"Robert Feinman" <robert.feinman@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.2229fbb2cd26fbf4989a18@news.acedsl.com...
>I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
> electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
> I seem to have forgotten them.
> Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
> inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
> have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
> the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
> is all slower than I'd like.
>
> So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?

Hold the shift key down while clicking the clone tool or other brush to
stroke a straight line.
--
Mike Russell - www.curvemeister.com

I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
I seem to have forgotten them.
Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
is all slower than I'd like.

So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?

--
Robert D Feinman - Landscapes, Panoramas, Photo Tips
Web Site: http://robertdfeinman.com

Robert Feinman <robert.feinman@gmail.com> found these unused words:

>I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
>electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
>I seem to have forgotten them.
>Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
>inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
>have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
>the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
>is all slower than I'd like.
>
>So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?

Clone tool or healing brush as you can maintain the tonality adjacent to
their 'path' across the image.

I agree that it would be far easier to clone the lines out. The only other
alternative would be to use the pen tool. Great for selecting uniform
shapes. Still tedious though.


"Robert Feinman" <robert.feinman@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.2229fbb2cd26fbf4989a18@news.acedsl.com...
>I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
> electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
> I seem to have forgotten them.
> Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
> inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
> have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
> the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
> is all slower than I'd like.
>
> So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?
>
> --
> Robert D Feinman - Landscapes, Panoramas, Photo Tips
> Web Site: http://robertdfeinman.com

Robert Feinman <robert.feinman@gmail.com> wrote:

> I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
> electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
> I seem to have forgotten them.
> Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
> inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
> have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
> the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
> is all slower than I'd like.
>
> So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?

I don't know any good trick, but just the very BASIC command would do. And
pick your choice

- Clone Tool

- Heal Brush/Patch

- Duplicate

And how well you do those basic commands is up to you.

"Mike Russell" <RE-MOVEmike@Curvemeister.comRE-MOVE> found these unused
words:

>"Robert Feinman" <robert.feinman@gmail.com> wrote in message
>news:MPG.2229fbb2cd26fbf4989a18@news.acedsl.com.. .
>>I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
>> electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
>> I seem to have forgotten them.
>> Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
>> inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
>> have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
>> the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
>> is all slower than I'd like.
>>
>> So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?
>
>Hold the shift key down while clicking the clone tool or other brush to
>stroke a straight line.

Unless they've changed PS that much, this will only do true horizontal and
true vertical lines.

Ues as 'soft' (feathered) a brush as possible. The blend carries the
tonality better.

Robert Feinman wrote:
> I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
> electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
> I seem to have forgotten them.
> Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
> inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
> have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
> the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
> is all slower than I'd like.
>
> So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?

As veryone else has suggested, the clone tool or healing brush will allow
you to *paint* them out of the picture.

However, if you have another reason for wanting to select the power lines,
try this.
Copy the image into a new layer and convert the whole thing to grayscale.
Now go into images>adjustments>levels and constrict the white and black
channels together to increase the contrast to the point where you're left
with a silhouette.
You can now use this silhouette layer, or selected parts of it as a layer
mask to pick out the relevant parts.

"\(not quite so\) Fat Sam" <samandjanet@knox.orangehome.co.uk> found these
unused words:

>Robert Feinman wrote:
>> I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
>> electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
>> I seem to have forgotten them.
>> Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
>> inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
>> have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
>> the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
>> is all slower than I'd like.
>>
>> So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?
>
>As veryone else has suggested, the clone tool or healing brush will allow
>you to *paint* them out of the picture.
>
>However, if you have another reason for wanting to select the power lines,
>try this.
>Copy the image into a new layer and convert the whole thing to grayscale.
>Now go into images>adjustments>levels and constrict the white and black
>channels together to increase the contrast to the point where you're left
>with a silhouette.
>You can now use this silhouette layer, or selected parts of it as a layer
>mask to pick out the relevant parts.
>
You'll probably also have to feather the selection as in the original wires
will, perhaps in some parts, be on the 'wrong side' of the silhouette.

This could leave a nearly visible' remnant, if the selection were 'hard'.

Robert Feinman wrote:
> I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
> electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
> I seem to have forgotten them.
> Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
> inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
> have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
> the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
> is all slower than I'd like.
>
> So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?

The old 'trick' you may be thinking of (if you don't want to use Clone Stamp
or Healing Brush) is to duplicate the layer then move the new layer a couple
of pixels upwards or sideways. Set the blend mode of your new layer to
'Lighten' and the wires disappear as if by magic. The rest of the image
might look a pit peculiar but you can erase the parts of the layer that you
are not concerned with.

HTH
R.

On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:46:01 -0500, Robert Feinman
<robert.feinman@gmail.com> wrote:

>I know I have seen some some tricks for selecting telephone and
>electric power lines in order to remove them from the photo, but
>I seem to have forgotten them.
>Currently I use the magic wand tool which is slow and somewhat
>inaccurate especially when the wires are out of focus. After I
>have the wire selected I expand it by a pixel or two and then use
>the patch tool followed by some extra touch up, if needed. This
>is all slower than I'd like.
>
>So, does anyone have some good tricks for selecting wires?


The best way is the way most here have mentioned....using the
clone tool and the healing brush. If you want to use those tools,
here is an explanation on how to do it.
http://picman0.googlepages.com/home (scroll down to the bottom and
click on Page 2)
It's funny but after I posted the above reply about
"superimposing" and included a link. I found the link had more pages
to it so I read those pages and it actually had a cloning out process
for telephone wires.<g>

Talker