Help with enhancing or replacing background to a photo

[Big Frank]

I'd recommend you ditch Photoshop and take a look at Xara Designer

[molucca]

For me, the image doesn't have enough clarity to do a masking separation. It is much easier to draw the shape in Xara. Mostly because your better at estimating the shape in weak areas. I would draw the shape and cut to horse from the image. Then save as a PNG/alpha. As a transparent graphic, it is possible to load into Photoshop, and make a selection from the transparency. Then you can paint the weak areas within the selection. Just a different approach. The Xara separation will have a clear transparent area resolution in a clean selection.

Rich

[RTW1]

look on Youtube for masking help, it took me less than 5mins to do the attached image but it would take many hours to explain in a simple way how I did it. All the tools you need is in Photoshop.