Selection tool

[Kejtet]

Hello,

Yes, I'm new (cf. rule 27 :wink:)

I have a question regarding the selection, I've tried searching the forum a coupple of times, but I didn't find what I was looking for.

I want to use Paint.NET mainly for editing photos I take, but I am in need of a better selction tool.

It could either be a lasso'ish thing that is "magnetic" towards the closest colorline, or a tool where you can select around something by click'ing a lot of times, so that you get an even line. Did that make any sense?

So my question is, did I overlook something in the program? In the forums? Or is it possible for a kind soul to point me in the right direction or give me at hint of some sort?

Have a day

Kejtet

edit: Perhaps I shuold explain what I want to do better: e.g. if I have a picture with something in the front and a blue sky in the back I often want to make the blue sky a deeper blue. The magic wand (or what it's called) often leaves a wird border between the front and back, and otherwise can be hard to work with if the colors come really close to each other.

Thanks in advance.

[Ash]

Have you checked viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3455

[Kejtet]

Ok, now I've seen it, it gives an answer to the magnetic lasso thingy. But I would stille love to hear if anyone has any experience with the selection tools in "real"photo editing, meaning photos from a camera.

Thanks though...

[Ash]

make the blue sky a deeper blue.

Try viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1102

[Kejtet]

I'm sorry that I'm so difficult, but it's really the selection of the sky I'm wondering about. E.g. the picture I've uploaded. What would be the best way to make three layers, one with the goat and one with all the white sky (including the little dots in the trees) and one with the rest?

Hope that I'm not to much of a noob...

And thanks for the help so far!

Kejtet

Edit: spelling errors.

[Myrddin]

What would be the best way to make three layers, one with the goat and one with all the white sky (including the little dots in the trees) and one with the rest?

You could try this: Cutting Out Images the Easy Way tutorial. Cut out each element and paste them onto their own layer.

Now, if the use of the Magic Wand is still not to your liking, I would recommend the longer process of alpha masking (plugin | tutorial). You follow the same steps as the above tutorial except you create a mask at the end of it and use the associated plugin. Depending how well you create your mask, you can produce some professional-looking cut-outs; an absolute winner with some users.

[Crazy Man Dan]

The main problem with that cutout scheme is that there will be a goat-shaped hole in your grass layer, and there will be a land-shaped hole in your sky. If you use the Mask method, you'll most likely end up with lines of semi-transparency around the cut-out sections (since the mask is anti-aliased, the anti-aliased bits will overlap each other, and unfortunately, a 50% transparent pixel overlain atop another pixel of 50% transparency does not result in a completely opaque pixel).

To get around this you could use the Clone Stamp to extend the grass on its own layer inward to cover over part of the hole left by cutting out the goat. Removing the goat won't show the grass behind it, so you'd have to make your own to fill the area.

[Kejtet]

But I really don't wanna cut out the goat entirely. I just wanna put different effects on the different layers. E.g. som sort of blur effect on the background to make the goat stand out more.

I haven't looked into the hole mask think, I will do that and see how it works.

Thanks so far!

Kejtet

[Crazy Man Dan]

Well, you could duplicate the layer, then cut out the goat on the top duplicate, then run the effects on the original background layer, which would leave the cut-out goat on the duplicate layer untouched. The problem is the goat would still be on the original background layer, so if you blur it, you'll blur the background goat around the foreground goat.

It all depends upon the type of effect you're going for, I suppose. The results described above may be acceptable in some cases.

[Kejtet]

yeah, I understand that. Thanks.

But the easiest way to cut out the goat would be via your alpha mask plug-in/tutorial?

It's just quite a work for all the little pieces of fur coming out from the goat...

But thanks still!

Kejtet

[Crazy Man Dan]

With all the little hair tendrils, I really don't think there is any "easy" way to do it. The Alpha Masking method is the better quality way to do it, when compared to the aliased Magic Wand alternative.

I'm a big proponent of Alpha Masking for cutouts (which is probably why I made the tutorial ), but it can get difficult. When you look at the actual cut out tutorial (which also had hair in it), you can read in the detail of step three that the mask for the example took well over an hour to create.

So yeah, it's not easy, but if you're wanting the highest possible quality result, I'd suggest putting the time in.

[Kejtet]

Oh well, of course your right. The easy way out method is way outdated :shock: :wink:

Now I know what to do for the rest of the evening!

Thanks a lot for help!

Will definately be back with more questions soon :wink:

Have a nice evening!

Kejtet

[mesa]

I used PShop Pro for a long time. It has a good selection tool, called Point-to-Point selection.

This selection tool is missing me.

(I read about a similar technique : add a new layer, choose a different color, use line tool to draw around the selected object, choose the layer above, then delete unwanted part of it.)

Point-to-Point selection tool will be the part of PDN in the future?

Thanks.

[startreksuite]

I used PShop Pro for a long time. It has a good selection tool, called Point-to-Point selection.

This selection tool is missing me.

(I read about a similar technique : add a new layer, choose a different color, use line tool to draw around the selected object, choose the layer above, then delete unwanted part of it.)

Point-to-Point selection tool will be the part of PDN in the future?

Thanks.

This looks similar to the magnetic lasso PS uses, and the Paths tool that Paintstar uses (now free). It really saves time (a minute versus 15 mins) for an unsteady hand like mine. I guess on another thread it will be in PDN 4.xx, only time will tell.

[Crazy Man Dan]

Point-to-point selection sounds like the Polygonal lasso tool, which is already in the Popular Feature Requests thread.

[pipp92]

I would really like to have a polygon-lasso, it's a lot better than the often requested magic-lasso tool

[bEPIK]

It's already been suggested

Click (third one down)

[pipp92]

I know brad...but Polygonal lasso / selection tool -- No ETA

[bEPIK]

Heh... I thought you started a new topic!

[anglaret]

I double the demand for polygon selection. As architect, it is a master tool to extract buildings, buildings...

With that I would throw out several softs that I use actually such as psp

Marc