Lion, Photoshopped!

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   I've been trying to find how to lift a "Furry / Hairy) image from it's background for some time.
All the online tutorials have shown "How to" if the background is a plain colour which is little help when you are trying to lift fur from a busy background.
After seeing a similar image to this I decided to knuckle down for a few hours & here is the result!

Opinions & critique are more than welcome.

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Nappa Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 September 2012 Country: United Kingdom Location: Aldington, Kent Status: Offline Posts: 271	Post Options Post Reply Quote Nappa Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Lion, Photoshopped! Posted: 03 April 2015 at 13:27
	I've been trying to find how to lift a "Furry / Hairy) image from it's background for some time. All the online tutorials have shown "How to" if the background is a plain colour which is little help when you are trying to lift fur from a busy background. After seeing a similar image to this I decided to knuckle down for a few hours & here is the result! Opinions & critique are more than welcome.
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wross Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Emeritus group Joined: 18 January 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Posts: 6337	Post Options Post Reply Quote wross Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 04 April 2015 at 04:09
	I see the results of a number of different techniques. Before commenting further, tell me please, beyond the technical exercise you mention, what were you trying to achieve with the finished image?
	Lazarus Long said "If it can't be expressed in figures, it's not science. It's opinion." Comments I leave are only my opinions. Feel free to disagree; your opinion is as valid as mine.

Nappa Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 September 2012 Country: United Kingdom Location: Aldington, Kent Status: Offline Posts: 271	Post Options Post Reply Quote Nappa Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 04 April 2015 at 07:33
	That is a very good question! I have hundreds of Lion photographs, I need no more, yet every time I encounter Lions I cannot resist taking more pictures! I was looking for a different way of presenting the picture, purely for my own enjoyment. I''ve been trying to master the technique of lifting an image with a undefined edge from a busy background for a while now, I think initially the idea was to blur the background but with this image I have combined the two desires, I've lifted the Lion almost intact with it's fur & presented the animal in a different way.
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ifreedman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Alpha Eyes group Joined: 24 January 2012 Country: United States Location: Hudson ValleyNY Status: Offline Posts: 4775	Post Options Post Reply Quote ifreedman Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 04 April 2015 at 15:48
	It's an interesting shot, to be sure, and a nice side portrait. I really like the fact that you're going for a more unusual presentation. I also like the intimacy of a close-up image like this one -- I feel so close to the lion. There are a few different PP techniques going on in here that I find a bit distracting because I don't think they all go well together. 1. The B&W processing looks good IMO, although I might pull the overall exposure level down just a tiny bit, say 1/3 stop (although that could be my monitor). 2. The single color eye draws my attention, and continues to draw my attention, which feels like it pulls me away from examining other parts of the image. I find this distracting. (However -- full disclosure -- I have a personal bias against selective color photos, so it's possible that my reaction is a bit stronger than others would have). 3. The shadows have a very strange look to them with the levels of black/gray. It gives a sort of animated look to the image that doesn't meld with the other processing IMO. Talking purely about composition I think the composition here is OK, but I feel like it's missing something: Maybe some more dark space? Maybe some more of the lion's body? Maybe some of both? I think the placement of the eye in the middle of the image doesn't quite work for me, though. You could try cropping a bit (maybe off the top). Was this cropped from a larger image? If so, I suggest that you post the larger pic. I hope this helps.
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Nappa Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 September 2012 Country: United Kingdom Location: Aldington, Kent Status: Offline Posts: 271	Post Options Post Reply Quote Nappa Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 04 April 2015 at 18:40
	Here is the original picture. I now realise why I have the neck & lower jaw so good! It was already outlined by the shadow from the light! Not the best of shots but originally i was only trying to master the technique of lifting the image with the hair line the final picture then developed from there. I'm now looking through my files for a better image to try this with.
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