Cs & pse

[Scottie]

NO, this is not another attempt to ask which I should buy! I'm quite happy with LR and PSE. However, sometimes I find that using selections in PSE a rather clumsy process and needs some work to get a more refined/accurate result.
So, my question is, are the tools in CS more refined, or is there simply more options?
I'd appreciate your comments/advice.

[chauncey]

What is CS?

[Mike Buckley]

CS = Creative Suite

[Scottie]

Sorry for the abbreviation. It's Photoshop CS, the front runner in its field for processing digital images - and a whole lot more!

[FrankMi]

I find that using selections in PSE a rather clumsy process and needs some work to get a more refined/accurate result. So, my question is, are the tools in CS more refined, or is there simply more options?
I'd appreciate your comments/advice.

I use CS5 as I do a lot of work with individual elements of an image and that requires extensive use of selections to create the layer masks. If I have a complex element, I don't bother with doing selections at all as I find them to be too time consuming to get accurate. Instead I use a Photoshop Plug-in called Topaz Labs ReMask. Whether you need a simple hard line mask or you are dealing with masking hair, tree branches, or need to change the background behind a bride's veil, ReMask is the best tool I've found. Obviously, you can create selections from the masks so if you can get one, by default you have the other.

I've also found that a number of the Topaz Labs plug-ins have been of benefit and I use several of them in my normal PP workflow so I opted to get the Topaz Labs suite of plug-ins.

[DanK]

NO, this is not another attempt to ask which I should buy! I'm quite happy with LR and PSE. However, sometimes I find that using selections in PSE a rather clumsy process and needs some work to get a more refined/accurate result.
So, my question is, are the tools in CS more refined, or is there simply more options?
I'd appreciate your comments/advice.

I have never used selections in PSE, so I can't offer a comparison, but I can tell you that under many conditions, making accurate selections in Photoshop can be a huge pain in the neck, even with the variety of selection tools it offers. I have a hunch that this is one reason for the popularity of the Nik plugins. The Nik "control point" technology does not replicate the accuracy of selections using Photoshop, but it does allow you to act on specific regions, and it can be a great deal less work.

[Manfred M]

Scottie - It would be useful to know exactly what you are trying to make selections of to provide specific feedback to your question.

Doing selections is really one of the hardest parts of post-processing and there is no magic bullet out there. PSE is really a stripped down version of Photoshop that provides a lot of good tools without getting into the crazy long learning curve of full-blown Photoshop.

I don't use PSE, so can't comment on it directly, but will say that getting good clean selections is not easy even with a lot of experience; hair and fur are really tough to do and bleed over from reflected light is also not easy.

[Scottie]

My sincere thanks to you all for taking the trouble to respond and for the very helpful information.
A Guid New Year tae ye all!

[chauncey]

To echo what others have said, I work with Photoshop/LR CC and you can take this to the bank...making complex selections is a multi-tool/multi-step process. Working at the pixel level is not uncommon, for there are few shortcuts. Tutorials are plentiful but, until you actually apply them to your image, that's when the fun begins.

[Dave Humphries]

I am by no means an expert, but one of the things I have noticed from watching the real experts on Photoshop in the Lynda.com tutorials, is that when things get challenging, they often make a mask, using a separate custom processed layer (e.g. greater contrast), before using that mask to apply the desired image processing on another layer.

I know that early versions of PSE, <10, didn't really have any 'official' masking capability. Now I believe newer versions of PSE have some masking capabilities, but this may not be as much as PS CS6 or CC have.

I only have PSE 8 and PS CC and am ashamed to say I haven't get tried any of the clever techniques I outlined above, so I cannot be of more assistance.

HTH,

[FrankMi]

In addition Scottie, here is a link to a CiC thread where John Morton explains how to get a detailed mask using Alpha Channels in Photoshop. Is there a trick to using the selection tool in Photoshop Elements

[loosecanon]

Masking takes time, especially in photoshop where one often can end up editing at pixel level.
For quick selections/masking I use fluid mask, works with 64bit photoshop of I believe PSE, £50 to buy. Great so long as either contrast or colour differences for masking. Can be very quick with say masking to replace skys when there are lots of leafless tree branches.