In China, we had the opportunity to photograph many pandas in a reserve. They were all captive, and sometimes the background was very good and sometimes it was not good at all. These two photos illustrate what I was able to do with a bad background. The two young pandas were playing together, and I wanted to save the picture because otherwise the distracting and unnatural elements behind them ruined the shot. Cutting around hair is very tough for Photoshop, especially when the contrast between the hair and the background isn't clearly defined. I used Topaz Remask 5, and I was impressed with the remarkable job it did. I photographed this stand of bamboo at the reserve because I knew I was going to need natural looking backgrounds in the same light as the pandas. I will explain how I did this in step by step fashion in my free monthly eMagazine, Photo Insights, in the October issue. My settings for this were 1/400, f/8, 2500 ISO, and I used a focal length of 200mm.
4 Comments
Sep 21, 2017, 12:52:38 AM
Jim - Thanks, Rohinton. Being able to replace backgrounds is a game-changer. It allows you to do pretty much anything with your pictures.
Sep 20, 2017, 9:05:11 PM
Rohinton Mehta - It always amazes me how well you can make a cut-out and blend it against another suitable backdrop. Although I consider myself good in Photoshop, making a good cut-out is my clear weakness. I am eagerly waiting for the step by step instructions.
Best regards,
Rohinton
Sep 20, 2017, 6:27:53 PM
Jim - It's nice to hear from you, Forest. Thanks for your comment. Remask has limitations, but sometimes it does a great job.
Sep 20, 2017, 6:26:13 PM
Forrest Bayer - Jim: Great example of what you can do wit Topaz Remask 5. I have used it on various occasions with great success. I really enjoy your daily posts. We briefly met in Atlanta when I ran the projector at the APS meeting. Keep shooting.
Forrest