photoshop cs3 dilemma

[emt8q5]

hey folks,

I am doing a favor for a friend of mine and am trying to crop a picture of his granddaughter out of a photo, turn it to black and white, and isolate the child on a solid colored background. I am having trouble accurately cropping the child out of the image while keeping the edges around the baby's head smooth. I've included a screenshot to show my dilemma. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!!

Eric

[MattSepeta]

Do not use the magnet lasso. Use the pen tool then turn the path into a selection.

Or Hit Q to enter quickmask mode then use pant brushes to brush in the baby, then hit Q again to make it a selection.

Then you can use select-> refine edge tools to refine your edge

[jampat]

You may also have better luck by selecting the surrounding information. The green sweater should be easier to select than the baby. Also you can try viewing one of the RGB channels instead of all 3. Sometimes selections are a lot easier in one channel than the others.

[ChrisA]

Making good selection is an art. don't expect any of the automated tools to do it in one shoot. It will give yo a start then you will need to add bits and remove bits.

Sometimes selecting the background is easier, then you "invert" the selection.

Most Photoshop books have an entire chapter in selections. It's a fundamental skill that takes time to master.