As I was preparing for Recertification  exam in Photoshop CS5, one of the topics for the exam was Refine Edge/Mask feature in Photoshop. There are many new features in Refine Edge in Photoshop CS5.

So I thought I could give you an insight into the new Refine Edge (not completely new, redesigned and improved) feature in Photoshop CS5.

Refine Edge option improves the quality of the selections. It allows you to see your selection against many different backgrounds to make editing easier. I’m sure you will love it when you start using it! It makes a massive difference to your selections, especially to your portraits if you have people with lots of hair… 😉

To start with, create a selection – you don’t need to be too precise, just create a rough selection. When you’re done, click on Refine Edge button in the Options Bar:

The Refine Edge dialog box will appear with these options (you can also go to Select->Refine Edge in the menu):

Here’s what the options do:

• View Mode – you can choose how the selection displays, you can select between black, white background or a Mask etc…
• Smart Radius – adjusts radius for hard and soft edges found near the border.
• Radius – defines the size of the selection border in which the refinement will occur.
• Smooth – reduces irregular areas to create a smooth outline.
• Feather – blurs the transition between the selection and neighbouring pixels.
• Contrast – brings more contrast on the edges.
• Shift Edge – moves the border inwards or outwards (contracts or expands the selection).
• Decontaminate Colors – replaces colour fringes.

I hope you enjoyed that. Tomorrow I am going to share a video tutorial on Refine Edge Magic with you.