Making a path to make a selection then a mask.
There is no magic bullet
When you want to make an accurate, detailed mask from a selection, the best tool for the job is the Pen Tool. Especially if there is no color or tone contrast available between the subject and the background and the quick selection tool just isn't working! The pen tool will always give you a smooth, non pixel jaggy mask.
A path can be converted to selection and into a mask... You can also reverse the process and convert a mask to a selection and a path...
When making a selection for an eventual mask, using the rubber band option makes it much easier to see how the pen tool is drawing the path.
Draw the path just inside the subject you want to select.
In Photoshop CS5 there is an amazing tool available for refining a mask. It is designed to pull detail from hair and fur edges, it's an amazing super edge detection technology called "Refine Edge."
Caveat
It works really well with a light background with high tone contrast. In other words shoot your subject with a white or very light background, if you can!
However, Refine Edge also helps you to fine tune all types of mask quickly...
Step 1
Draw the path! See the left column for Pen Tool keyboard shortcuts
Step 2
Close the path by clicking with the Pen Tool on the first anchor point. Do some fine tuning using the Direct Selection Tool to move anchor points.
Save the path using the paths panel (palette)
Menu: Window > Paths.
Double click in the icon in the Paths panel and name the path.
Step 3 -Convert the path to a selection.
Use the drop down menu in the paths palette
In the Make Selection dialogue box set "Feather Radius" to .8 or 1.0" Leave anti-alias Checked and Click Okay!
The path is now a selection!
Step 4 Convert the selection to a mask.
Double click the background layer to make it a "normal" unlocked layer.
In the layers palette, click on the add layer mask icon at the bottom of the palette.
Step 5 --Refine Edge the Mask
Open the Mask Palette (Panel).
Menu: Window > Masks
In CS5 Adobe has placed all the Mask Tools in one place the Mask Palette (Panel).
Make sure the layer mask or Pixel Mask is active, it has the white outline in the thumbnail... Then click the Mask Edge Button.
That will bring up the Refine Edge Palette.
You can access the refine edge dialogue box (tool) any time you have an active mask. Or, when you are using the Quick Selection Tool.
Menu: Selection > Refine Edge. Or
Key Board Shortcut
Option + Command + R (Mac)
Alt + Contol + R (PC)
Step 6 - The Refine Edge Tool
To see the different ways you can view your selection in the View Mode Box, select the drop down menu, ( downward pointing Arrow... )
If you Press the F key, you'll see how the mask looks using different backgrounds, keep pressing the F key until you see a checkered background. (The checkers mean the background is transparent.) This is called the Reveal layer. Pressing the R key jumps to and selects the "R" = Reveal Layer.
We will want to use On Layers (L).
At the bottom, in the Output box select
"Output To: New Layer with Mask"
N.B. (Nota Bene)
Editing in "Refine Edge"" is a one way street, once a change is made and you select OK, there is no going back. Before selecting OK setting "Output To: New Layer with Mask" will save the changes you make to a new layer and "turn-off" the original layer mask...
Step 7 -Settings
In the Edge Detection box
Check Smart Radius and set the value to 20 pixels (px)
In the Adjust Edge box
Set Smooth to 3
Feather to 1.3
Contrast to 25%
Shift Edge to 0
The smoothing and feathering will keep the edges soft
Now select the Refine Radius Tool (press the E key)
You can shift between the Refine Radius Tool and the Erase Refinement tool as you paint over the edges of your selection by pressing the Alt Key (PC), Option Key (Mac)...
Photoshop will recalculate the selection, each time you make a paint stroke... so one stroke at a time, and wait to see your results (your computer is calculating) ... You might need to change the numbers to get a better result
To further check our progress, Revert to the "ON Layer" view or press the "L" key
Continue to work with the refine brush (the E Key).
Click on the image at the left to see a larger version. When you are satisfied with the Refine Edge Brush shrink the selection using the Shift Edge Slider.
Uncheck Remember Settings When you are satisfied with the results
Then Click OK
Your results and the layers panel will now look like this.
Step 8 "Drag and Drop" Add the new background.
The final adjustment is to decontaminate colors (If it's needed) This process removes color fringing along the edges of your selection... and gives a professional finish to your creation.
In order to see how the refined mask looks with your final composition load the background image and "Drag and drop it" ... and it put it underneath, at the bottom of your refined layers.
After you load the background image, setup your working area with the menu at the top of the page (Two up) drag the new background with the move tool on top of your masked image, holding down the shift key, this will ensure the new image is centered. Then move the new background to the bottom layer...
Step 9: Decontaminate, Decontaminate, Decontaminate
Reselect the top layer in the Layers Palette and load the Refine Edge dialogue
Make sure all the settings are set to Zero (0) as we do not want to add changes to the previous Refine Edging we did.
Now with the new background in move the decontaminate slider to eliminate fringing. Click Okay when to see what you like
Here's some results...
The orginals
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