Gotta share this

[Nevermore]

Since I discovered it, I haven't been able to pry my fingers off the keyboard. You can get the most amazing selections by using Select, Colour Range. At the bottom of the drop down list is highlight, shadow and midtones. So, you can take a photo and chose shadow for example and end up with all the shadowy bits selected. Beats the pants off the magic wand or heaven forbid, lasso, for this kind of job. At least it is a starting point: from there, use your normal weapon of choice to refine the selection if you are not totally happy.

I have been a selecting fool all morning. I have played for hours (yup, sigh, it is now mid-afternoon) selecting different bits and then filtering the living daylights out of them. And then masking the filters. And then blending the masked filter layer. Realised I had to ease up a bit when the last little 5 x 7 I was working on topped the charts at over 200 megs BEFORE I added anything to the basic background photo. Okay, time for some laundry.

[akissling]

You are in a very productive phase the past few days! I will have to play with this new trick!!! Thanks for the info!

[kygirl]

Now, you've done it. I'll spend the rest of the night playing with the color range tool. When the family asks why there's no supper, I'll just tell them it's Kim's fault. :)

[Nevermore]

It certainly would be my fault--I don't cook under any circumstances, lol! Glad you find it exciting. Sometimes when I look back on these posts I think I must appear a tad "touched". But I know that I personally have read a ton o books etcetera and have had PSCS2 for almost two years and never understood the potential use of that little selection tool. It is stuff like that that just turns my crank because the possibilites it affords boggle the mind.

[webchyck]

That is a super cool trick to know! I just played around with it and am already excited about the possibilities for blending photos better with groovy papers. Thanks, Kim!

[Vania16]

What a fantastic find Kim! I used this yesterday to recolor something and it worked like a charm! Thanks for sharing your discoveries :)

[akissling]

YOUR are BRILLIANT! I just tried this little trick while playing around with my asian rolodex and it is FABULOUS!!! Before this I was painstakingly pouring the bucket over ever little detail!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

[SteinwaysMom]

You're like a scientist in her lab, madly working toward new and fun techniques!

[lisadozknit]

Thanks so much- I feel like a kid everytime I open up PS!!!!! I have not really cleaned since I got it ! I also ignore most things too- . lol Lisa

[lisadozknit]

Okay - this is cool- now how does this differ from say loading up a selection you have isolated the shadows and highlights with curves and then making a new channel and then pasting it in and filling with a new color??????? Is this another way to do it? Seems much easier - or making I am just confused- probably the latter! Lisa

[Nevermore]

Holy flipping doodle. I have no clue how to make a selection with curves to isolate shadows and highlights--never mind making a new channel with it. You go girl! If you care to share how you do that, please please do. There isn't a whole lot of tutorials going on here and I love learning new stuff. Using Select-Colour Range-Highlight is three clicks. Then, of course, you may want to refine what you end up with but it is superfast. Your way sounds much more sophisticated. I am sure the Select Colour route is pretty much just a pixel/edge comparison algorithm which is why you may want to tweak after but it certainly gives you a lightening quick starting point. I have been playing tonight with selected colours and that works in an interesting fashion. Have not had time to compare it to the wand yet. So many tools! So little time! So much laundry!

[Kazadoodle]

Snap Kim! LOL

I discovered that a couple of weeks ago - amazing, isn't it?

[Nevermore]

How very sad that I mentioned laundry when I first posted. My, how the conscience is BLEATING BLEATING BLEATING. The soft horrific groaning from the basement piteously climbing through the forced air vents: wash us, o, wash us, o o o please...

[Nevermore]

Kaza, I was going to write to you tonight to tell you I downloaded the trial version of Illustrator. Did not get very far with it but you example of your doodle is brilliant. Did I mention so little time????????? So many cool tools?????? SO MUCH STINKING LAUNDRY.

[happyrobyn]

Kim - I must confess that I am an Illustrator Idiot! LOL! I have had full-blown Illustrator for oh ... 10 years or so!!! ROFL! A few years back I opened it. I keep upgrading every time and still have not taken the time to master it. Perhaps 2007 is my year to master Illustrator! I hear you can't live without it once you know what your doing. VECTOR WHAT????!!!!

[Kazadoodle]

Who vectors? LOL

I just love the fact that when you use the brush, unlike in Photoshop which shows up every jaggy edge, Illustrator smooths (or irons - LOL) them out!

Hey Kim, you can play in Illustator, tell them you are ironing (it's kinda true - LOL) and thanks for the compliment on the shoe - made a bunch of them and turned them into a kit - who could resist? LOL

[Nevermore]

Not me. Hope you called it the Marcos Add On Pack...

[Kazadoodle]

Not me. Hope you called it the Marcos Add On Pack...

I wish I had thought of that - nah, it's called Shoe Me

[SteinwaysMom]

Who vectors? LOL

I just love the fact that when you use the brush, unlike in Photoshop which shows up every jaggy edge, Illustrator smooths (or irons - LOL) them out!

Hey Kim, you can play in Illustator, tell them you are ironing (it's kinda true - LOL) and thanks for the compliment on the shoe - made a bunch of them and turned them into a kit - who could resist? LOL

So can Illustrator can turn my ugly scrawls into Michele Colemanesque arabesques? If so I'm on it baby!