Past & Present

[basselal]

This is a very basic editing exercise. I'm still learning and making some fairly complicated selections is very frustrating to me. Maybe some of the people here have some tricks that I have not thought of.

This is a picture of my wife's aunt, a very sweet lady who passed away a couple of years ago. We visited her a few month before she passed and I took some picture. She was at the age of 94 at the time. I was just snapping around with a point and shoot, not trying to be creative and not paying attention to composition or other technical issues. When we got back and loaded the pictures on the computer, this one caught my eye.



With no intention, I got a picture of her when she was much younger at her graduation in the background. I always liked the photo but I hated the fact that because it was not intentional it was poorly composed.

Tonight I wanted to try to fix that. I don't have the patience to make detailed selection in complicated area (the ends of the hair) so that was frustrating. I've done what I can and here are the results.



Are there any tricks that make selections in complicated areas any easier?? The several smart selection tools in PSE did not work correctly with this one.

Also, i would appreciate any comment on the composition in both.

Thanks

[AnnetteJ]

That one looks tricky beacuse some of her hair has dark things behind it, but where you want to move it to is lighter. I sometimes try to cut with feathered edges which helps a bit, but I'm not sure it would here. Then I also use the blur tool to blend the cut out hair into the new background a bit, being very careful not to go over the top! What about some lateral thinking and move the picture instead? It is a much easier shape to cut out! But if you do that remember to also include the reflection! Hope someone with better knowledge answers as well, I'd like to get better at cutting out hair as well. BTW - nice idea!

[FocalFrenzy]

AnnetteJ, is right. It would be much easier to select the Graduation picture with its' reflection, than to try to select all of the hair. If you try this, remember to clone out the seam in the cabinet. It cuts diagonally across the upper part of the reflection. Once cloned, simply copy and paste closer to your wifes' aunt.

[Nathan deGargoyle]

Hope you don't mind but I thought I'd have a go at this (if you do I will delete it).

I find with fiddly bits like hair a good way to select is by doing a rough freehand select around the area and then using the fuzzy select tool to deselect the areas you don't want.

[Steve@C4]

I thought the lamp made an interesting piece. So, rather than get rid of it, I traded spots with the picture. I also thought that it made an easier time blending her hair because of the darker photo frame. I also took some liberty and retouched her face a little and got rid of the red around her eyes.

I hope you like it.

Steve