Problem with refine edge brush when in refine edge tool

[dragantomas]

Hi All,

I hope someone can shed more light on the next problem I am having:

When I make selection by using the Color Range (on the image area), and then go directly to Refine Edge tool, its refine edge brush is not working. However the quick selection tool and the brush tool are working fine (within the refine edge tool)

Now If I make the the  selection (of the same image area) with any other tool like the pen tool, lasso or quick selection tool and then go to refine edge tool, its refine edge brush is working  fine.

I mean what is going on here. Why is the refine edge brush not (or it seems not to be) working (in refine edge tool) when I make selection with the Color range?

[melissapiccone]

I never have much luck with color range. Select and Mask seems to work better if you go into it without a current selection. what version of Photoshop are you Using? Can you post a screenshot of the trouble you are having?

I'm guessing it's because color range makes very fine masks, so the refine edge tool doesn't have anything to work with. Like you said, other selections, which have a nice hard / delineated Edge, the pen, quick selection and brush, work just fine. A color range selection is sort of already refined and fuzzy.

[dragantomas]

[dragantomas]

'A color range selection is sort of already refined and fuzzy.

That could be the case yes.

I have tried the same on some other image and the refine edge brush is working fine. But it just hasnt worked on this image at all.

[melissapiccone]

Some images are really tricky. This hairline looks very difficult to select. There is good contrast, have you tried using channels to make a selection? Post a pic without the red so I can give it a shot.

[dragantomas]

Havent used channels no. Here is the pic, see what you can do.

[melissapiccone · Accepted solution]

To make a channel selection - inspect the channels. I duplicated the red channel - it had the most contrast. I then applied levels to the duplicate channel - compress the levels like this:

turn your channel into a selection. I created a layer mask.