Masking

Key Words: Conceal & Reveal

    Layer masks are one of the easiest features of Photoshop to understand.  A layer mask is just what it sounds like ... a mask that goes on top of a layer.  Think of what happens when a person wears a mask.  You can see through the holes but not through the mask itself.  It's a great way to hide parts of a layer without discarding any information that you may require later.  In order to return or revert the image to it's original state, simply delete the mask, and voila!

Layer Masks: Procedures

1. Find 2 images that you would like to combine.

2. Open both images in Photoshop.

3. Select the "Move" tool and click & drag one image onto the other image.

4. You may need to resize the image with the scale tool or the "Free Transform" quick command (Command "T")

5. Select the layer that contains the image you would like to mask in the Layers window.

6. Click on the "Add Layer Mask" icon at the bottom of the Layers window.

7. There it is!  Your very own layer mask!  It is currently set to reveal all of the image, meaning that the mask is off and nothing is hidden.

8. Click on the layer mask image that is "linked" to the image that you are masking in your layer in the Layers window.

9. You are now ready to begin masking.

10. Select the paintbrush tool in your Tools palette and adjust the brush size and hardness to your liking in your options menu.

11. Begin "concealing" what you do not want by painting those areas with black.  If you hide too much, that's O.K., because you did not get rid of it, it is simply concealed.  To "reveal" parts of the image that you have accidentally hidden, paint over those areas with white.

12. Practice this procedure with other images and I will post more techniques and tricks later!

American Gothic Tutorial

• Open the american gothic photo in photoshop.

• File Place embedded the dog photo

• Use the move tool in photoshop to place the dog head over one of the american gothic people. You may stretch or shrink from the corner to make it the size you want.

• Click in the contextual task bar below the photo "remove background"

• Look in the LAYERS panel and you will now see a black and white mask. 

• Hit the B key to select the paintbrush from the toolbar.

• Hit the X key to put BLACK in front for the foreground color if it isn't black already.

• You may change the size of your paintbrush by tapping the BRACKET keys repeatedly.

• Mask out the parts of the animal that you don't want to see by painting with Black.

• Bring Back any animal parts by hitting the X key and painting with WHITE.

• Find a photo of another animal online that you can replace one of the heads with.

• Abre la foto del gótico americano en Photoshop.

• Archivo Lugar incrustado la foto del perro.

• Utilice la herramienta de movimiento en Photoshop para colocar la cabeza del perro sobre uno de los personajes góticos americanos. Puede estirar o encoger desde la esquina para que tenga el tamaño que desee.

• Haga clic en la barra de tareas contextual debajo de la foto "eliminar fondo"

• Mire en el panel CAPAS y ahora verá una máscara en blanco y negro.

• Pulsa la tecla B para seleccionar el pincel de la barra de herramientas.

• Presione la tecla X para poner NEGRO al frente como color de primer plano si aún no es negro.

• Puede cambiar el tamaño de su pincel tocando las teclas SOPORTE repetidamente.

• Enmascara las partes del animal que no quieres ver pintándolas con Negro.

• Recupera cualquier parte de animal presionando la tecla X y pintando con BLANCO.

• Encuentra una foto de otro animal en línea con la que puedas reemplazar una de las cabezas.