Understanding RGB Channels to Extract Complex Shapes
Neil August 2nd, 2008
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Tutorials - Extract Complex Shapes | You the Designer
Go to your Channels Palette and figure out which of these channels has the highest contrast between the object you want to extract and the background. Usually it’s the blue channel. Make a copy of that layer and make sure the layer is not hidden.
Take a look at this simple extraction tutorial to get a beginning understanding on how to abstract the color channels and begin to use them creatively in photoshop.
Of course, I read this the night after I do a composite image of a dry tool climber on IKEA boxes, which required cutting out various things like crampons from image to import into another. Naturally, as I’m new to these things I used the quick select pen tool thing to do it, thanks for the tutorial link, I’ll be applying the technique for future composites.