Topaz ReMask | Product Review

UPDATE: The offer in this post has expired, but you can use coupon code “angandrieux” to get 15% off all Topaz Labs software anytime!

As a Topaz Labs affiliate, I have the awesome job of trying many of their software plug-ins and sharing with you what I think. Its one of the things I do to scratch out a living as a fine art photographer and travel photography blogger. (i.e. you buy a copy using a link from my website, I get a small commission). Just so you know, anything I promote here on my website I’ve tested and/or use in my daily workflow. I don’t want to encourage you to buy something that I can’t personally vouch for.

Today I’m working with Topaz ReMask, which happens to be on sale – 50% off, making it just $34.99 using the coupon code “octremask”. (Offer good through 10/31/13).

This program was 100% new to me when I started working on this review. I don’t currently own this plug-in, and wasn’t planning on purchasing it; however, now that I’ve played with it I have to say its pretty darn cool and might make its way into my permanent tool box.

Downloading and installing Topaz ReMask was easy, but I realized quite early into testing that IT DOES NOT WORK WITH LIGHTROOM. You have to use it with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. So, from Lightroom I opened an image into Photoshop and easily found ReMask under Filter -> Topaz Labs -> Remask 3. Viola – the program opened without issue.

Here is the image I started with. I captured this photo of my cat, Pumpkin, in my living room a couple of weeks ago. He is quite fuzzy so I thought his photo would be a great one for testing a masking program.

Original Photograph (Before Topaz ReMask)

Once, in ReMask I followed the very helpful PDF instructions that came with the software download. I used the blue tool to outline my subject…

Next I used the red fill to designate the area I wanted to remove, hit calculate, and once again used the blue tool to refine my edges as well as the selective color tool to get some of the finer details…

I refined my edges to a point that I was satisfied with (I could have done a bit more, but I was getting tired and working late) and then clicked over to the mask tab to see the result…

Looking at the image above, if I were to do it again I would fix some of the lighter areas around his ears, where it looks a bit more gray than white. Nonetheless, I decided to be done with ReMask for the moment and went back into Photoshop. As you’ll see in the next image, that light gray area is a bit too transparent.

Photoshop Screenshot with Transparent Background | After Topaz ReMask

The next thing that I did was create a new layer filled with black and placed it behind the masked layer. As you can see, ReMask did a pretty spectacular job of isolating Pumpkin’s wispy fur. The only issues are the areas around the ears where I left the mask a bit too transparent and the black is showing through making his ears look darker than they actually are.

After Topaz ReMask + Black Layer Fill in Photoshop

Overall, I’m really happy with the way that ReMask performed! As I said earlier, I don’t yet own this program, but I may have to buy it soon. I’ve been working more and more with layers in Photoshop and I see so many possibilities with this tool, both in my fine art prints and my occasional portrait session.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of ReMask for yourself, please make sure you have either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. It would be a great addition to any photographic tool box, especially if your artistic vision would be enhanced by compositing images (taking pieces from different images and combining them to create something new and unique).

Topaz ReMask is 50% off through October 31, 2013 using the coupon code “octremask”. Download your copy today!