128 Setting up a Home Studio
FIGURE 7.9 “Young Attractive Couple.” © Douglas Freer/iStockphoto
All is not lost. Gray can be turned to white quite easily using a
number of different techniques. In fact, Figure 7.9 needed a boost in
the background department. To do so, I chose what I have found to
be the simplest and fastest method:- Select quick mask.
- Using a large soft brush, paint over (mask) the subject, leaving a feathered
edge between the subject and the white background. Try not to mask any
of the white background. Don’t worry about leaving the edge of the subject
outside the mask. - Exit quick mask leaving the unprotected area selected. Then, using curves or levels,
lighten the background until it looks pure white. - De-select the selection and, if necessary, gently bring back any edges of the
subject that have been lightened too much. Check the fi nal result at 100% on
screen. - If you still have slightly dark (not pure white) edges caused by vignetting, you can
always use the paint tool to paint pure white over them. With a bit of practice, it is
a doddle to get right.