Teach_Yourself_Photoshop_Elements_2

ADVANCED IMAGE EDITING SKILLS

Get to know the Refine Edge command’s powerful collection of modifying tools

Elements Anatomy Refine Edge options

Complex subjects

such as people have

edges that are a mix

of hard and soft lines.

The Edge Detection

section [01] of the

Refine Edge command

enables you to select

varying edges more

effectively. The

Smart Radius option

[02] automatically

increases the spread

of the edge refinement

where required. Click

here [03] to summon

the Refine Radius

tool. This enables you

to manually extend

the edge refinement

function using a brush.

If the Refine Radius

tool reveals too many

background pixels,

use this version [04]

to remove unwanted

details. Click here

[05] to preview how

the edited Radius is

shaping up.

LAYER MASKS

When you’re ready to apply

the Refine Edge command’s

adjustments to your selection

marquee, click OK to apply them.

However, if you want to continue

modifying the selection, it’s well

worth setting the Refine Edge

command’s Output To drop-down

menu to New Layer with Layer

Mask. This creates a black-and-

white mask created from your

selection. The black sections on

the mask hide bits of unwanted

background. You can paint with

a black brush on the mask to

hide any remaining background

pixels, should it be necessary.

Or you can paint with white to

reveal some of the missing subject.

We’ll demonstrate this mask-

modification technique later in

this chapter.

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04 CONTRAST

By adjusting the contrast you can add or subtract a
range of pixels from the edge of a selection, depending
on their tone. This helps you to remove bits of
unwanted background.

05 SHIFT EDGE

This slider enables you to get a balance between

revealing edge details while hiding fringes of unwanted

background pixels. It does a similar job to the

Select>Modify>Contract and Expand commands.

06 DECONTAMINATE

If any bits of unwanted background colour remain

around the edges of your selection, click here to try to

hide them. You can fine-tune the strength of the effect

using the Amount slider.

01 VIEW

After selecting light edges (such as the blonde hairs of

this model), choose a contrasting On Black view from

this pop-up thumbnail to display any unselected areas

as black pixels. This makes it easier to see how your

selection is shaping up.

02 SMOOTH

When you select your subject, its edges may include

jagged or blocky clumps of unwanted background

pixels. Drag this slider to the right to smooth out the

marquee’s edges and get a cleaner selection. This does

a similar job to the Select>Modify>Smooth command.

03 FEATHER

Increase this value to soften the edges of the selection.

This will blend the selected pixels more effectively

with the new background. Feathered edges stop the

selected subject from looking too ‘cut-out’. This does

the same job as the Select>Feather command.

Understanding...

EDGE DETECTION

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