Part One -- Intro

Well folks, this one is going to take some talking before we get started. I have been writing PS tutorial for beginners for several years now and have always felt that my job here is to take the information gathered over the past decade, and present it in a way that beginners can understand. Whenever I've been asked about the various mask tools, I always say "Weeeelllllll, that's a little harder...." and have shied away from it as a result. However, with things like mask brushes and blends becoming so popular at places like livejournal, this question is coming to me with much more frequency. So, in this tutorial, I am going to attempt to touch on some basic ideas about masks without being too confusing, and without scaring off the beginners. Hopefully, you will get enough information to do a little experimenting on your own, and then google for more information in the areas that interest you most.

I must be completely forthright and admit that part of the reason for staying away from this question is that I don't totally understand the WHYS of how it all works. In my past tutorials, I have tried to explain what to do, and why to do it. The why part may get brushed over in a few areas of this tutorial. This is going to be a long tutorial even with presenting only basic information.

It is my hope that as you read through this, you will contact me to tell me areas that need more information, or to let me know where it's confusing, or whatever. I imagine this particular tutorial will take quite a bit of tweaking after it's published, and I really hope that all of you will help me with that.

TO BEGIN

When I think of masks in PS7, three different things come to mind. Quick mask, Layer mask, and mask brushes. All three of these will be discussed in this tutorial. First, a quick overview of all three, then we'll get into more detail and examples.

Masks are really just another way to select parts of an image. Using the lasso tool may leave hard edges, but using a mask will get smoother results. Masks work with black and white and shades of gray. The gray is similar to feathering. The first thing to remember is:

White reveals -- Black conceals.

We'll get into that more later, but start remembering it now.

QUICK MASK is accessed from the tool palette. It is used for things like, fading an image to one side, adding color to a black and white image, or creating interesting borders on your photos and/or icons, just to name a few..

LAYER MASK is accessed from the layers palette. This is the tool you would use if you wish to add a different sky to a landscape photo for example, or to blend two or more images together, or to remove parts of an adjustment layer, just to name a few. All of these things can be done without a mask. (Actually, with PS, there is always more than one way to do everything.) The important and impressive advantage to using a layer mask is that you do not actually delete any parts of your images. All your information remains, so that later if you decide to make changes, it's as easy as painting with either black or white, because it's all still there.

MASK BRUSHES are pre made shapes to use in one masking mode or another. Short description, yes? 8^)

Now you can skip around the following sections if you wish, but it would probably be better to read over them in order, even if you only plan to use one method. It's possible that I will refer to something in the Quick Mask section when I'm writing the Layer Mask section, for example. I'll try not to do that, but since I haven't written it yet, who knows what will happen? 8^)

NOTE: These techniques can certainly be used to make icons, but the examples will be aimed more at making headers or banners, at least until we get to the brushes in the last section. It all works the same way, no matter what size image you're working with.

Part One: Intro | Part Two: Quick Mask | Part Three: Layer Mask | Part Four: Mask Brushes

Tutorials Index