refining background edge for color change

[robirdman1]

I used a simple background of one color. I want to adjust the color.  I used object selection to choose the subjects, which did a very good job and then I inverse, but when I adjust the color there is a thin lighter color adjacent to them. How do I avoid that outline?

[Derek Cross]

Create a Color Adjustment Layer and drag it below the image. You can then use the Color Picker panel to try various colours non-destructively.

[robirdman1]

Using an adjustment layer would make a difference with this?

[Derek Cross]

Try Select > Subject and then apply a Layer Mask to produce a better cut-out (there are methods of refining the cut-out further).

[robirdman1]

6 1/2 hours since I first started trying to do this simple thing.  I've watched 4 or 5 videos that went way beyond what I wanted to do, started in different places with 2 layers, or something so that I had to go to another video to try to get to that point.  Not as involved as refining hair, changing the luminoisty of a replaced sky.  I went to the most basic lesson of creating a mask and I don't need to add a kitten from another image.  In all I get to the point of modifying the mask and I'm not in the same place, and can't proceed.  I made an adjustment layer, color balance, when I wiped out the previous attempts and started over.  I created a selection around the objects and inversed and created a color layer and changed that using color from another image that was closer to what I wanted. The masking tutorial went on about why white instead of black, but when I tried to follow this also I didn't see the results and now see that my original layer is gone.  It's not listed as deleted in the history so I just don't know shy I can't do something that is so much simpler than all these videos going into so much more.  I have a wider outline than before and still haven't gotten to the stage of reducing it by refining the mask. I don't get the painting with black, I start and the lighter outline widens.  What am I doing wrong?

[robirdman1]

I am wondering why my pictures don't show in the post, as it looks like I have a layer with a mask, but my background layer disappeared.  I thought from that picture, someone might know what is wrong.

[robirdman1]

This is so incredibly tedious.  I found a video of adapting a squirrel with fur sticking out to a different background and followed along with mine.  Initial selection of object was good.  don't need nearly the detail of hirs, as I just want to rid the outline.  I create the mask and refine it as following him, and then have a color background on another layer and reverse, following where he puts that below, and then dreating a duplicate layer and using blending mode lighten on one and darken on the other.  He is removing darker fringe while I am doing the opposite, so choose the lighter one.  It seems he quickly goes around the squirrel and it looks better (though I can see he didn't get all the longer hairs sticking out.  I on the other hand have to go all around the image a 2nd time more carefully after putting in the background with a different shade of green as the outline is much worse, and it has to be very precise or it dips into the subject.  And then after maybe an hour of that and I want to make the background less solid, I find I can't lighten or darken parts of it, I get the circle with a slash, and nor can I paint lighter or darker shades or green. Is it because solid color layer is unalterable and I have to do something all over again?