Ultimate Guide for Selecting Hair in Photoshop

Introduction

• Many techniques exist for selecting hair in Photoshop, but no single method works for every situation.
• Complexity varies with hair type, background, and hair color.
• The goal is to make an ultimate guide to selecting and masking hair effectively in various scenarios.

Key Question: Is There Contrast?

• Initial Question: Is there contrast between the hair and the background?
• Examples:
  • Busy background with red hair and flowers → No contrast.
  • Black hair on black background → No contrast.
  • Dark hair on white background → Yes, contrast.
  • Black hair, blue background → Yes, contrast.
• If there is no contrast, use the Hair Brush Technique.

Hair Brush Technique

• Time-consuming but necessary when there's no contrast.
• Steps:
  1. Use liquify to expand hair if needed.
  2. Create a selection with the pen tool and make a mask.
  3. Use hair brushes to paint back edges, or create new strands on a new layer.

Types of Contrast

1. Brightness: Use Select and Mask Workspace
   • Use Object Selection, Quick Selection, or Magic Wand → Click on Select Subject → Select & Mask.
   • Adjust selection with Refine Edge tool.
   • Shift edge, decontaminate colors when necessary.
2. Color or Mixture of Both: Use Select and Mask or Blend Modes

Select and Mask Workspace

• Tools:
  • Object Selection, Quick Selection, Magic Wand tool → Select Subject → Mask button.
  • Adjust edge, opacity, and refine edge.

Blend Modes Technique

• When to Use: Extreme backgrounds (black or white) and contrasting hair colors.
• Steps:
  1. Create a solid color adjustment layer as background.
  2. Duplicate the subject layer → One layer normal, other as Multiply (if background is white)/ Screen (if background is black).
  3. Use Select Subject for main detail and blend mode for edges.
  4. Add Curves Adjustment Layer for better control.
  5. Refine edges by creating masks and adjusting shadows.

Specific Techniques

1. Channels Method: Useful when background color contrasts with hair color.
   • Inspect Red, Green, and Blue channels for most contrast.
   • Copy channel, use Levels to enhance contrast, and make selection.
   • Combine with Select Subject for best results.
2. Manual Refinement: Essential for final polishing of masks; uses both Select and Mask and manual brushwork.

Removing Halos

• **Three Methods: (For color halos coming through the hair) **
  1. Create a new layer, clip it, sample hair color, and paint (Blend mode: Color).
  2. Fill with Paint → Works well for thicker halos.
  3. Clone Stamp tool for inside areas.

Summary

• Main Takeaways:
  • Use hair brush technique for no contrast scenarios.
  • Blend Modes for strong contrast (brightness).
  • Channels Technique for color contrast.
  • Refine masks and remove halos for a polished look.

Additional Resources

• Downloadable flowchart and hairbrushes available in the video description.
• Detailed guides on each technique linked within the video.