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[ 65 ]- The Select and Mask Workspace
Formerly known as Refine Edge, the Select and Mask
workspace takes it up a notch with the addition of
selection tools. This means that although you want to
start off with as accurate a selection as possible, you
can adjust your selection inside the Select and Mask
workspace using the Quick Selection and Lasso tools.
Once you have a selection, click on the Select and
Mask button in the Options Bar.
You can change the View Mode in the Proper-
ties panel to help you refine your selection. The three
views I think are most useful are:
ONION SKIN (O): You can use the
Transparency slider to alter how much
of the original background (outside your
selection) that you see.
ON LAYERS (Y): Lets you see the layer
you’re working on and the layer(s) below.
(Remember “Work in Context” above?)
BLACK & WHITE (K): This view is like
a preview of the mask that will ultimately
be created.
As a general guideline for selecting hair, start with
a selection that’s slightly inside the edge of the hair.
Then use a brush size for the Refine Edge Brush tool
(R) that spans the existing selection and the hair you’re
trying to select. Brush around the edge to select more
hair: Remember that “something is better than noth-
ing,” so even if it doesn’t look like you’ve selected all
the fine hairs, if you’re in Black & White view and you
can see something, that means you can refine it later
(more on that next).
For many people, one of the biggest challenges
with the Select and Mask workspace is trying to find
the ideal value for the Edge Detection Radius; but if
you use the suggestion earlier in this article about
selecting in pieces, it’s no longer necessary to try to
get both hard and soft edges in one mask.
And be sure to try the Decontaminate Colors
checkbox in the Output settings, as this can often
make a great improvement by removing any slight
fringe that you see.