Refine Edge Problem

After doing some google searches, I've decided to bring the question a new.
I am using Adobe CS5 on Windows Vista (32-bit).
My refine edge tool has stopped working properly. Rather than refining my edge selection, it sort of blends my selection into transparency, making the final product look extremely sloppy (the point to be made here is that the tool does not funciton as it does on tutorials and examples).
I have already tried:
1.) Setting up a new user account on my computer
2.) Resetting tool presets
3.) installing updates
The problem remains. Any wisdom on this issue?

Charles,
Let me first take the time to thank you. I very much appreciate your efforts to help me. At the very least, you're helping me to refine my issue.
I have another set of pics to show the problem better in light of your comments.
Starting picture (the stark black background seems like I should be able to get a decent selection):
First, a picture of the general selection made using quick select in refine edge (note no settings are applied at the moment):
Second, the same selection with radius set to 30.0 (smart radius applied):
Note already there are colors taken away from the original selection and an odd transparency going on with the edges (I know the "decontaminate color" is checked here, but that made no difference to the photo.
Here is the same screen zoomed in to show the problem more clearly:
The problem continues (and intensifies) when I attempt to apply the refine radius tool. Here is a close of the original with the radius at 30.0:
Here is after I applied the refine radius tool:
Not only does it not help, it makes the thing look worse.
Finally, here is the selection when I adjust shift edge and contrast:
I just seems to me like something is wrong with the program/tool. I'm going to connect with Adobe tomorrow and try to work through this issue. I hate not being able to get the results that I know are supposed to be acheivable with the program.

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Refine Edge Problem - Tool Won't Work

Hi there,
I have a problem with the Refine Edge tool in Photoshop CS3.
I make my selection, press "Refine Edge", make the changes I require and the preview shows everything is fine.
I click "OK", the Refine Edge box disappears and my changes do as well! The only difference is that my original selection area has decreased (I'm no pro, but it looks as though the edges have been feathered.)
I have no other layers except for the duplicated background.
I have tried older Photoshop files and this tool does not work for them either - even though I have used Refine Edge at work successfully before, but this was on another computer.
Perhaps I have accidentally adjusted a setting?
Please help, this is driving me crazy!
Thanks!

Are you viewing at 100%? If not the change may not show. Otherwise reset the Refine Edge dialog to default and try again.
If this doesn't fix it try resetting your preferences as described in the FAQ.
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.ef4a07f/1
You either have to physically delete (or rename) the preference files or, if using the Alt, Ctrl, and Shift method, be sure that you get a confirmation dialog.
This resets all settings in Photoshop to factory defaults.
A complete uninstall/re-install will not affect the preferences and a corrupt file there may be causing the problem.

Quick Selection Refine Edge Problem

Using CC 2014.2.2, and the Quick Selection tool, when I go to Refine Edge the Refine Radius Tool/Erase Refinements Tool
is grayed out. When this is clicked, and the cursor moved to the selection, what shows is a slashed circle. (The universal
sign for "No").
I've tried various views, settings, and layer arrangements, and changed the bit from 16 to 32 to 8, and nothing seems to allow
those tools to be used. I've also reset the Quick Selection tool.
Screenshot of image, but the slashed circle will not stay in place for a screenshot:
Dropbox - 2015-03-12SS.jpg

You have View set to Marching Ants. I think every other option will allow the use of the brush.
A couple of tips:
Any amount of Smoothing will prevent Refine Edge of selecting individual strands of hair. Negative values of Shift edge will have the same effect. If you think about it — if a hair is two pixels wide, and you set Shift edge to -4 the hair has gone.
Try setting View to Black, uncheck Show Original, switching in and out of Show radius. This will show if your radius extends far enough, but equally important, shows if you have painted 'into' the image. This can cause the annoying softening of edges.
Don't use Decontaminate colours until you have the other settings working well. I don't think I have ever needed to use such a high setting for it.
One problem with having Remember settings checked, is that it can overwrite useful defaults. For instance, checking Decontaminate colors switches the output to New layer with layer mask, and that is really useful as it allows you to clean up the selection manually.
Refine Edge was a real game changer, and dramatically speeded up the selection process. Unfortunately, I don't think it was anything like as intuitive as Adobe would have us believe, and nor have any of the tutorials I've seen really and truly got a grip on it. The Martin Evening tutorial maybe comes close.

CS4 refine edge problem

So I pick my layer, using the wand, everything is all good, the refine edge works It shows the preview and all, and then when I click "OK" It does not apply the changes I checked around the forum this seems to be a problem alot of people had in CS3 but I'm in CS4.

FunkyImageguy wrote:
I'm just trying to refine the edges of my layer that I'm using, It looks perfect in the preview but when I click "ok" it does'nt apply the changes.
Not all changes you make in the selection are visible in the marching ants outline.
It's no good saying "I'm just trying to refine the edges" – that's obvious.
How was the selection made and what numbers did you have in the boxes?

PS Touch for Android phone refine edge problems

Hi All
Please help. Just bought PS Touch app for an android phone and I cant get the refine edge tool to work. I draw around the object I wany to keep then draw around the around the inner edge and press remove then go to refine edhe tool but it doesnt seem to work. The only reason I bought the app is because I want to select images and remove the background so thta I can 'paste' them onto another photo etc...Please help as Im getting frustrated. Is it a bug?
Adam

Hi,
I draw around the object I wany to keep then draw around the around the inner edge and press remove then go to refine edhe tool but it doesnt seem to work.
Are you trying to say that you use Scribble Select for the selection?
When you press Remove - have you painted the part that you do not want to be included?
If not you do not have a selection and will not be able to use Refine Edge.
Please look at
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/adobe-evangelists-russell-brown/scribble-tool/ in order to see how to use the tool
thanks,
Ignacio
Message was edited by: ibarrien

Problems with refine edge in CS5-no longer working properly?!

Hi all, just wondered if anyone has experienced this bizarre problem and if so how they went about fixing it or changin the settings! (i may have done something to photoshop for it not to work properly!!!)
Basically, i have got CS5 and was very excited to find the refine edge tool.... made cutting out people real easy and loved it.... however, for some reason the refine edge is not working anymore. Everytime i try to refine the edge using the refine edge tool it isnt selecting any fine details of the cut. It seems to be erasing the image with a low opacity making the selection very blurred?!
Hopefully you can see from the very quickly put together example that the refine edge tool is taking pixels out if her nose, chin, jumper neck and jumper! Any one know how to prevent this from happening?
Thanks! Matt

I am having the same problem with the refine edge tool. It seems to work the exact opposite of what I was expecting.
The above two images are before and after using the tool to refine the edge. As you can see from the picture without the mask view, the selection actually got smaller after I tried to add to it. When I use the other tool to erase an edge, as soon as I release the mouse button, the portion I tried to remove reappears as it was before. This has never worked properly for me. Also, I have tried outputting in several different ways.
As for the questions posed: The app and OS are up to date. I am the only user on my computer, so I'm not sure what using another user would accomplish. I will mention that I'm using Windows 7, not Mac. I'm really hoping there is a setting I have wrong somewhere.

Refine Edge tool problem

I'm following a tutorial from the CS6 Photoshop essential skills CD using the supplied images. When I am using the refine edge tool and going over the areas around the hair of my subject, my selections appear as they do in the tutorial but as soon as I let go of my mouse the selection disappears and no hair strands appear. If I zoom right in, I can sometimes see some of the strands but its as if the opacity on the selection has been decreased and the image is faded. Then, if I zoom in and out my selections appear then disappear. It definitely seems as if its a bug or something not right.

Are you viewing at 100%? If not the change may not show. Otherwise reset the Refine Edge dialog to default and try again.
If this doesn't fix it try resetting your preferences as described in the FAQ.
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.ef4a07f/1
You either have to physically delete (or rename) the preference files or, if using the Alt, Ctrl, and Shift method, be sure that you get a confirmation dialog.
This resets all settings in Photoshop to factory defaults.
A complete uninstall/re-install will not affect the preferences and a corrupt file there may be causing the problem.

Photoshop CS5 Refine Mask Edge Problem

Whenever I try to use the Refine Edge tool for a mask, it will not add what I have selected to the mask, rather it will take it away. This always happens when I use the tool, no matter what view I am in. Any suggestions?

I take it you are starting with a layer with a layer mask, and using Mask Edge in the Mask panel? Have you got a copy of the same layer underneath it?
The shift edge slider is fairly subtle. Try draging it to 100% one way then the other. Do this with a layer filled with a contrasting colour immediately below it in the layer stack. You'll see a difference, but it is not much. If you use big values with the feather slider, now that WILL be obvious!

Could not complete the Refine Edge command because of a program error.

This is kind of me being a smart ***… but, I’ve found an Error with the new refine edge. And I’ve solved the problem:
If you check “remember settings” and refine a selection with output set to “New Layer with Layer Mask” and then try and refine another selection when you have an adjustment layer selected, the “New Layer with Layer Mask” is greyed out, but unless you change the output setting to something not greyed out, you get the error "Could not complete the Refine Edge command because of a program error.”.
I’m sure there’s a better place I could have posted this and all that, but there you have it.
Oh, and the solution is to just change the “Output to” to something not greyed out.

Without system information and details on what exactly you are trying to do like what channel/ mask/ slection you are trying to refine in what specific image nobody can really say anything. Such errors are always specific. It would be best if you provided a screenshot of the selection in the image.
Mylenium

My Refine Edge in Photoshop CS6 has STOPPED WORKING, please help!

Photoshop CS6
Windows 8.1
I have been using refine edge with no problem for months.
everything worked great!
I was able to extract out hair and edges very, very, very well...
but about 2 weeks ago...something changed... the refine edge brush no longer works.
When I click on Refine Edge... instead of a brush icon, I get the CIRCLE with a SLASH and my system keeps dinging because the tool is just not available.
I deleted my preferences...but it is still a problem
NOW... when I adjust the sliders, i don't see a preview of the adjustments...
Please help!!!!

no difference.
i have tried to check and uncheck everything...
if i adjust the sliders, i get NO Preview... but when i click OK, the resulting photo has been completely ruined by the tool...
I tried deleting preferences...no change
the weird thing is that this problem was very sudden. Just a few weeks ago, I was using refine edge with NO PROBLEM. it is my GO TO tool for extracting people out of pictures...
but then one day, it just stopped working...
Do i need to reinstall CS6???

Photoshop Refine Edge Tool questions

I made a Quick Selection of a person and am using the Refine Edge tool with the goal of extracting the person from the image so I can place her somewhere else.
I set the Smart Radius box, and Radius to about 2, smoothness to about 9, and then I take the Refine Radius tool. I start brushing around the edges of the hair to add missing strands to the selection.
1.) When brushing around the head, should the + that is in the middle of the brush be brushing on the very edge of the hair? Should it be touching both the edge of the hair and the background? How does it work best?
2.) Do you only want to use the Refine Radius tool over areas of hair? What else does it work well with?
Thanks.

Quick Select and Refine Edge are one the biggest game changers in recent Photoshop history IMHO. They make it so quick and easy to make complex selections, anyone can start making amazing composites, but Refine Edge just isn't as intuitive a tool to use as some of the tutorials make it out to be. Not even close, and I am not surprised that people have problems with it. Next time you Google up a tutorial ob Refine Edge, take into account the clean white background they are starting with, and then go find a tutorial that uses a busy background.
Hair is fine. You can't do fine with lots of smoothing and feathering. Smoothing is going to tame jagged edges, and feathering is going to make the edges soft. Hair won't survive that. If you have a busy background, then there's a good chance you are not going to get a good selection. That's why the Martin Evening tutorial I recommended is so good, because it is a lot truer to real life than most, and it lets you fine tune the selection to wherever you are going to composite it onto.

Refine Edge - Feather gives stepped and ragged result

Not sure if this has been answered, I can't find anything similar here.
CS2 used to have Select -> Feather and it worked great!
Now, in CS3 we have Select -> Refine Edge and it goes wrong almost as soon as I start moving the Feather slider. When I hit 250 (max) the resulting "Feather" has several extremely uneven and very visible steps in the blend. I usually have to go back and blur the result several times until the steps go away.
Anyone else have this problem? Is there a better way to smooth selections before deleting, filling, coloring, blending, etc
Thanks,
Pete

Most images are 8 bit. Scanner is 24 bit. The banding I mention happens with both.
Generally, I select a small area. For instance, my scanner leaves a slightly darker 1/4" strip at the left edge. A slight light fall off in that 1/4" strip down the left side.
I used to make a very narrow selection from top to bottom, at the farthest left I could go. Maybe 1/16" wide, and then feather it greatly. Then I can adjust it lighter and it used to work perfectly. Now with feather edge, I get huge banding.
Also, when feathering a layer, such as a black vignette around the edge of a photo, pushing the feather edge too high up causes extremely noticeable banding.
Why does the feather edge slider go up to 250 if banding is noticeable at 30 or 50?
I need this feature to blend layers and transitions for web design all the time and it always causes huge problems with banding.
Select -> Modify -> feather radius is very difficult to preview results. The Refine Edge preview is great, but the banding is not so great! It happens every time I use it.
To my way of thinking, selection edge feathering is selection edge feathering, no?
Thanks

Refine Edge

Hi all,
I'm trying the Refine Edge command to extract objects from images, Here's what I'm using:
As you can see I've made the selection without any major problems, using the quick selection tool.
The problem starts when I'm using the Refine Edge command, I can't get an acceptable result. Can you guys help me?
Here's the original image;
Thanks
Luís

You've posted the image at far too small a size to do effective high quality hair masking. You should be working with a MUCH larger image.
That said, the image does lend itself to Refine Edge if you use the tools adeptly...
Try Russell Brown's "Less is More" strategy and don't select so much of the hair to begin with... This video is WELL worth watching:
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/the-russell-brown-show/masking-basics-in-photoshop-cs5/
-Noel

Refine edge contamination I think!!!

It is hard to explain but here goes....if I display an image and i take quick selection tool and make a circle or some formation and if I paint on either side of the selection I get a very distict line of where I have paint and it is seperated perfectly where the selection is. In other words where I painted it is pure and only the color I painted. and this the way it should be and the brush is 100% opacity. OK this is the easy part............if I take the same selection and do a refine edge on it and make a adjustment in refine edge...ie...move the radius slider or any other control that moves the selection and we will say the selection get larger or smaller does not make any difference and I say OK and then I get back my image and I go to paint it there is always some discoloration within the painted surface it is not even the color is discolored or contaminated...even when I give the command remove contaminated colors it is still there and even on a layer you can see the little square in varying shades of grey...it makes no differece if say get rid of the contaminated colors....I still get that discoloration...I hope this explanation is clear and someone else has had this problem and there is a fix for it
Capt M
I have spent many hours trying find a solution

Capt, have you seen this video by Russell Brown? His "less is more" philosophy can help with Refine Edges.
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/the-russell-brown-show/masking-basics-in-photoshop-cs5/
Perhaps you're expecting "Refine Edge" to do different things than it does. Used adeptly, it can work quite well. It works best on high quality imagery and at high resolution. And you may well have to do some masking work afterward, but it gets you close in a hurry.
-Noel

PS CC 2014 how to get better results from refine edge

In the attached image below you will see "Jesus on the cross" which I want to substitute a new background. On the left is a portion of the unselected image and on the right is the best result I can get via refine edge tool. I have tried all the usual methods such as channels, increasing contrats etc but this is the best I can get. The top thorns had the same problem but what you see now is an hour of manual selection. How do I get a better result - why is it that when the rfine edge brush is swept over such it often only produces transparent results?

I am keep working on this problem today.
I tried Particle Analysis, the result is un-repeatable either. But when I decide to find Straight edge direct from source image,without any process,the angle is more repeatable,Max deviation is 0.03-0.06 degree.It seems my process to the image make thing worse.Then I found the algorithm to find straight is something like linear fit : find all the edge points,linear fit and calculate the angle.
So I run my program for images those pixel resolution is 1280*960,the Max deviation is much lower: 0.008 degree.
If I am right,the best resolution to my problem is to change my camera to higher resolution.
Any advises is appreciate! Thank you!

Refine Edge Problem

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