Fuzzy gray line after making a selection: how to get rid of it?

Report · Feb 26, 2018

I was working on an image of jewelry against a graduated gray background. I made a selection of the jewelry piece and inverted it so I could lighten on the background right where it met the top edge of the piece. I did not make a layer. I felt I didn’t need one. I only needed to work on the top edge, so I made a sloppy selection line at the bottom of the jewelry. I finished the part where the edges met, and was fixing up some streaks in the background, when somehow I got a gray outline following the line of where the selection is / was. (this is after hitting ESC to undo the selection) I can’t make it go away. I hit Undo over and over. It’s still there. I closed the file, and told it NOT to save, so I could go back to the previous save an hour or so before. I reopened, and it’s still there. I hit Undo over and over AGAIN with no effect. Any idea what this could be??? Why would I have a gray line where the selection was? And how can I get rid of it? I am afraid this will happen again, if I don’t know why it did. Thanks for your help.

Report · Feb 27, 2018

Please post a screenshot showing the problem: click the Insert Image icon just above the message box.

Can you reproduce the problem on another picture?

I suggest that in all cases you first duplicate the Background layer (the default layer name) and do all your edits on the duplicate layer. Save the file as a PSD so that both layers (or any additional layers you created) are preserved. That way you have the original if you have to start over again.

Report · Feb 27, 2018

Thanks, I could not find where to put the image. Gray line is all along the top perimeter, where it is harder to see. But very prominent where I just drew it with the selection brush right across the bottom of the jewelry,and across the stone. I hope you can see it. I had to turn it into a jpg to get it to upload.

I do have the original. The working copy was saved with a different name. But if I have to start all over I'll lose 4 hours of work.

I could clone it out all around but I know I'll lose the texture. Or use the dodge tool. I tried that and I can to keep changing the %.

The people receiving this (art fair jury) WILL be zooming in to examine details.

Report · Feb 27, 2018

Try this:

Open the picture file
Select the jewelry with the magnetic lasso tool or with the lasso tool
Place the selection on its own layer (CTRL+J)
Open a blank layer below the layer created in step # 3
On this layer draw a black to white linear gradient from west to east while holding down the shift key

Report · Feb 27, 2018

Thanks, but I like the way my photographer shoots the background, it is more of a halo effect. Not an even gradient from one side to the other or top to bottom. It makes the piece looks grounded in space. This is the way all the art fair jury photographers shoot artwork, it's the industry standard.

I want to know how to get rid of that fuzzy grey LINE without having to start my corrections all over again. If you zoom in, you can see the line snaking across the stone. It goes THROUGH the silver, and all the way around the piece.

And even more so, how to prevent it happening again the next time I have to make a selection. Without having to re-name every intermediate step to avoid losing all the work by this thing happening after hours of work.

Report · Feb 28, 2018

Please post the original and let us know what you are trying to do.