Topaz ReMask for editing photos

[Scott Shepherd]

I have a hate/hate relationship with Photoshop. I think it's one of the most complicated programs I've ever attempted to use in my years of computing. I consider myself very software literate and computer literate in general. Yet Photoshop smacks me down every time I use it, or try to use it.

I use it when I HAVE to, but I try and stay out of it because if I'm going to have an ice cream headache, I figure it should be caused by ice cream.

I've try to create layers and masks and all that stuff with very little success. I've paid for tutorials, I've watched countless hours of them. I've read countless articles on how to do it, but nothing seems to stick because I use it so little.

In my internet travels, I stumbled upon a company called Topaz labs. They have products that look like they work miracles (check out there InFocus tool!). I was impressed with their examples, but not so eager to start shelling out cash for "another thing that doesn't work".

A couple of months ago, I had a job that needed to be masked. Crap. Hours of messing with that stupid Photoshop thing again, I thought. After hours of messing with it (it was either an animal or a person with a lot of hair), I gave up. I went and downloaded the free trial of ReMask from Topaz labs. I watched the tutorial on their website a couple of times, loaded it up, and took it for a test drive. It worked! It did a really good job. I had a couple other chances to try it, and it did great, so I bought it. Since then, I've used it a dozen times and it's working extremely well. Well enough that I thought I'd recommend it to anyone that's fighting the masking issues with photos.

You fairly simply, take a photo, it turns the entire thing green (I think), then you just click on the brush tool, make it as big or little as you want, paint a big fat line on the area you want it to calculate, and then tell it which side of that line stays and which side is deleted. Click calculate, and it creates a new layer and makes the mask for you. You have some decent controls over it and there are techniques to really get into fine detail if you have a problem photo.

You can literally cut a person's head/body out of a photo in about 10 seconds. It works with Photoshop, and Photoshop Elements, along with some others.

Anyway, enough rambling from me, if you do this type of work, google topaz labs and download the free trial for ReMask (or any other thing that you think will be helpful). I think you might be pleasantly surprised.

Hope this helps someone. It's $70 (it was $50 when I ordered it, and the price went up after that).

It's make me $70 many times over now, even if just in saved time.

Here's a sample of it :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zrDGQdLCTA&feature=player_embedded#at=111

[Ruben Salcedo]

I agree with you, this is one of the best programs for removing backgrounds, have you downloaded the new update? 3.2, is even more accurate now, as a coincidence I just finish removing a background with the new version 2 minutes ago :)

Ruben

[Scott Shepherd]

I just installed the new update, which is what reminded me to post something. I haven't used it with the updates yet. I've only had one photo that gave me a fit so far, and I think it's because it's the most complex type and I haven't mastered their "advanced" editing when something doesn't clean up right. I'm sure in their hands, they'd knock it out in minutes.

[Ruben Salcedo]

It's just a matter of keep practicing, you'll get there, to me it wasn't to difficult since the logic is similar at other programs i have used in the past, but this is the second best I had used and is becoming the best (the more I get used to it).

[Ruben Salcedo]

If anyone is interest on this program there is a sale till the end of June just enter this code "quickmask" for a $20.00 discount

Ruben

[Martin Boekers]

Thanks I just may have to try it. I'm fairly proficient with masking in PS and it does a fairly good job.
Corel used have have a masking version called Knockout that I heard some good things about.

It's one thing to mask hair and fur which PS does fairly well, but veils are entirely different.
Haven't had a chance to see the video but know it's on my list.

Thanks!

[Ruben Salcedo]

Corel used have have a masking version called Knockout that I heard some good things about.

Martin,

actually Knockout it's my number one, I have been using it for years, I've developed a technique, combining the results of Knockout with a mask to refine it touching it up with the mask, Knockout have retouching tools but I have more control with the mask and becomes nondestructive, since I can reveal or conceal any parts of the image, ReMask is real good... yesterday I remove the background of an image with a veil, I admit the background wasn't that complex, but still it was painless and very quick, I did it in less than a minute and the results was very good at first try, I could be very picky and do some touch ups... but for the project I needed for was just perfect.

Ruben

[Dan Ashlin]

Where was this when I had to cut out literally hundreds of photos for a freelance gig? Although, getting paid hourly, I guess I probably wasn't thinking of ways to make my job faster lol.

[Ruben Salcedo]

Where was this when I had to cut out literally hundreds of photos for a freelance gig? Although, getting paid hourly, I guess I probably wasn't thinking of ways to make my job faster lol.

Well... now you know about it.

But this program is not just about speed, but also quality. ;)


Ruben

[Chuck Stone]

Dan.. I'm asking the same question!
I have no problem using masks, been doing it for 20+ years. But hair and translucent
parts of the image have always been a problem. You can mask 99% of an image in
a minute and then spend another two hours doing the bride's hair and veil.
I've bought several 'magic' masking tools before.. I used to buy them like others buy
every newfangled electronic gadget that comes along. (ok, I used to buy those too)
But the first 5 minutes of this video showed me enough that I'll have to buy this.
Could have saved me tons of time all these years..

[Scott Shepherd]

Topaz is also big on training. They seem to actually care if you use their products. This month their deal on training all revolves around ReMask. They are doing a number of webinars, seminars, and whatever else you want to call it. I'm scheduled to do a webinar today, so I'll report back if I learn anything new.

If anyone wants a tough one to play with, shoot me a PM. I have one for a family member I've always wanted to do, but can never get clean.

Here's their training schedule :

http://www.topazlabs.com/webinars/

[Lee DeRaud]

Has anyone tried running ReMask under Corel PhotoPaint X4?

[Ruben Salcedo]

Has anyone tried running ReMask under Corel PhotoPaint X4?

I think not, I have Photosjop CS3 and CS5, also Photo Paint and when I installed it, I only see options to install it in both PS versions but not on PP, in their spec's they show PaintShop Pro, you can see the spec's here (http://www.topazlabs.com/remask/#6)

Ruben

[Scott Shepherd]

I did the webinar thing today from them, it was about 30 minutes of actual real world examples. It was worth the 30 minutes. Got a follow up email thanking me for attending and a 30% off discount code, so if you're thinking of getting it, go to their training link I posted earlier and sign up for a training session. They do track it all, so if you sign up, it knows it's you when you log in, and they know it's you, so they ask that you not give that information out, since the class size is limited.

[Ruben Salcedo]

I did the webinar thing today from them, it was about 30 minutes of actual real world examples. It was worth the 30 minutes. Got a follow up email thanking me for attending and a 30% off discount code, so if you're thinking of getting it, go to their training link I posted earlier and sign up for a training session. They do track it all, so if you sign up, it knows it's you when you log in, and they know it's you, so they ask that you not give that information out, since the class size is limited.

Scott,

I missed the webinar I'll try to catch the next one, I'm not sure why they're so secretive since the discount is almost the same as the one with the code I provide (quickmask) well... actually with the 30% off you save an extra dollar :) $69.99 - 30% = $48.99, with the code you pay $49.99, but hey a dollar is a dollar. :)

Ruben

[Scott Shepherd]

I'm not sure if the discount code was secret or not, it was definitely a webinar related code, so I'm sure they know who was there. I doubt it matters, but they were very thorough in asking not to give webinar links out for the actual webinar, so I probably just transferred that paranoia over to the discount code :)

He did an example very close to the trouble photo I have, so now I think I can probably make it do even my toughest photo without too much trouble. It'll probably take me 10 minutes to get it done, versus the normal 1 minute :)

[Joseph Belangia]

I love me some PhotoShop and have become proficient in getting what I want.....but that's through a hell of a lot of trial-and-error, and sometimes that part has eaten into some profit. I had some chain link issues to deal with today, and checked out the Topaz site for their solutions. I like it. A lot. Purchased.

Good call, Scott. Thanks!

[Lee DeRaud]

I think not, I have Photosjop CS3 and CS5, also Photo Paint and when I installed it, I only see options to install it in both PS versions but not on PP, in their spec's they show PaintShop Pro, you can see the spec's here (http://www.topazlabs.com/remask/#6)It appears to work: just tried it with the 'trial' version. You have to tell CPP where it's located, but then when you restart it shows up at the bottom of the 'Effects' menu. One minor annoyance is that CPP's default layer is 'Background', and it complains if you try to start it on a background layer.

But at any rate, it starts up and displays its UI and the photo...haven't gotten past that point yet. As far as Windows is concerned, it's running as a separate app, and it and CPP are just passing the original and modified version back and forth. (For all I know that's how all PS plugins work, but I never tried using one under CPP before.)

[Andrew Mammoliti]

Lee so it works in corel photo paint? If so can you guide me to set it up?

Thanks

[Ruben Salcedo]

It appears to work: just tried it with the 'trial' version. You have to tell CPP where it's located, but then when you restart it shows up at the bottom of the 'Effects' menu. One minor annoyance is that CPP's default layer is 'Background', and it complains if you try to start it on a background layer.

But at any rate, it starts up and displays its UI and the photo...haven't gotten past that point yet. As far as Windows is concerned, it's running as a separate app, and it and CPP are just passing the original and modified version back and forth. (For all I know that's how all PS plugins work, but I never tried using one under CPP before.)

That's great news, specially for people that only have CPP, thanks for the report.

Ruben

[Lee DeRaud]

Lee so it works in corel photo paint? If so can you guide me to set it up?Go through the ReMask install, then start CPP. Under Tools->Options->Workspace->Plugins, add the ReMask program directory (Program Files/Topaz Labs/ReMask/Plugin, more or less). Then when you restart CPP, there will be an entry under 'Effects' for Topaz Labs. The ReMask User Guide PDF has instructions for installing under PaintShop Pro, which is pretty much the same process.

I played around with it some more this morning...can't verify that it works all that much better than the built-in 'Cutout Lab' in CPP, but the user interface and preview functions are a lot nicer.

[Andrew Mammoliti]

It should function like it does in the videos on YouTube in ccp?

[Lee DeRaud]

It should function like it does in the videos on YouTube in ccp?Yup.

Like I said, it's running as a standalone app outside of CPP: CPP launches it and passes it the original image and gets the (possibly) modified one back when you exit. In fact, I'm not sure it even knows what the "host" app is. (I just downloaded the PS SDK, mostly to see what's going on under the hood.)

Now, what you do with the mask when you get it back may be different, but I'm the wrong person to ask, since I've never used PS.

[Martin Boekers]

Where was this when I had to cut out literally hundreds of photos for a freelance gig? Although, getting paid hourly, I guess I probably wasn't thinking of ways to make my job faster lol.

For those of us that were around before the the digital age.....
The masks were cut to size on Rubylith then positive an negative
Kodalith films we made to expose the images in registration onto
photographic film. I once made a composite with 12 images. It took
me a couple hours of sizing and exposure after I had the lithos made!
Then a retoucher took over for the more complex areas.

Things that took days to do now can be done in less than an hour!

My idol at the time was Jerry Uelsmann. I went to quite a few seminars
that he gave insights on creating his art in the "analog" age. (Enlargers
and light sensitive materials)

Wow... I feel old!

[Andrew Mammoliti]

So do I need ps or ps elements to run this remask thing? Or can I just use ccp?