Removing stains from dog's face

[AnneHW]

I'm trying to figure out how to remove as much of the red stains around his mouth as possible. A friend who uses Photoshop told me she uses a layer mask and then desaturates. I was watching a Photoshop video on YouTube, and another woman replaces some of the colors. I realize I'm not going to get everything and have it remain realistic, but I'd like to make it less obvious. His beard really isn't white, but more of a cream color.

[v_kyr]

Well there are several possible ways to do that, similar to "many ways lead to rome". - A very easy way to do this is, to make a lasso selection(s) of the areas of interest here and then to perform/apply a "Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective color correction" on the selection(s) red tones.

[casterle]

1) Duplicate Layer, hide original

2) Apply B&W Adjustment - adjust for light tinted area

3) Merge Visible to create B&W pixel layer

4) Delete B&W Adjustment

At this point you have:

B&W Pixel Layer
Duplicated Layer
Original (invisible)

5) Drag B&W Layer below Duplicated layer

6) Select Duplicated Layer and add a mask

7) Select black brush and paint away the stain

I didn't take much time with this - the results can be much better.

 

[AnneHW]

1 minute ago, casterle said:

 

 

I didn't take much time with this - the results can be much better.

 

Thank you. I can see I'm going to have to practice. At one time I was pretty good with Photoshop, but haven't tried anything like this. I'm still learning to use AD, have done some tutorials, but nothing like having an actual project to learn (and make yourself crazy)!

[AnneHW]

Thank you so much!!! It wasn't that hard, and he looks so much better! It took me a couple of tries to get the right mask, and I ended up using an adjustment layer to create the pixel layer (which is what I think you meant). Yay!!!

[casterle]

34 minutes ago, AnneHW said:

I ended up using an adjustment layer to create the pixel layer (which is what I think you meant)

Yes. I called it a B&W Filter but meant B&W Adjustment. I'm glad it worked for you.

[AnneHW]

I hope someone will see this because I’m not sure if I should start it as a new topic.

I’ve continued using “desaturate” to get rid of the rust stains on my dog’s beard. However, in some photos, they are so dark that when I do that, I end up with a dark gray. I want to brighten/whiten without losing the detail. Does anyone know how I can do that?

[smadell]

OK, here's my attempt.

I used an HSL adjustment layer. I clicked on the red stained portion of the dog's beard, lowered the saturation and increased the lightness. I inverted the adjustment (so that it no longer affected any of the image) and painted the adjustment back in only over the areas desired. I used a soft round brush and 5% Flow (to apply only as much of the adjustment as needed in any particular area). This is where using a Wacom tablet helps me a great deal, as it is really easy to do "shading" with something that approximates holding a pencil.

The top part of the image (below) is the final result, along with the HSL adjustment settings. The bottom portion is the adjustment layer's mask (by option-clicking the adjustment in the Layers panel).

[AnneHW]

Thanks! That's pretty good. It's definitely the best one yet! For the life of me I cannot keep his beard white, and that red staining looks awful in photos. 

[Ron P.]

@AnneHW,

Off topic, I noticed the picture of your dog. Oddly, I have one just like that. I have a question regarding the breed. When I got him, the papers the previous owner had stated he was a Bichon Havanese. My vet told me the previous owner probably just had him groomed that way. The vet thinks he's a long-haired dachsund. Problem with that, the face does not look like a dachsund. I have another mixed-breed, min-pin / mini dachsund that does have the dachsund face.

Just curious since you have a pup that looks nearly identical to mine, what breed is he?

Thanks.

[AnneHW]

Hi Ron! Thanks for sharing. Henri is half King Charles Cavalier spaniel and half Bichon. His mom was completely white, but his dad had the black and tan markings. I looked up the Havanese, and they come in a variety of colors, so there's no reason to think the previous owner misinformed you. Henri also has a long body and short lets! You are right; they look very similar!!! Aren't they the best?! These mixes have become extremely popular, and they seem to make some very nice little "designer dogs." They sure like people! 

Henri's breeding isn't very good. I found out the breeder got her male and female from a puppy mill. The Bichon looks fine, but the Cavalier is definitely not a good example of that breed. Henri's front feet stick out to the side, but one is really bad, and the ankle is deformed. You can see in the photo above that his eyes aren't straight either! But, you don't see these things when they're puppies, and his personality makes up for it. 

I'm trying to learn how to take portraits of the pets and my husband! (They're available!!) A friend who takes fantastic photos of animals has a small dog with a white muzzle. She said that she has problems with discoloration, too. But, she gets all of that out, and manages to get the muzzle very white (Henri's muzzle is kind of an off white, mixed with some gray). She uses Photoshop, and told me how she did it there, but something is different because I can't replicate it in Affinity. 

Anyway, here's a photo I took right after he was groomed--look at that long body and SHORT front legs!!