Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/11/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Eric I'm using Alastair's example and your suggestions to try to learn the fundamentals of masks. I've ordered that Katrin Eismann book, having just received her excellent title on photo restoration and retouching. Would you please expand on the method outline that you have provided? I'm evidently not following it properly. I have CS2 (Windows). Alastair's pic is greyscale. I have converted to 16 bit. This is what I tried >From channels palette>Duplicate channel. That gives me a copy of the >original gray channel Now with gray copy only visible I bring up levels I pull in the b&W points until I get near pure b&W Load channel as selection That gives me the (dark) foreground with visible red mask I made a new adjustment layer for levels and adjusted the level so that the background tone was satisfactory. OK now I'm lost as to how to proceed with the layer mask that I have created. I've used brushes on an adjustment layer before to successfully blur a background area, for example Thanks for your patience. I love the power of photoshop. There is so much to learn, of course. Cheers Hoppy -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Eric Sent: Sunday, 19 November 2006 10:52 To: Leica Users Group Subject: Re: [Leica] How to fix this image Alastair: >How do I clean up the distant mountains without affecting >the foreground? >http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alastair/album184/album119/2004NepalLge9.jpg.html Photoshop Masking & Compositing by Katrin Eismann: http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Masking-Compositing-VOICES-Eismann/dp/0735712794 The easiest way to create a mask for an image like this is to go to the channels display. Duplicate one of the channels. Doesn't matter which one. Call it mask or foreground mask or whatever descriptive name suits your fancy. Now, with only that channel selected, call up the levels dialog. Slide the left-most triangle to the right. You'll see the shadows block up. Drag the right-most triangle to the left. You'll see the highlights blow out. Keep doing this until you're left with mainly a black foreground and a white background. It won't be perfect, but it will be easy enough to clean up the area with a large paintbrush. The border between the two is what you want to make look good. Might want to do a small blur to this mask just so there isn't an abrupt cutoff between black and white. Then, you can use this channel as a selection. If you select this channel and then add a new fill or adjustment layer, this selection will automatically be part of the layer mask. That should get you started... -- Eric http://canid.com/ _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information