Photoshop Top 40, Feature #35: Refine Edge

Submitted by deke on 18 August 2009 - 12:15am.

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.

True to its name, the Refine Edge command is not a selection creation tool, it's a selection refinement function. Start with a selection--any old selection will do--choose Select > Refine Edge, and you're on your way. One dialog box lets you modify your selection (or layer mask) according to five different parameters and preview the results in five different ways. Using Mobius Tubes, no less!

Look out for a couple of resplendent photographs from bargain image vendor Fotolia.

(For a list of all Photoshop Top 40 videos thus far, click this link.)

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Comments

podcast link broken

Submitted by jeremyv10 on 10 September 2009 - 1:34pm.
Hello Collen & Deke- I was trying to download these great videos and the link to this one podcast is broken. All the others were happily downloaded to iTunes. Thanks -Jeremy

You're saying the iTunes link is busted?

Submitted by deke on 11 September 2009 - 2:38am.
Tell me which feed you are using and I'll look into it.

YAY!!! iTunes!

Submitted by Petra on 11 September 2009 - 7:23am.
Wot a loverly surprise to come back to! Jeremy is right though - all downloaded with the speed of a fabulous, gorgeous, dangerous avalanche. Except one wee scaredy cat that clung to the upload zenith and refused fall carelessly into our loving embrace. No surprise that the fussy fearful one is Refine Edge - control freaks are always the last to let go. }8^]

All fixed

Submitted by Petra on 11 September 2009 - 4:27pm.
Refine Edge has whooshed it's way into my home. Well done, Refine Edge! :-D

"I'm not sure exactly what

Submitted by utm on 3 September 2009 - 2:03pm.
"I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to express here inside of this image, but..." - I feel this way about so many things I make! Your effort is always appreciated. Thanks

Great

Submitted by downloadmaster on 3 September 2009 - 2:20pm.
Photoshop is still the best.

Always wanted to learn

Submitted by bestcellphone001 on 26 August 2009 - 12:10pm.
I have always wanted tolearn photoshop but still in learning process...so this is good news to me.

Video

Submitted by rensee on 23 August 2009 - 4:54pm.
I like this video :)

thanks

Submitted by aanko on 22 August 2009 - 10:40pm.
Thanks for the video!

Really instructive "DEKE"

Submitted by momo1984 on 21 August 2009 - 11:20am.
Thanks for all instructive tutorials you forward, Your DEKE blogs are crazy helpful. Thanks

Thanks this info

Submitted by downloadmaster on 3 September 2009 - 2:22pm.
Yes Deke.com is so help for newbie like me Stop Dreaming Start Action lowongan kerja

I can only say this word

Submitted by techngear on 21 August 2009 - 11:16am.
I can only say this word "thank you very much".

Oh fantastic

Submitted by fortunafran7 on 20 August 2009 - 9:13pm.
I was wondering what was going on with that...Thanks.

Just figured out what makes Deke so good

Submitted by galefraney on 18 August 2009 - 6:29pm.
I was just watching the lynda.com advanced Illustrator CS4 series (have also watched the Photoshop series). I have been watching Deke's training videos way back to the olden days when he was doing Photoshop 7 for Total Training. I've watched many training videos from many different presenters and I just figured out what makes Deke's video training so much better than most other presenters. It's that Deke assumes that the audience is intelligent and explains not only the "hows" but also explains the "whys and wherefores", ie: if he is explaining a concept, he tells the viewer what is happening behind the scenes, algorithms or exactly why an effect is behaving the way it does. I don't know how many times when watching other presenters that I feel like yelling at the screen to say "but you didn't explain WHY this feature behaves like this", you didn't explain how it can go wrong & what to do about it. But with Deke, he carefully and patiently explains all these these things, all the while cracking jokes and doing it in such a palatable, pleasant, unintimidating way. This is why I think Deke is the BEST Presenter of all ... and no I'm not trying to brown nose to gain some favour ... I was watching the videos and it suddenly came to me why I think Deke's explanations are better than most other presenters. Cheers, Gale :-)

Ditto

Submitted by msmithnc on 21 August 2009 - 7:43pm.
I came to deke.com when I discovered Deke on Lynda.com after watching other presenters. I learn stuff from them, too, but I totally agree that he gives us the "why" as well as the "how". I can figure a lot of stuff out for myself (I dislike the tutorials that just go through menu selections and show you the dialog box - I can do that by myself) but when something doesn't work like you're expecting you need to know "WHY". And besides, Deke is just so much fun! Mary

I agree

Submitted by hash3m on 20 August 2009 - 6:21pm.
I actually realized this the other night. Other instructors don't compare. Deke seems like the type of workaholic who actually loves his job and his life. It rubs off in his presentation. He's fairly incredible. Plus it's like a bonus feature seeing his kids grow up through the years and the videos. Deke, keep the hows and the whys and wherefores and the random facts and the humorous plays on words coming. You'll get money, we'll get a legend. Win-win.

I totally agree

Submitted by Uncle Lew on 18 August 2009 - 11:20pm.
Gale, Well said. The Dekester rules! My favorite trainer/teacher/explainer extraordinare. U.L. (Uncle Lew) approved.

Very Nice

Submitted by devdonnelly on 18 August 2009 - 2:56pm.
Thanks for this one Deke! It's a feature I forget about sometimes, after watching this I don't think I'll make that mistake.

It'll be fixed soon I'm sure...

Submitted by MART9000 on 18 August 2009 - 11:18am.
Deke will unprivatise it no doubt. In the meantime we shall just have to wait, and chat quietly amongst ourselves...

I cant view the video, it says its private... :-(

Submitted by stevecoda on 18 August 2009 - 11:04am.
I cant view the video, it says its private... :-(

Sad but true

Submitted by mooatr on 18 August 2009 - 11:11am.
I'm getting the same message :(. I guess deke clicked a checkbox by accident.

Should be unprivate by now

Submitted by deke on 18 August 2009 - 3:51pm.
There's a delay between when post goes up and video goes public. We're working on the delay for future releases. But should be resolved by now on this specific video.