How can i make an image glow?

How to make my edge look LESS feathered when the image has been transferred?

• I've only recently started to use photoshop and since I was bought the elements version for Christmas I'm taking the opportunity to practice more! I know that you are supposed to reather an edge to make it look less jagged and more realistic, for example, before you copy and paste it. In the image I'm working on now, I copy and pasted a head and shoulders portrait from one background to another, having used the magic selection tool and having feathered the edge to about 39. The feathering is good in that everything I want is there and all her hair is still in tact! However on one side of her face (she is in profile-ish) the feather has created a kind of glow, how do I remedy this? Please exlpain as simply as possible as me and technology are not a good mix! Thanks for your help :)

• Answer:

  I don't know if I can explain this so it makes sense to you if you are not experienced with it, but I will try. When I am doing a selection and copy and paste, (or I just use the Move tool to drag the selection to the new background), I do not make a precise selection. I use no feathering and just make a rough selection that encompasses my entire subject. Then, when the subject is on the new background, I use a layer mask and brush to "erase" away the part of the selection I do not want. By doing this, you can vary the mask brush hardness, (which is basically the same as feathering), at any point you want. So you could have lots of brush softness, (feathering), around the hair, and then adjust it to a harder brush, (no feathering), around the face. When using the layer mask, you can switch the brush between black and white to either take out the selection or add it back in if you make a mistake. By using this masking technique with your selection, you have very precise control of how the edges feather into your background, and you can vary the amount of feathering in any part of the selection as you go. I understand that may not make a lot of sense to you. I suggest you get a good book on your Elements program. The best, most easy to use I have found are from Scott Kelby. Just go to Amazon and type in Scott Kelby. Look for a book entitled, "The Photoshop Elements ? Book For Digital Photographers". Substitute your Elements version for the question mark. You can also look in the Help section of Elements about using Layer Masks. I will add one more comment. I use the full version of Photoshop, and Elements "might" not support layer masking. I don't know, however, the newer versions of Elements do far more than they did in the past, and I THINK you can use layer masks, but I am not positive. Again, see if you can find info about it in the Help section of your program first. steve