This week, appropriately enough, we discuss the Refine Edge feature in Photoshop CS5. Appropriate, because last week we discussed all the ways to select various elements in Photoshop, and now we can refine those edges with the command that is turning out to be Deke’s favorite new thing in CS5. Because, once you make the best selection you can (more on that during the show, please don’t try to solve crappy selections with Refine Edge), this tool can add that extra level of control that gives you a selection up to Deke’s standards. And those standards are pretty darn refined.

Here are the salient refinements of this week’s show:

• We go on an excursion trying to separate a woman, in a sweater, from her background and place her on a tropical island background.
• Deke argues that people who actually live in the tropics (as opposed to tourists) wear sweaters to look professional. Which is why he wears shorts when it snows in Boulder.
• The first step to a refining a selection is . . . making a good selection. We’ve both had enough of this awesome feature being demoed to clean up a bad (read: Quick Selection) selection. If you apply it to something good, good gets even better.
• Separating hair might not be best done by the Color Range command because there is so much color variation and reflection and general tendrilly chaos regarding hair.
• You can think of the Show Original check box as an “anti-Preview” check box. In other words if you turn it on, you see your original image instead of the ever refining selection.
• Feather is a cop out, in Deke’s opinion. Blurry doesn’t hide your sloppiness people! But if you apply a little you can see how the next feature, Contrast, actually removes fuzziness. Mostly, Deke leaves these set to zero.
• Shift Edge allows you to grow or shrink the selection, with more subtlety than similar commands in Photoshop proper.
• The Show Radius view mode allows you to see the area in which the command is applying its refining power. This isn’t the selected or the unselected area per se; it’s the area that’s under consideration for refinement.
• The brush, known as the Refine Radius tool, is actually painting in and out the radius, not the selection. You’re telling Photohsop to reconsider the areas you paint over with regard to polishing up the selection.
• The Decontaminate Colors feature operates on the image, rather than the mask, so use it with caution.
• Refine Edge is one of those few features that works better with each pass, so output your selection to a mask and try going back over it with Refine Mask. Amazing!

Join us for a moment of refinement (and martinis) won’t you? Here’s the regular-quality audio file. You can stream, or for best results, right-click and choose Download or Save. Here’s the high-res version; you’ll want to download rather than stream. And don’t forget our usual plea to subscribe via iTunes.

And don’t miss Deke’s toast to butter. Much like Refine Edge it makes good things better. Until next week, my dekeElites. Cheers!