Using the Refine Edge to Select Hair in Photoshop

Date February 28, 2015 Author By Evan Category Photo Editing

The refine edge tool can be an absolute lifesaver in Photoshop. It can be a nightmare when you want to change the background of your image, only to find that your subject’s hair is very tricky to select.

The lasso tool just won’t work in this situation and the refine edge command can help you select the fine details, such as tight frizzy curls. You can then choose the amount of hair you want to select, and feather it to get the desired effect.

Any leftover fringing can be removed by ‘decontaminating’ the colours, and once you’ve done this, you get just the hair selected, allowing you to place in any background you like or move the person to a different location entirely. Photoshop is such a powerful tool if you know how to use it wisely, and there are plenty of online guides to talk you through the stages of using the all important refine edge command.