How to smooth edges

[DVX100Shooter]

What do I need to do or what tool is best to use to smooth edges? I took a picture and cute background away leaving only what I needed. Now I want to go over that section and make the edges nice and smooth. A friend told me to invert the image and smooth the edges that way. I know how to invert the image but am lossed on how to actually go about smoothing the edges.

Thanks

I just looked at the Help manual in Pshop and it said something about I could smooth the edges BEFORE I used any of the Lasso tools etc. Now what can I do now that I have already used those tools to cut away the background? I want to be able to smooth the edges of the only thing left on the screen.

[mikkowilson]

can you post a sample pic of what you are working with?

- Mikko

[MikeGunter]

Hi,

I'm not sure, but I think what you might mean is that you want to 'feather' the selection prior to making the cut.

Go back to the original, feather a few pixels - the amount depends upon the size of the original image, experiment some, but start with say 15 to 25, then make your cut.

Hope this helps.

[DVX100Shooter]

Yea I think Feather might be what I mean in terms of smoothing the edges. Now is there a way to do this if I have already cut the background out of the picture?

[mikkowilson]

do you have the original image too still? Hopefully as another layer in the same file that is aligned with the cutout layer?

- Mikko

[DVX100Shooter]

yes I still have the original layer

[mikkowilson]

Ok, do this.. (note that the exact details may vary between photoshop versions, but the process is the same.)

With the cut-out and the original layer stacked above each other and aligned, etc... (so that when you turn on/off the original layer the "background" around your cutout appears/dissapears).
Make a copy of your original layer ..and again turn off your real original and leave it in the background out of the way.

Now you should have the cutout and a clean layer stacked.
1) Slect the magic wand tool.
2) Be sure that "select all layers" is OFF.
3) Adjust the "feather" setting of the magic wand to a few pixels, try 5 for starters.
4) Select the empty space of the cutout layer. (This will actually be a feathered selection)
5) Switch to the clean layer.
6) Hit delete to clear the background of that layer, leaving only the cutout, with the feathered edge from your selection.
7) Use your "History" palette to go back to step 3 and adjust your feathering and repeat steps 3->6 untill you are happy with the softness of the selection.

You can also edit the specifics of the selection using the "Quick Mask" between steps 5 and 6 if you want more control, using the regular paint and eraser tools.

- Mikko

[DVX100Shooter]

thanks I will give that a shot!

[Robbie Comeau]

OR:

1) Grab the Magnetic Lasso tool by clicking and holding on the Lasso tool button, it will be the last one.
2) Make your selection, clicking every so often (I click a lot to set new points)
3)Close the selection.
4) If you're in CS3, right click and go to Refine Edge. A great tool.
5) If not, then just go to Feather. If your doing a person or what not, maybe set it to about 2 or 3.
6) Then, hit ok. Right click again, and select inverse. This will select everything BUT your subject.
7) Hit delete.

Note: If it is still to jaggy, or maybe TO blurry, then undo and change the number in the Feather option to 1, (if it was to blurry) or to say, 5 (if it was to jaggy)

That is how I do all my stuff,

Mikko's is a good method as well.

Thanks,

r

[Drew Ott]

To add onto Como's advice...

you can press "delete" many times to keep blurring the edge.