Page 55 - CC 2019 WD Look Inside

Select a Color Range and Create a Layer Mask
Many images have both hard and soft edges, and/or very fine detail that needs to be
isolated from its background (think of a model’s blowing hair overlapping the title
on the cover of a magazine). In this type of image, more sophisticated selection tools
can be used to create a very detailed selection based on the color in the image.
Rather than simply deleting pixels, as you did for the lightning image, another
option for isolating an object with a path is to create a layer mask that hides
unwanted pixels. Areas outside the mask are hidden, but not deleted, so you can later
edit the mask to change the visible part of the image.

1. With aftermath.psd open, hide all but the Skyline layer. Click the
Skyline layer to make it active.

2. Choose the Magic Wand tool (under the Quick Selection tool). In the
Options bar, make sure the New Selection button is active and set the
Tolerance field to 32.
The Magic Wand tool is an easy way to select large areas of solid color. The first
four options in the Options bar are the same as those for the Marquee tools (New
Selection, Add to Selection, Subtract from Selection, and Intersect with Selection).
Tolerance is the degree of variation between the color you click and the colors
Photoshop will select. Higher tolerance values select a larger range based on the color
you click. If you’re trying to select a very mottled background, for example, you
should increase the tolerance. Be careful, however, because increasing the tolerance
might select too large a range of colors if parts of the foreground object fall within the
tolerance range.
Note:
The Anti-alias check box, selected by default, allows edges to blend more smoothly
into the background, preventing a jagged, stair-stepped appearance. Anti-aliasing is the
process of blending
When Contiguous is selected, the Magic Wand tool only selects adjacent areas of the shades of pixels to create
color. Unchecking this option allows you to select all pixels within the color tolerance, the illusion of sharp
even if some are noncontiguous (for example, inside the shape of the letter Q). lines in a raster image.

By default, selections relate to the active layer only. You can check Sample All Layers
to make a selection of all layers in the file.

The Refine Edge button opens a dialog box where you can use a number of tools to
fine-tune the selection edge.

3. Click anywhere in the blue sky area of the image.

New Selection Marching ants
is active. indicate the
selection area.
Magic
Wand tool
Fine detail can’t
be distinguished
by marching ants.

Project 1: Composite Movie Ad 67