I do it with luminosity masks (PS), sometimes multiple ones are needed, sometimes one is good enough, but generally the results are perfect.  Duplicate your background layer.  Switch to the channels palette.  If overall brightness provides good separation, the overall image can be used as a mask, otherwise look for a color channel that has good separation overall or in one area.  If RGB doesn't have a good one, switch to CMYK to have a looksee, you might get lucky.  Drag this channel into the open circle to select the pixels based on the brightness, there is a greyscale of the image as the selection.  White allows the layer through, black eliminates the effect, grey is proportional to the brightness (these are great for a number of things, they are 100% self feathering, kiss the shadows/highlight tool goodbye as a crude tool).  With your new layer selected click on the open circle to add the selection as a layer mask.  Now alt-click on the mask to activate it.  Adjust the contrast and brightness of the mask to perfectly outline borders in black and white (areas other than the borders can be painted black or white  easily).  Click on image icon on the layer now to activate the image.  Paint white along the border to separate from the background, if it isn't perfect, go back to the mask and make adjustments.  If all areas weren't covered, flatten the image, and redo the entire process using a different channel or different rendering of the mask.  There should always be adequate separation on at least one color channel for everywhere in an image for this to work, it seems meticulous, but once you get used to it, it goes quick, I've not needed more than 2 ever, but I could see applications where it has to be done over and over.  If you own PS and do not know how to use luminosity masks, google it, it is a somewhat hidden feature of the program but probably the most powerful thing that it can do.  The use of these masks is not possible with elements, the full PS (any version really) is needed.

Nobody is going to believe me, but all my isolations were made whit the brush tool at about 85 of sharpness and 22 to 25 wide pixels. Cutting the whole edges around...

I made 3 trip to the psychiatric hospital, but now I take the life a bit cooler. Thankyou for those who share their methods. I think I will try the pen tool I think now.

lol.... oh dear...that's quite close to what i was doing when i started "isolating' - i was using polygonal lasso tool. torture comparable to being in a dentist's chair  without pain killers PEN TOOL IS THE BEST, and is the way to go no matter what you are isolating - it's very reliable in any sort of isolation.

pen tool and quick mask, all other methods are for people with steel nerves.
with pen tool and small screen that I have nerves are also needed: enlarged to 200-300% image jumps out of submission when pen handle reaches the edge of the screen. but this is the limitation of my 15 inch monitor, with a larger monitor pen tool is probably the best.

thanks, miz. I have tried it and it gives me more room for pen tool.