How To Refine Hair Or Remove Background In Photoshop | Hair Masking | Patheditz

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Press Release Apr 23, 2025 27 Add to Reading List

Removing backgrounds can be tricky — especially when you’re dealing with flyaway hair or complex edges. But don’t worry! At Patheditz, we’ve mastered the art of hair masking and background removal in Photoshop. In this guide, we’ll show you how to refine hair like a pro and achieve clean, natural-looking cutouts every time.

???? Why Hair Masking Matters

Hair masking is essential for:

Product photography with models
Beauty/fashion retouching
E-commerce images
Creative composites and ad banners

Regular background removal tools struggle with detailed areas like frizzy hair or curls — that’s where advanced masking techniques come in.

✂️ Step-by-Step: How to Refine Hair in Photoshop

Step 1: Select the Subject

Open your image in Photoshop.
Go to Select > Subject. Photoshop will auto-select the main object (person/model).

Step 2: Open Select and Mask Workspace

With the selection active, click Select and Mask from the top toolbar.
Choose the Refine Edge Brush Tool from the left panel.

Step 3: Brush Over the Hair Area

Gently paint over the hair edges to detect fine strands and remove the background around them.
Adjust the Radius, Smooth, Feather, and Contrast sliders to fine-tune the selection.

Step 4: Output the Selection

Once satisfied, set the output to New Layer with Layer Mask.
This keeps the hair details while removing the background smoothly.

Step 5: Clean It Up (Optional)

Use the Brush Tool on the layer mask to manually clean up any rough edges or leftover background.

???? Pro Tips from Patheditz

Use high-resolution images for better accuracy.
Avoid solid white or complex backgrounds behind the subject for easier masking.
Zoom in and refine manually if auto-tools miss some flyaways.
For complex hair types (curly, frizzy), combine Channels + Masking for better results.

????‍???? Or Let the Experts Handle It!

If all this sounds too time-consuming or you want pixel-perfect results, let our professional editors at Patheditz handle it for you. We specialize in: