Clean up those White Backgrounds!
Painting # 39 of 52/52 Challenge- Mushroom – Watercolor Mlighthipe©2012
I recently had one of my readers ask me how I clean up the background on my botanical paintings in Photoshop Elements. I spent about 3 weeks composing my eBook, “Scan YOUR Art” and decided this time that I would try to make a video using the Mac video capture. This is my first video! It came out much longer than I thought it would, but as I began I realized that there is so much that instructors don’t say that I found I had been talking for 26 minutes! I uploaded it onto YouTube and when I viewed it on the screen it was not as clear as I had hoped. I decided to put it out on the www and see what ya’ll think of it. If you have any comments, questions or feedback…. please let me know. I hope that you find it useful.
I have gotten some feedback from readers that the quality of the video is blurring when the screen goes to full size. I am looking into a few programs that will be clearer. My suggestion is to go directly to YouTube and watch the video there. Readers are saying the YouTube channel is a better video. Here is a direct link:
PhotoShop Tutorial on Getting White Backgrounds
You can subscribe to my YouTube channel and automatically be updated when I post a new video.
Hi Mindy: thanks for your generousity, sharing your ability with Photoshop. I find the sound track from this video helpful (I’m a rank beginner) but the visuals are very hard to see: if I leave it the size it is, I can’t see details; if I click the four-way arrows for full-screen, it is so dadgum blurry I can’t see.
Please note: I am NOT complaining, I am informing. Thanks!
Hi Margie,
Thanks for the feedback. I used a “free” program on my computer to do this video. I too found it blurry when I was looking at it in the largest format. Maybe you can try viewing it directly from YouTube. It might be better there. Here is the url…..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVmjJpt9LuQ&feature=g-crec-u
I am going to look into another program that will do a better job. Thanks for the input. I am working on getting better equipment!
THIS IS FANTASTIC!!!! Thank you so much. I am so excited to try this and the info in your e-book. I have a Mac and am getting PS elements 11 for Xmas this year, I can’t wait.
This is so helpful and easy to follow, I hope you decide to make more. I would think they will be very popular.
Great job.
Thank you
Laura
Reading the first comment, I did go onto YouTube to watch it so the screen size was bigger and I could follow the visuals at that size.
Laura
Thanks Laura for the input. I am going to post the link right into the blog post so if people do not read the comments they can still get to the YouTube site. I think this will be a great series of videos for people. There are lots of tutorials out there on Photoshop but none that really gear themselves to artists.
thank you for a very helpful video. i was using the magic wand and the eraser, but not levels. your way seems a lot easier than the method i was using. i have one question…do you make a copy of your original and work in a copy?
Hi Beth,
I am glad that you found the tutorial useful. I usually do not make a copy of my file when I clean it up. I know many people do but I find that it would just take up more storage space on my computer. You can make a copy if you are nervous and then delete the original scan once you are happy with the final “good” cleaned up image. Happy Scanning!
Mindy
This is wonderful! Thanks so much Mindy ♡
So glad that you found it useful Laura!
Hi Mindy,
I always enjoy your art. This tutorial on Photoshop sounds very good and something I really need to know. I have a very slow internet connection, however, and I’m not able to see videos or download large files. Any chance I could order the info on cd from you?
Thank you,
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl,
I hope you were able to get access to the video. If you ever have an y question let me know. I am happy to answer if I can!
~Mindy