Help with background

[scrappingmel]

I have a photo of my daughter


http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1u3elWM0Q6CaAGyrBUtrbkfcD6y1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1u3elWM0Q6CaAGyrBUtrbkfcD6y1)

What I want to do is blacken the background so that it is just her face and santa hat.

Can someone give me some suggestions please on how to do this.


Thanks,
Mel

[ladybug]

Mel here is one idea, selec the magnetic lasso go around the baby and hat. Hit ctrl j to dup this part. Add a new layer place it behind your cut out and make your foreground color black. Fill this layer with black. That should give you what you want.

[christellf]

Hi Mel,
Precious baby... Would this be what you had in mind with photo?
Christell
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1IigUq9i0wQQtn75i8jrPdnKP4zFr0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1IigUq9i0wQQtn75i8jrPdnKP4zFr0)

[kimi_boo]

A couple of quick suggestions...

make a copy, Ctrl J
chang the blend mode to screen.
merge down, Ctrl E

I also used a levels adjustment and lowered the saturation.
Then crop the image so it is focused on just her and you want have to worry about the background.
:)
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1COhaA1aOHdmmkxov83n6sh7dHTUNf1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1COhaA1aOHdmmkxov83n6sh7dHTUNf1)