Hi, have you considered using the alpha channels? If the background is black, it should be relatively easy to inspect them, choose the one offering the best contrast, copy it, and use it to make a selection. Using levels/curves on this copied channel can also help. If there are blemishes/faults inside the bit you want to keep, correct same with one/any of the painting tools. Using an alpha channel to store the masking info gives you the flexibility of going back to do small corrective touch-ups as well as global changes like max/min/blur etc if needed. You've also still got the mask should you need same for other jobs, say drop shadow or stroking. Changing colour mode can sometimes help in tricky situations.