Cleaning background in Photoshop

TG
Posted By
Tom Glowka
Apr 3, 2007
Views
418
Replies
11
Status
Closed
We do a lot of outlined photos, and find the best results come the old fashioned way, with a path outline.

Master Retouching Hair

Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.

P
Phosphor
Apr 3, 2007
"the old fashioned way…

I take it this is in conjunction with Pagemaker or QuackXPense? Some other app? If so, what?

Clipping paths aren’t needed for InDesign.

I reiterate:"…it would be far better to invest your time and effort up front and build your own light box."With a properly shot photo, the white BG can be dropped out easy as pie, and could even be automated.

Path-es? We don’ nee no steenkeeng path-es!

🙂
B
banjot
Apr 4, 2007
hmm…..still have not got any reasonable answer… 🙁
C
chrisjbirchall
Apr 4, 2007
but you have…

You’ve already tried all the recommended methods of performing a cut-out – and you’ve stated that the resulting images are not of good quality.

Phos is exactly right. If you want professional result for an ecommerce site, you really need pictures which were taken in a professional manner.

If the pictures absolutely can’t be taken again, I’d recommend you persevere with the polygonal lasso for straight-edged objects and the Extract filter for the others.

There’s no "quick fix" I’m afraid

Chris
MD
Michael_D_Sullivan
Apr 4, 2007
If the items are pretty well isolated from each other and from the background, use the Extract filter.

For example, go from this:

< http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1EDk75w3rZnVhnmkAd dP5LxmGHcugD>

to this:

< http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1eRffjFfeus8ZKVsmF Dkf7cmZTVQ0>
B
banjot
Apr 4, 2007
the problem is that the objects are not very well isolated from background and the extract filter quality is not very good….looks like i have to face the facts and just post the pictures to my e-shop with regular background
B
Bernie
Apr 4, 2007
Of reshoot with a proper background…
B
banjot
Apr 4, 2007
ok, very good idea. but what should be the proper background ? the goods im taking pictures is mostly black, white or shiny metal…..
JJ
John Joslin
Apr 4, 2007
I reiterate (on behalf of Phos):

"…it would be far better to invest your time and effort up front and build your own light box."
L
LenHewitt
Apr 4, 2007
but what should be the proper background<<

If you wish to isolate objects from the background at the shooting stage you shoot with the objects on glass with the background some distance below and separately lit, and the objects illuminated within a photographic tent. For polished objects you also include strips of black paper within the tent to provide controllable reflections in the polished surface.

Just standard professional commercial photography techniques…
P
PeterK.
Apr 5, 2007
If you have a say in the photography, the absolute best method that’s as easy as pie to use is Maskerade from www.bergdesign.com. You just have to take two photos of your object against different backgrounds and your masking will take just a minute and accurately allow for transparency and reflections in the resulting layered file. I tried out the demo on some jewellery shots (lots of reflections) and it worked beautifully.
P
Phosphor
Apr 5, 2007
"…Maskerade from www.bergdesign.com…."

Mac-only, BTW.

Master Retouching Hair

Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections