edge

I use the commands under Photoshop's Filter menu as much as the next guy. But as a collection, I have five problems with them: 1) Let's face it, most are gimmicks; 2) many of them are old as the hills, so they lack previews; 3) most of the filters don't create the effects that they're named for (Fresco? come on!); 4) in what way are they even remotely related? 5) and they rarely receive any attention. There are the exceptions---for example, Smart Sharpen (CS2), Gaussian Blur (1.0), and High Pass (1.0), although generally ancient, are flat-out indispensable---but for the most part, the Filter menu is riddled with cobwebs of our communal disinterest.

So it got me thinking: Might there be a better place to filter images than Photoshop? My answer: Camera Raw. The great thing about Camera Raw is that it offers precise edge-detection capabilities---the one tenuous string that binds Photoshop's best filters---as well as equally precise color modification options. Plus, the values have huge ranges (compared with, say, the Filter Gallery) and the options make sense (compared with, say, the Filter Gallery).

The result is this free video, in which I show you how to create five independent Camera Raw filtering, from which I imagine you can extrapolate a few hundred more.

Here's the official description from lynda.com, with copious graphics: Read more » 

One of the most common questions I hear from Photoshop users is, how do I extract people from one background and set them against another, with all their hair intact? Having written a book and recorded more than 50 hours of video on that very topic, I can assure you, there are lots of ways to do it. And it all starts with creating an accurate mask. Read more » 

Over the years, Photoshop has attempted several means for automatically distinguishing one portion of an image (say, a person) from the rest (its background). All have seemed promising at first. And yes, whether it's due to the allure of the tools or our faith in miracles, I do mean all. Yet as we grow wiser, they grow ever more unacceptable. Classic cases in point: The entirely unmagical magic wand. The sluggish and sloppy quick selection tool. And who can forget the ultimate and absolute disappointment of Extract?

But at least two commands have proven that selection automation is possible. Happily, one of them is today's Top 40 Feature: Refine Edge. Read more »