OMG Please Help with Quick selection tool!

jnrpotography

I am so frustrated! I am working with two images in photoshop elements 7. I have the first image set as the background. With the second image I am using the quick selection tool to select a person that I want to copy and paste into the first image. When I paste it on to the first image the entire selection that I copied has this whitish line/glow around it. So the final products looks so FAKE since youi can see the outline of the inserted selection. How do I copy and or select the selection and make it look like it is part of the first image. Please advise! I am just pulling my hair out here! Thanks!

colourbox

I don't know Photoshop Elements 7, but does it have a Refine Edge button like Photoshop? If it does, use it to contract the selection slightly to clip off the white fringe. Otherwise, look for a Contract command for selections if Elements has one.

pathfinder

Try using a smaller brush for your Quick Selection tool to capture less of the white border from the beginning.

You may need to work on your image at 200% or higher to do this.

One other technique I find helpful to highly refine a selection with the Quick Selection tool, is not to use it in a painting fashion with the mouse button held down, but to place the brush precisely where you want it at the edge of a selection, and then click the mouse just one time, rather than holding the mouse button down. This gives you much smaller selections to work with, one at a time. If too large an area is selected, use a smaller brush, outside the desired area of selection, hold down the alt key ( Option key for Macs ) and click one time with the mouse to precisely refine the selection edge. You can single click the mouse with the Quick Selection tool to build up the area you want selected as needed.

If you have a big white line around you selection, you grabbed too much to begin with. There is a command in Photoshop to defringe these kinds of areas, but the trick is to avoid them in the first place.

Ric Grupe

pathfinder wrote:

You may need to work on your image at 200% or higher to do this.

I find the quick mask a nice tool to use in conjunction with this.

pathfinder

Interesting - When I use the Quick Mask mode I generally am using a very soft brush and just painting onto the mask itself.

I have never tried to use the Quick Selection tool in the Quick Mask Mode, but I guess it would let you see the mask rather than the marching ants. I'll give that a try, Ric!

Ric Grupe

pathfinder wrote:

Interesting - When I use the Quick Mask mode I generally am using a very soft brush and just painting onto the mask itself.

I have never tried to use the Quick Selection tool in the Quick Mask Mode, but I guess it would let you see the mask rather than the marching ants. I'll give that a try, Ric!

I guess, I misled you.

Quick mask for edge clean-up after quick selection. Easy to fix mistakes.