Masking Unmasked- Pg4- Giordan On Graphics

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Other Photoshop Masking Options- Quickmask

Photoshop also lets you mask objects using a feature called Quickmask. Quickmask lets you paint and modify a selection using any of Photoshop's drawing or smoothing tools. It creates a translucent layer over the image indicating the selected area. When you have defined the area exactly as you want it, you exit Quickmask, the translucent layer disappears, and is replaced by a selection. Follow the steps below to create a Quickmask:

  1. Begin a selection using any of Photoshop's selection tools. In this case, I am using the Magic Wand.

  2. Double click the Quickmask icon to open the Quickmask options palette

  3. Click the color swatch to set a mask color, and enter the degree of transparency. Set the mask color with the basic colors of the image in mind. Choose a contrasting color that will be easy to see, even at low transparencies.

  4. Select the paintbrush tool to brush in the selection. At this point, the active color is very important. In Quickmask mode, the color palette reverts to grayscale, and a black value adds to the mask, and a white value deletes the mask. Shades of gray indicate a feathered selection, where a mid-tone 50% gray paints an area that is 50% selected, with more selected as the tones get darker. Therefore, with black as the foreground color, the paintbrush adds to the mask. Switching to white allows the paintbrush to erase from the mask. The eraser works the same way, where the background color dictates how the eraser effects the mask.

  5. Remember that you can use the blur tools, smudge tools, or even the Dodge or Burn tools to modify the mask. Since the Dodge/Burn tools lighten or darken the image, they allow you to paint in a transparent selection (very cool).

When the mask covers the area desired, click out of the Quickmask mode to activate the selection, and proceed with the mask options previously mentioned.

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URL: http://www.webreference.com/graphics/
Created: Nov. 16, 1998
Revised: Nov. 10, 1998
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