Part Four - Masking Brushes
We've all seen them, all the best brush makers make them, they
are gorgeous, but what do we DO with them? How do they work?
Like most things Photoshop, there are many different ways to
use a masking brush. I will show you the ... ahem ... "correct"
way to use them first, but then I'll show you more fun ways!
There are even more ways than what I'll show you because your
imagination is the only limit.
Some examples:
|
That brush makes this icon |
| This is how masking brushes are meant to be
used. Johnny was on the bottom layer, then I made a new
layer filled with white and set to "lighten."
Then the brush was stamped onto the white layer. Remember,
black conceals; in this case, it concealed the white on
the layer to allow the base to show through. |
|
|
...makes Liv Tyler look like a flower |
This was done the same way as the previous
icon. Liv on the bottom layer, then a layer of white set
to "lighten" and stamped with the brush in black.
Play with this method for a while ... use different blend
modes, see what happens.
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but you will soon get
tired of having the white border all the time. What happens
if you want your border to be black? That is achieved
with a very similar method. |
|
I made this one myself. |
You can get a black border |
This time, Johnny is still on the background
layer, but then I put a black layer set to "darken"
and apply the brush in white. That's how you get black.
But, what happens if you want a gradient, or some other
color? Let's move on. |
|
|
To make this... |
Ok, well, that's a really terrible icon,
but it does illustrate my point. This time, I put Ms.
Tyler on the bottom layer, then filled the second layer
with a gradient. I left the blending mode on "normal"
but instead of using the paint brush, I used the brush
with the eraser. So, it just erased where the black parts
of the brush were. You could put text over on the right
side box, if you wish.
Oh, if you have a brush you like, but it faces the wrong
way, go ahead and apply the brush to the layer, then go
to Edit > Transform then either rotate or flip the
layer as needed. |
|
|
For something like this
|
| To be perfectly honest, I rarely save masking
brushes as brushes anymore. I prefer to save them as image
packs. What I did for the one above, I made all the layers
for the movie, then I pasted the brush on top. I used the
magic wand to select the black, then deleted it. It seems
to save several steps sometimes if it's in image form rather
than brush form. And, if I do want it as a brush instead,
I just click Edit > Define Brush real quick and poof,
there's a brush! |
|
Well there are some basic ideas and ways to use masking brushes.
I'm sure there are many ways that I've forgotton to post, or
just haven't thought of yet.
This brings us to the end of our Basic Masking Tutorial. This
has been a long one, you have learned a lot! Now you just need
to go practice the things you've learned, then invent some new
and different ways!
If you have questions or comments about any of my tutorials,
if you would like some one on one Photoshop or graphic building
help, or if you have a suggestion for future tutorials or other
resources, please email me.
I would love to hear from you there! Or please consider
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Part One: Intro
| Part Two: Quick Mask | Part
Three: Layer Mask | Part Four:
Mask Brushes
Tutorials Index
|
