This one goes out to all the web developers out there who can't quite justify hiring a designer for a given project. Every once in a while, I come a cross a tip like this that is perfect for guys like us, who just need the Photoshop basics to get the job done.
I often struggle with silhouetting images, to give them a transparent background. The edges come out unrefined and this is very noticeable when you place the new image on a colored background.
So today, I happened to be messing around with the "Blending Options" in Photoshop, and wouldn't you know it, I discovered a real easy tip to make those jagged edges look a whole lot smoother!
Ready for this? Just add an outer glow. Depending on the color of your background, adding an off-white outer glow at 75% opacity seems to take the emphasis off of the messy edge and on to the glow effect.