Smooth background removal?
Forgive me for posting this. I realize there are a lot of tutorials that at least touch on this, but I have yet to find one that really helps me.
Recently I've had a lot of graphic ideas that involve removing the background of an image and placing the subject on a texture or another base. The problem is, I just can't get backgrounds off of most images smoothly. I've tried all the methods I've seen here. I've tried masking, using the background eraser, and even the lasso (totally out of the question, since my hand is about as steady as a drunk on a floating log), but nothing works out in the end. I always wind up with one of three problems:
A. Part of the subject is erased with the background.
B. Bits of the background are sticking to the edges of the subject.
C. The edges of the subject are terribly jagged.
I realize that with masking I could always just paint in white if I erase part of the subject or continue to paint in black if I haven't gotten rid of the whole background, but no matter how much time I spend on it I can never seem to get it right. It's especially bothersome in larger graphics, such as headers, signatures and wallpapers, where I don't have the smaller size to get rid of some of the errors.
Does anybody have any advice? This is really becoming a hindrance for me, and trying to find ways to avoid removing backgrounds just doesn't cut it.
Recently I've had a lot of graphic ideas that involve removing the background of an image and placing the subject on a texture or another base. The problem is, I just can't get backgrounds off of most images smoothly. I've tried all the methods I've seen here. I've tried masking, using the background eraser, and even the lasso (totally out of the question, since my hand is about as steady as a drunk on a floating log), but nothing works out in the end. I always wind up with one of three problems:
A. Part of the subject is erased with the background.
B. Bits of the background are sticking to the edges of the subject.
C. The edges of the subject are terribly jagged.
I realize that with masking I could always just paint in white if I erase part of the subject or continue to paint in black if I haven't gotten rid of the whole background, but no matter how much time I spend on it I can never seem to get it right. It's especially bothersome in larger graphics, such as headers, signatures and wallpapers, where I don't have the smaller size to get rid of some of the errors.
Does anybody have any advice? This is really becoming a hindrance for me, and trying to find ways to avoid removing backgrounds just doesn't cut it.