Tags:ponti55 says:
Great tutorial!!
This is really easy, but hardly anyone knows how to do this quick. I'll let you in on a Photoshop secret ;)
End result:
Views: 29954
Score: 9.16 / 10
Author earned: $20
Step 1
A lot of people have problems with masking trees. All those leaves are a lot of work, they think.
I promise you I can show you how to do this in just 3 minutes and put a new background behind it along the way!
First we need 2 sources:
For the tree we use: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1184924
and as a new background: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1211288
Open up Photoshop and resize both images to the same width, we'll start working on the tree image.
Step 2
We'll be using a tool which is hardly ever used: the "Background Eraser Tool".
Step 3
On top you're able to change some settings:
1. take a nice big soft brush, I used one with a 2013 diameter
2. set the sampling to contigious
3. set limits to discontigious
4. the tolerance high: 40 (we can do this because the blue background behind the tree has a nice contrast with the green tree, if the contrast isn't that high you must set the tolerance lower)
5. check the Protect Foreground Color box
6. we've checked the Protect Foreground Color box so we must select a foreground color; click on the foreground color > the color Picker menu will open > now use the color picker to select an average green in the tree. This will protect this color and it will not be erased later on.
Step 4
Now the funpart starts.
Because we use a big brush you'll probably just see the cross in the centre of that brush, that's OK because that's just what we need. Start clicking on the blue and you'll see all the blue disappear, do this also on the other colors which are left (some whites and other light colors.
Check between the leaves for some left over spots of blue and remove them the same way.
You'll be left with just the tree and the grass. To show you below there's twice the same tree, once a black background and once a white background.
If you just wanted to mask the tree: CONGRATS, YOU ARE DONE!
I'll add a new background to this as well, as a bonus ;)
Step 5
Add the sky as a new layer below the tree.
If you look closely you'll there's still some white lines surrounding the leaves. That's why I'll show you as well on how to remove those.
Step 6
In the layers pallette: select the layer with the tree and right click on it. A new menu will open and select "Blending Options" on top. This will open a new window.
All we are going to do is set the "Blend Mode" to "Darken Color" and click "OK"
Step 7
There's some rubbish coming through the grass, just select your layer with the sky and gently erase them.
Step 8
Now all you have to do is finetuning your image, use a smal soft blur brush and blur the edge of the grass and new sky (be sure you have checked the "Sample All Layers" box on top) and so on.
That wasn't that hard, was it?
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63 Comments:
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lchappell says:
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Tuckinator says:
prtty good tut
(222 days ago)
lvl: 11 vp: 1005
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nishagandhi says:
great tutorial
in which version do u have "darken color" option?? i think i dont have that option since i have photoshop cs2
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robvdn says:
I'm sorry Nisha, I'm using CS3 and CS4 and both have that option; never realised CS2 doesn't, but that part is just an extra and has no influence on the real goal of the tutorial: the masking of the tree itself
lvl: 22 vp: 2057
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Akassa says:
Oh this is really helpful, thanks rob i always have some trouble with trees lol
(222 days ago)lvl: 11 vp: 1005
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nishagandhi says:
Anyway its a great tutorial Rob i have tried masking trees before but i dont get to mask properly ....so i dont use trees in my images LOL hopefully now i am sure that i will be able to mask trees...GREAT TUTORIAL 
lvl: 8 vp: 1636
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RichieMB says:
Great job.
(218 days ago)
lvl: 6 vp: 100
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rikigoft says:
Thanks...great tut
(218 days ago)lvl: 1 vp: 0
rep: 0
kreativess says:
I was gonna say you have no idea how much time this saves and how many more options are available now because of it...but obviously you do!!! Thank you SO much! Love the steps, the clarity, the arrows, very well written and great example!!!
(218 days ago)
lvl: 11 vp: 1513
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momvera says:
This is great! I have to try it.
(217 days ago)
lvl: 23 vp: 596
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IDt8r says:
Nah, I sez to myself. It can't be that easy. So I tried it. Then I found a different tree and tried it again. Then I found a drippy willow tree with little tiny leaves and tried it again. It really is just that easy. Thank you so much for this time saving, frustration saving tutorial. You and it are wonderful.
(217 days ago)
lvl: 18 vp: 223
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freejay says:
Handy tut and well explained....good job
lvl: 6 vp: 91
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ladybug says:
thank you so much! this is incredibly helpful!
(217 days ago)
lvl: 13 vp: 554
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billyboy says:
After such a tutorial I shall quit 3D and go back to Photoshop, LOL. Royal !
(216 days ago)lvl: 1 vp: 0
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thetoutster916 says:
I'm new at this and i found rlly easy and quick..
thank you for this gr8 tut...
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thetoutster916 says:
I'm new at this and i found rlly easy and quick..
thank you for this gr8 tut...
lvl: 1 vp: 0
rep: 0
Jeantz080807 says:
Simple but High quality
(209 days ago)Guest says:
Well done tut. Thanks!
(207 days ago)Guest says:
This is amazing
lvl: 3 vp: 0
rep: 10
wildwings says:
This is not only brilliant but beautifully explained. Many thanks!
(204 days ago)Guest says:
how the hell to i change the background
(204 days ago)Guest says:
thanks....=)
(202 days ago)Guest says:
expert!!!!!!!!!!
(201 days ago)Guest says:
thanx ......ur amazing
(199 days ago)
lvl: 15 vp: 1107
rep: 34.6
pingenvy says:
Mine worked better without going to the darken mode, but this tutorial will still be one of the most useful for long-term application that I've come across. Oh, and I had never used the erase background tool before. Nice job!
(197 days ago)Guest says:
This saved me so many hours.
THANK YOU!!!!
Guest says:
Wow!
VERY impressed! Thanks for the arty! (:
Guest says:
i realy appretiating ur steps . give more information about photoshop for us...
(195 days ago)Guest says:
Great. Can this also work with hair? I'd love to crop portraits and paste onto diff backgrounds but the hair is always difficult.
(195 days ago)lvl: 18 vp: 534
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robvdn says:
@Guest: In theory it should be working with hair too, just play with the tolerancelevel and maybe a smaller brush.
Thank you all for the really nice comments!
Guest says:
wov. Nice tutorial. U are great robvdn
(195 days ago)Guest says:
great it is just what I wanted. Thank for your share !
(194 days ago)Guest says:
Excellent tutorial, mate! Thanks for sharing it.
(192 days ago)Guest says:
awsome thanks alot
(191 days ago)Guest says:
Es un gran trabajo
(191 days ago)Guest says:
Thank you sooooo much. Time saver woo hoo!
(190 days ago)Guest says:
Step 8
(be sure you have checked the "Sample All Layers" box on top)
??? where is that Sample all layers option?
Guest says:
@up: its next to blending mode and strenght, its a checkbox.
really nice tutorial, awesome trick cheers!!!!
Guest says:
interesting but oddly in CS4 with me using th esame settings as you describe it does not work and I still had to click on each and every individual piece of blue in the tree and then later on, when adding the background, it appeared that in the sky, some part sof blue were only parttly removed (i.e. made somewhat translucent). What actually worked much faster was to go to 'Select' and use "Color Range" and then with the +sampler click on a few pieces of blue and white. Click OK and delete or mask everything that is selected--> done
(174 days ago)lvl: 1 vp: 0
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JurgenDoe says:
Excellent and fabulous tutorial *clap*
(173 days ago)Guest says:
damn, that's a nice tut
(172 days ago)Guest says:
Really great tutorial. Thanks for sharing.
(163 days ago)Guest says:
This is very useful and informative. Thanks.
Regards,
photoshop masking
http://www.sblgraphics.com/photo-masking_service.aspx
lvl: 20 vp: 0
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divair says:
Man, I've never used the erase background tool! Very useful tutorial. Thanks for sharing.
(149 days ago)Guest says:
Thanks a lot, There are options we never use. Even if we needed many times in the past. Sorry with my poor english.
Thanks again
Guest says:
pls i dont get it right can some one teach me how better to do it !!!!helP helP SOS
(146 days ago)Guest says:
Cool and fantastic!!! Thanks a lot for your tutorial.
(145 days ago)Guest says:
calculations...source 1 green, source2 blue, check invert. blend mode subtract gives you a perfect mask to select.
(142 days ago)
lvl: 17 vp: 268
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erathion says:
Great tutorial,helps a lot....
(140 days ago)Guest says:
great
(95 days ago)Guest says:
great
(95 days ago)Guest says:
super... tutorial
நல்லா இருக்கு...
Guest says:
Super.....
(72 days ago)Guest says:
Trees Are pretty
Go Green
Guest says:
nice job, one the better tuts ive seen.....ive seen alot
(57 days ago)Guest says:
This works great on lightning
(53 days ago)Guest says:
Wow! Just stumbled on this site and this looked like an interesting tute to check out. I'm amazed at how easy it makes the task. I'm sure this same technique can be used in other applications such as masking hair from a blue/green screen shot.
(21 days ago)Guest says:
very nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MD HANZALA
Guest says:
I'm new to photoshope and not famliar with much, but how did you blend the two pics?I'm stuck at step 5. Thanks
(6 days 13 hr ago)Guest says:
can anyone help me with step 7? I cant figure out how to clear up the bottom? Thanks
Guest says:
in CS4 i used exatly the settings as described, still there is a LOT of the old background left on my tree and at step 6 , when using blending mode "Darker color" about half my tree goes away and the new background totally takes over + at step 8 there are no checkbox for "Sample All Layers" beside the blending mode, any ideas what im doing wrong ?
(3 days 6 hr ago)
vp: 100
rep: 0.5
you're a genius!
(223 days ago)