Glyn Dewis

Frank Bramkamp - Hi Glyn, these are some questions that I always have to look up again.

1) luminosity masks: Just making a simple luminosity mask by crtl-click the icon in the channels is easy. But when I want to create a more advanced luminosity mask, I always have to think it over. That means how to select the brighter highlights (and very bight highlights). The same for darks and very darks. And from that, how to combine a bright channel and a dark channel to create a mask just for the midtones. E.g. if I want to apply Calvins Amazing Details technique, but just apply it to the midtones by a midtone mask.

2) if I have made 2 different selections. How do I combine them properly into one overall selection. You once showed it in a video, where to select the hair, then the body and finally combine them. Before I always wondered how to do that properly..still have to look it up somehow.

3) when using the refine edge:
I am sometimes not sure if I should make the initial selection in such a way, that it already goes a bit beyond the main subject. E.g. extracting a face/body from the background, if the first selection should be just inside the body or if it already should include a bit of the background. And then use the special edge brush.
In that context it is always a question: Using the special edge detection brush – Often it leads to some kind of semi transparent areas so that suddenly parts of the main subject are half gone. How to counteract this, if it should be just a solid mask. Best with a setting in the refine edge or by using a brush in overlay mode and try to darken/lighten the area afterwards.

Greetings, Frank

Does the invititation to the book release party also include the travel costs from Cologne to London and 3 nights in the Radisson hotel ?

Andrew Keane - Hi Glynn

Hanging out for the book BTW. Once question which has always bugged me and that others may find useful is getting rid of that pesky grey bits you get on masks when doing hair selections. The hair is a nice white but often they is a grey smear around outer hairs as if Photoshop is not sure whether to fully commit to that selection

I use Matt Klowkowski’s method using a brush on overlay mode to paint it out. It never seems to work that well for me, but is better than nothing.

Other questions ideas are hoe to get rid of the dreaded black and white fringe on selections, and also how to blur just the edge of your selection so it doesn’t look too sharp and fake (that’s one I still struggle with).

Cheers

Michael P - Hi Glyn,

After following a few of your Online Trainings and Webinars I have the following question for you or for the book:
- You use that specific 50% gray layer technique for dodging and burning (which works great btw) but what if I just create a Levels adjustment layer, darken it, add a black mask and then slowly paint back, with a low opaaaacity brush, the contrast where I need it, and then the same with the lighter area’s? Obviously PS has several ways to come to the same result, I tried doing this and could not really see a difference. So is there a difference (like destroying pixels vs adjusting) or is that just a different approach to the same result?

cheers,
Michael P

Morgana - When planning your composites do you choose the background in advance or do you take the image and pick a background from your collection of background images?

Does a background ever not work out the way you thought it would and if so what do you do?

Do you need to make sure that your background and subject are shot at the same focal length?

Let me know if you need more

jlua - Here is are not one but two questions: 1)There are many techniques for retouching skin, but I have found that there isn´t one that works equally well for all occasions. Yet, I still haven´t discovered which particular technique works best in each different situation (beauty with flat lighting, beauty with dramatic/contrast lighting, male skin, etc). It would be helpful to hear what are your thoughts on this issue. 2) Similar to the first question, there are many techniques for sharpening. What are your thoughts on what technique works best in each picture type or situation (beauty, portrait, landscape, architecture, etc)