Expert: Glen Demers - 5/5/2011

Question
hi, I have taken a photograph of a chess board and I want to cut it out of the background to put it on a different background. The problem is that when I do this, the edges of the board are very stark and it looks a bit cheap. how can i improve this please?

Answer
Hi Will,

Once the chessboard image is on it's own layer, the easiest thing to try first is to apply some layer effects such as a drop shadow or an outer glow.

If these aren't satisfactory, hold down the command(Mac) or control(PC) key and click on the image in the layers palette. This will create a selection of the chessboard. Turn off you other layers and zoom in on a corner of the chessboard. Go to Select>Refine Edge and add some feathering. You may also try contracting the selection or smoothing it. When you have adjusted the selection click okay and then hit command/control J or go to Layer>New>Layer via Copy, to make a copy of this on a new layer. Turn off the original chessboard layer to view the new edge.

Another way to blend the edge is to make a selection of the chessboard. Go to Select>Modify>Border and turn you selection into a border. Then shift cmnd/ctrl J or Layer>New>Layer via Cut to move the border to a new layer. Adjust the opacity of the new layer as well as trying different blending modes until desired effect is achieved.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop 7
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

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