How to make background white?

[Birdy]

HI !

Does anyone know how I can make the background of this image all white using Affinity (Windows) or can it only be done in photoshop?

Thanks!

Edited November 20, 2020 by Birdy

[firstdefence]

Welcome to the forum @Birdy You can apply a selective colour adjustment filter, If you merge the first one and then apply a second selective colour filter it will get whiter.

This is after merging the first filter and applying the same filter again.

[h_d]

Alternatively you could use the Selection Brush (or Flood Selection Tool) to select everything except the gemstone, then a Levels adjustment to lighten the background to white while leaving the shadow with a slight grey tone:

 

[firstdefence]

...and that keeps the shadow.

[Birdy]

Hi

thanks for your replies, I will play around with these two methods. However on first tests it does appear to change the colour of the stone as well (very very slightly but I can notice it) - which is something I have to avoid.

49 minutes ago, firstdefence said:

Welcome to the forum @Birdy You can apply a selective colour adjustment filter, If you merge the first one and then apply a second selective colour filter it will get whiter.

This is after merging the first filter and applying the same filter again.

 

[prophet]

Oh this is my wheelhouse. Been doing this sort of thing for years.

• Top layer - image with everything except subject masked out. ("gem" in my example)
• 2nd layer - black fill with image itself used as the mask, ("shadow") then Levels adjustment (use Alpha instead of Master) to get "true" black and white.
*** Affinity makes this just a hair more troublesome than PS due to the lack of eyedroppers in the Levels adjustment for quick setting black and white levels.
• Optional bottom layer - fill of whatever color you want. I always prefer to leave a transparent background instead of straight white so I have flexibility later.

Save as afphoto or export as PNG and you have a nice masked image with original shadow that can be placed on any background.

 

[Birdy]

29 minutes ago, prophet said:

Hey prophet thanks for that, how do you create the mask?

 

[note: this forum doesnt work right on my browser (firefox) there is no way to reply to someone]















Oh this is my wheelhouse. Been doing this sort of thing for years.

• Top layer - image with everything except subject masked out. ("gem" in my example)
• 2nd layer - black fill with image itself used as the mask, ("shadow") then Levels adjustment (use Alpha instead of Master) to get "true" black and white.
*** Affinity makjkjkes this just a hair more troublesome than PS due to the lack of eyedroppers in the Levels adjustment for quick setting black and white levels.
• Optional bottom layer - fill of whatever color you want. I always prefer to leave a transparent background instead of straight white so I have flexibility later.

Save as afphoto or export as PNG and you have a nice masked image with original shadow that can be placed on any background.

 

 

[prophet]

The gem mask is made using the regular technique of selecting the subject and choosing Layer > New Mask Layer or clicking the Mask Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. One might need to Layer > Refine Mask as needed. The video shows the next steps. I forgot to mention the Invert of the shadow mask in my first post, but you can see it happen here. Hope this helps.

[Birdy]

Great i will try it

[Pšenda]

7 hours ago, Birdy said:

or can it only be done in photoshop?

And how would you do that in Photoshop? Do the same in APhoto.

[prophet]

38 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

And how would you do that in Photoshop? Do the same in APhoto.

Why butt in at the end of this perfectly pleasant and educational exchange with such a seemingly snarky comment?

[Pšenda]

8 hours ago, prophet said:

Why butt in at the end of this perfectly pleasant and educational exchange with such a seemingly snarky comment?

Why should a comment be seemingly snarky?

According to the OP query ".. or can it only be done in photoshop?", it can be concluded, that it knows how to perform the required background lightening operation in Photoshop. Then it would be appropriate for him to transfer this procedure (if it is not possible to apply 1:1) to the Affinity application, because he can easily handle other possible operations and problems.

[prophet]

Perhaps I misread the tone, for which I apologize, but instead of offering some helpful insights or opinions as myself and others have done, your comment amounts to "figure it out yourself."

You assume the OP "knows how to perform the required background lightening operation in Photoshop" whereas the rest of us assumed that since the OP took the time to ask the question and engage in the conversation, they would like to be helped help rather than be dismissed. Perhaps we view the point of this forum differently. No need for further discussion about it.

[Birdy]

Yeh actually I don't know how to do it in photoshop also but the big difference is there  so many videos  on Youtube on how to make the background white using Photoshop but none on how to do this using Affinity, however i have acutually found one video on youtube also.

[micmi]

Dear @prophet -- just want to say: giant thank you for this workflow! even with a video. -- I have searched for something like this for a very long time. -- Thank you for your generosity! 

[prophet]

@micmi Thanks for the kind words.

Here's another take on the workflow that utilizes the layer Blend Mode. It might serve you as well.