masking fine detail

[JimK]

I'm attempting to mask a butterfly so I sharpen only the butterfly, including the antennae and the fringe on the bottom of the wings. What is the best way to mask these very fine details?

Thanks,

Jim

[Charles2]

den's tutorial about masking wispy hair might apply.

http://www.ncplus.net/~birchbay/tutoria ... pyhair.htm

[Dieter Mayr]

den's method works the better the bigger the difference in color or brightness between the fine detail and the background is.
If you know already before that you plan such operation, it's wise to choose a background that gives a good contrast to the object. Of course it is not always possible, especially in nature.
The the contrast is too low for a automatic mask creation, only a big zoom factor and at least as much patience will help.