Replacing background help!

I recently did a shoot for a couple of young ladies that wanted pictures to begin their careers in modeling. They were friends of a friend. We really were out of ideas for what to use as a background, so I insured them that I would just remove the background from the picture, to make blank white backgrounds in the pictures.

Well, turns out I thought I knew how to do that but its a lot more complicated than I thought. I really need your help on this one. I realize now that I should have just thrown sheets behind them or something to make it easier to select them, but alas, I picked the blinds and the most annoying rug to try to select around possible. I really want to know what the best way to go about doing this daunting task is. I found threads that photosguy made earlier about selections and replacing backgrounds, but I've lost them and can't find them with the search. But I also want you all to respond and point me in the right direction if you can.

Thanks a bunch, I really need your help on this!!

Here's one of the many pics:

Best and most accurate way is to use the pen tool in Photoshop.
Create a new path, pen her out, make selection, copy and paste.

Just a quick 2 minute pen tooling.. I didnt take the time to do inside her left arm, but you get the idea.....

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Actually the best method is probably the one described in this little VIDEO TUTORIAL.

The background is already in contrast to the subject.

Here's a quick example. Needs some more attention around the shoes..

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Still not as accurate as the pen tool... but it will work if he doesn't want to spend time clicking out the curves.

cgratti wrote in post #2506404
Still not as accurate as the pen tool... but it will work if he doesn't want to spend time clicking out the curves.

Did you look at the tutorial? How could the pen tool be more accurate than the picture?

Ehh... don't really know what that dude was doing in the video, some masking and channels stuff, anyways - the pen tool is really good for this kind of stuff. I've been using photoshop for a lil while for graphics design and I have to do this all the time. Zoom in to around 300% and go along the edge of her body and, using the pen tool, place anchor points at each location where the body curves. Using the convert point tool you can make these curves have the correct curvature and follow her body exactly. The major advantage of the pen tool is that it is a vector graphics utensil which basically means you will get a cleaner cut that won't be choppy like titus's.

P.S. In that tutorial... that guy was using a really early Mac OS... dunno much about macs but I know that is definetly old.

And also, this is my opinion.

I agree with Titus213.
In Photoshop CS the Extract tool is good if you are working on 8 bits, and the tutorial tools are great, I gave them a try, and all that tools work fine also on 16 bits. Titu’s example may look choppy because of the small file. Working with the full size file the precision is astonishing.

For me, the pen tool is a PITA if you don't use it all the time, which I don't. If your subject has defined edges like this one here, then I'd try this first: Selecting areas in PS. Try a 1-2 pixel feather.

Titus213 wrote in post #2506478
Did you look at the tutorial? How could the pen tool be more accurate than the picture?

Did you ever use the pen tool? For cutting anything out the pen tool is by far the most accurate tool, just ask any designer.

From a almost total newbie, what about using the magnetic lasso to select the border?

cgratti wrote in post #2508518
Did you ever use the pen tool? For cutting anything out the pen tool is by far the most accurate tool, just ask any designer.

Pen tool with a tablet and it still won't come close to the masking functions. The pen might be great for a designer but I'm a photographer and for the nuances of a clothed body or, as the tutorial shows, blowing hair, I haven't found a better way to mask it. I'm open to suggestions but the pen tool at 300% just isn't it IMO.

slappy sam wrote in post #2506795
Ehh... don't really know what that dude was doing in the video, some masking and channels stuff, anyways - the pen tool is really good for this kind of stuff. I've been using photoshop for a lil while for graphics design and I have to do this all the time. Zoom in to around 300% and go along the edge of her body and, using the pen tool, place anchor points at each location where the body curves. Using the convert point tool you can make these curves have the correct curvature and follow her body exactly. The major advantage of the pen tool is that it is a vector graphics utensil which basically means you will get a cleaner cut that won't be choppy like titus's.

P.S. In that tutorial... that guy was using a really early Mac OS... dunno much about macs but I know that is definetly old.

And also, this is my opinion.

So you don't understand the tutorial but know it doesn't work as good as the pen tool? Interesting...

Meh... I dunno I mean it does look pretty good titus, but I've been around pro designers on forums for like 3 years who do this kind of stuff all the time and they all use the pen tool. I'll give that masking method a try sometime though.

Edit: I skimmed the tutorial very quickly... it was like 15 minutes long

E X P A N D your tool kit.

Hey Mom, I'm going to go down and jump off the bridge because everyone else is jumping off the bridge.

Eehhm, guys, I know a solution: In this tutorial Russel Brown starts off with the pen tool, and uses the path to quickly get a 'selection' in the 'Extract' tool. Best of both worlds...