

Select the pen tool and begin to create the basic shape of the hair. Next create a new blank layer above the head layer. It would be a lot more difficult to work within tighter constraints. Next, the image is a little too narrow, so go to “Image” > “Canvas Size,” and change the width to 1400, to that there is plenty of room to construct the hair. Once your are finished, you can leave the layer as-is, or you can right-click the mask icon and choose Apply Mask. If there are any areas of your image that aren’t to your liking, alt/option-click on the layer mask and use black to mask out parts of an image and use white to paint areas back in.

Choose to export to a new layer with a layer mask and click OK. Give the selection a 1.5px feather, and click the Decontaminate button. Bump the smooth value all the way up, since the mask reveals that the selection is bumpy and unnatural.

Once you are happy with the selection, adjust it by clicking the Refine Edge button in the Options Menu at the top.

To remove a portion of the image from your selection, hold alt/option and click to remove it. To add to the selection, simply single-click the area that you want to include in the selection. Use the quick selection tool and click and drag over the mannequin head, being sure not to let any of the background into the selection. We are going to create a short hairstyle from scratch using a few simple techniques.įirst, we need to extract her from the background. Although the process can be daunting, if you follow these steps, you will be able to create realistic hair in Photoshop quickly and easily. Hair that you create for one scenario may not apply to the next subject. One thing about creating realistic hair is that each case is different. There is no “hair” brush or instant hair button. Creating realistic hair in Photoshop is no easy task.
