With the new layer selected, go to Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur… Next we need to soften that noise as it’s looking too digital at the moment. Once in here, select a noise amount of around 2-5 dependant on your shot. With the new layer selected, go to Filter -> Noise -> Add Noise… We do not want that anywhere near our shot and although it might not be very visible now, it will be very noticeable once we lighten it later.įirst we need to add some noise to eliminate that banding. Select the new layer, make sure you have the Linear Gradient selected at the top, then simply click and drag a new gradient from the top to bottom of your empty layer.Īt present, we have a pure pixel gradient that will likely have some amount of colour banding within it. With our new gradient we can now paint it across our new layer. Mine here is almost identical from top to bottom, but yours might not be. Now make a gradient by selecting one point at the top of your background and one at the bottom of your background. With the base layer selected, hit the gradient palette at the top of the screen so that the Gradient Editor opens up. This can be found in the tools palette or simply hit the G key. Step 3 – Adding a base coatĮven though we may have an even background already, I like to add a base coat to this layer so that we don’t highlight any marks back there when we lighten it up later on.įirst select the Gradient tool. If done correctly, your selection should disappear and your new blank layer should not have a black silhouette of your subject in the mask next to it. > Reveal Selection … (Or simply click the ‘Add Layer Mask’ button at the bottom of the layers palette. With the new layer simply create a Mask on it with the selection you’ve made. With our mask still active, create a new layer: Layer -> New Layer … (Shift+Command+N). Subsequent versions were a major step backwards in my opinion… but that’s a topic for another day. Note: I use an older version of Photoshop (even though I have access to the newest version via CC) mainly because of the power of this refine edge menu. This menu can be found in a variety of places dependant on your version of Photoshop but my preferred version of Refine Edge is found at the top of the screen when you have a selection tool active.
Once I’ve got my basic selection of the subject then I often pop into the ‘Refine Edge…’ menu to make any minor adjustments to the styling or hair. Spend the time to cut the subject out properly as rushing this or cutting corners here will ruin the effect extremely quickly. I personally use the Magic Wand Tool as well as the Quick Selection Tool. It’s up to you how you do this and there are many ways to select a subject. Thankfully though, even if we do forget or we simply run out of lights to light our background as well as our subject, we can cheat the effect a little in post-production and that’s what I’m going to cover here. This lack of separation or blending between subject and background is especially noticeable on shots that contain dark styling against a dark background so even more attention to that separation is required here. The out of focus area behind our subjects needs a little light as well if we are to avoid that jet-black void behind them. This subject-to-background separation is nearly always present in daylight photos thanks to the abundance of easy to use light, but when we light a subject with studio strobes, we often forget to light our backgrounds properly. Our eyes are always seeking to understand the world via shape and form, so if our subject is blending into their surroundings in a confusing way, this is not only quite often unflattering, but it also makes for a visually confusing image.
Even in extreme cases where you’re photographing black on black, you still have to ensure you show separation between subject and foreground.
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