Photoshop or Light Room getting rid of the background

matrosov

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Hi another newbie question for photoshop/lightroom experts. Took whole bunch of photos for christmas in my living room and not very happy with background. What would be general steps, I can research detailed how to, to deal with this issue? Here is the sample picture.
2016_12_Holiday_Portraits_0035.jpg
 
This is a PS, NOT an LR job; LR simply doesn't have the tools required. The basic steps are: (1) Select the area you want to save, elevate the selection to a new layer, slide the replacement background in and... done. It's technically fairly easy, but it will take a LOT of patience to get a good selection.
 
Select and mask in Ps. The new version is awesome but as tired mentioned can test patience.
 
This is a PS, NOT an LR job; LR simply doesn't have the tools required. The basic steps are: (1) Select the area you want to save, elevate the selection to a new layer, slide the replacement background in and... done. It's technically fairly easy, but it will take a LOT of patience to get a good selection.
I was afraid of that :). So I'd have to pretty much slave with a pen tool for a few hours to get it right if I want to save that tree correct?
 
This is a PS, NOT an LR job; LR simply doesn't have the tools required. The basic steps are: (1) Select the area you want to save, elevate the selection to a new layer, slide the replacement background in and... done. It's technically fairly easy, but it will take a LOT of patience to get a good selection.
I was afraid of that :). So I'd have to pretty much slave with a pen tool for a few hours to get it right if I want to save that tree correct?
All of the selection tools. This is one of those jobs where there's no easy way out, just plain grunt work.
 
This is a PS, NOT an LR job; LR simply doesn't have the tools required. The basic steps are: (1) Select the area you want to save, elevate the selection to a new layer, slide the replacement background in and... done. It's technically fairly easy, but it will take a LOT of patience to get a good selection.
I was afraid of that :). So I'd have to pretty much slave with a pen tool for a few hours to get it right if I want to save that tree correct?


Yeah, you'd have to slave with a pen tool. It's easiest if the subject is against a solid background that contrasts with their skin/hair/clothing (blue/green screen concept). In a case like that it's almost completely automated in newer versions of PS.

For your particular example the tree will complicate things and make the automated tools completely inaccurate. Therefore you'll have to spend a long time manually selecting, and even then may not get a clean selection.
 
This is a PS, NOT an LR job; LR simply doesn't have the tools required. The basic steps are: (1) Select the area you want to save, elevate the selection to a new layer, slide the replacement background in and... done. It's technically fairly easy, but it will take a LOT of patience to get a good selection.
I was afraid of that :). So I'd have to pretty much slave with a pen tool for a few hours to get it right if I want to save that tree correct?
All of the selection tools. This is one of those jobs where there's no easy way out, just plain grunt work.
Thanks tired. Lesson learned should've invested into backdrop holder sooner.
 
Not that difficult in PS if you select just the girl.
 
Not that difficult in PS if you select just the girl.
Thanks smoke. I might go that route and plop her on another background with xmas tree already there. Speaking of which any good places to get PS backgrounds for a decent price?
 
Missed your earlier comment on the tree. The girl has enough consistent contrast that you should be able to make most of the selection with the quick select tool. It's pretty intuitive. Then refine the edge. If you want to save the tree it will be more difficult though not impossible.

I haven't used the service but Adobe Stock is included with my monthly plan and I believe gives you a limited number of free images as part of the deal. Course once you have the girl separated and on a layer, there's nothing to prevent you from taking another shot for background.
 
.. my living room and not very happy with background.
I'm curious as to why you don't like the background. IMO it's not exactly terrible, so what's so bad about it? I would probably just keep them with the background as is. Face reality; you weren't doing studio shots, so it's your living room, BFD. If anybody complains, they can take the pictures next year.

Now if you absolutely need to do something, just darken the background a bit, particularly the ceiling lights, and call it good.
 
Select and Mask.
0. Open Photoshop. Choose Select and Mask.
Step 1. Quick select brush, Choose the girl and any tree, without selecting any background.
Step 2. Refine Edge brush, all the way aroung the photo where subject and background mix.
Step 3. Press OK.
Step 3. Create Fill Layer, choose black. Put fill layer under Mask layer.
Step 4. Save as.

There were a few hard areas, this photo is more of an advanced selecting image as it is easy for the refine edge brush to act funny, may be my cpu. . I find if During step 2, Refining edge, if I choose another brush, then come back to refine edge, it will choose large parts of the photo.

The hand on the left needed some manual painting, tree on the bottom right, and the star. 2 Minutes if your fast. 30 minutes for me. Hours for a total beginner, watch a few tutorials

EDIT;I just noticed the arm, easy fix... these operations its all about attention to detail.
2016_12_Holiday_Portraits_0035 copyOGEdit.jpg
 
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This took about 5 minutes in Photoshop - but I do use a plugin (Topaz Remask). More importantly, this also shows a way to make a background with the gradient tool that is customized for the subject.

2016_12_Holiday_Portraits_0035.jpg
 
Now if you absolutely need to do something, just darken the background a bit, particularly the ceiling lights, and call it good

This is probably the best of the advice so far. Not knocking the image, it is what it is. Unless it has some emotional significance that would preclude doing it, I would highly suggest you retake. If you do retake with this dress or another similar, be aware that colors toward the reds and certain fabrics can cause highlights to blow, and problems with saturation.
 

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