Attached Link: brushing out fur in vue

I should probably go read the FAQ to see if anyone else has wanted to do this... but being short on time always... I wanted especially to have the mammoth and the saber tooth cat on a separate layer so I could brush them out, post render...see link... So I came up with using the "render selected only" or however it is said, in vue.. I selected just the mammoth and rendered, and the same with the saber tooth.. then with these renders, I could easily cut out the two figures and paste over the top of the original image... and have each on it's own layer so the fur brushing would not affect the background! Only problem is I would really need to have NO atmosphere behind to make selecting around the character easier... This takes a little longer than the nifty Bryce "mask render" that makes a cut out of white on black so I can select the white area and have a perfect selection shape to copy the character.. if that makes sense.. BUT I just can't go back to Bryce lately! :)) Lyne

What you do to get it perfect is just before you render only selected objects you change the sky to one of the two mask skies that are available. Then it will cut easily. Easy to cut then select the white or black which ever sky you used with the wand, anti-aliased 1 or 2 colors then select inverse cut, paste on new layer. Paint fur. Makes no sence? This is photoshop instructions.

"Makes no sence?"...yes "Makes no sense?...no :)

When you say mask skies are you saying the all black or all white sky?? Wouldn't that change the lighting??

You're making a mask. Yes it will change the lighting. Or if you don't want to do it that way cheat. Use the same idea you did but save the depth and the alpha channle and use one of those for a pattern to cut with..... Tip: In the big long list of Mighty pete tips. before you cut pick a color from your object. A color that represents the object color well. in phtotoshop you can actually pick several colors or even a pattern. Fill the sky with this color, colors or pattern before you cut then the anti alialsing will bleed to the proper color instead. of the sky color. make sence? Drop your alpha on top of the original image duplicate the original and drop it on top of the alpha. Switch to alpha then select the white, switch to the top image fill with color select inverse copy, paste. Perfect cut everytime.

Thanks Pete... sounds like the fastest way would be to render my finished image first.. then go back and change to one of those skies for masks, and then render my selected objects.. they will be even easier to select around them..and then just drag the SELECTION over onto the original image animal, and do a copy -paste.. much like I use the Bryce mask render..to get that perfect selection! Thanks everyone!! :)) Lyne

I you got photoshop it gets even better if you use the black mask just drag the entire masked image on top and set that layer to screen. If you use the white mask same idea but use darken intead. No cuttting nessesary. Sometimes you have to put somthing under to keep the colors from going slightly transparent. Like a black mask. Save those Alpha channels! You can invert it if you need it the other way. If something your doing seems complicated there is a easier way....