’s no need to start a selection over, as
you sometimes must with the wand. Color Range also interprets
luminosity values in a more sophisticated manner than the wand,
which results in smoother, more credible selection outlines.
Figure 10-5.- Open an image. Open the
file Superlips.psd which is
located in the Lesson 10
folder inside Lesson Files-PsCS5 1on1.
This striking image, displayed in
Figure 10-5, comes from photogra-
pher Lvenl of the Fotolia.com image
library. In the course of this exercise,
we’ll not only change the color of
these lips to a nice cherry red but
successfully mask them against a
new black background. - Press the D key. By now, you know
this resets the foreground color to
black. But what you might not know
is that the Color Range command
uses the foreground color as the basis
of a selection. You don’t always have
to start with black; doing so merely
assures that you and I start on the
same foot.
Using the Color Range Command 341