Removing Backgrounds

[gonecamping75]

I have been folllowing the videos in the tutorials on how to remove the background but my results are not the same as shown in the videos even on a simple photo. When I go to refine the results are worse when I just roughly select it for the first time. Has anyone else had the same problem? I have tried two photographs. One had hair that wasnt easy to select, so then I tried a photo of a women by herself. 

 

What am I doing wrong? 

[walt.farrell]

We will probably need to know which tutorials you are following, and we will probably need to see the original of an image and what you accomplished trying to remove its background.

[AffinityJules]

The refine tool works well for some pictures, but inflicts unwanted disaster upon others. Try not using the refine tool - if you can help it, but use a mask straight after you have made a selection (that is my way of doing things) and do any cleaning up after that. If more precision is required then use the Pen Tool/Selection/Mask. Using channels is a great alternative when making selections, it allows for greater control and usually gives better results.

I have spent hour upon hour trying to make the refine tool behave but I did not succeed, so I gave up on that a long time ago and found better methods.

 

[AlainP]

Background removal can be a blessing once in a while, but most of the time it makes you work very hard, wasting your time to get not so good result. Invest some time to learn the Pen Tool to select and mask your subject. It does not take long to master and you will not go back to anything else.