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Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp

Lesson 117 of 118

Bonus: The Mask (Extras)

 

Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp

Lesson 117 of 118

Bonus: The Mask (Extras)

 

Lesson Info

Bonus: The Mask (Extras)

I talked a lot about masks but one thing that I was remiss in doing was talking about masks as their own individual object. So I'm gonna go ahead and open up this image. And let's say I want to add a vignette to this. So I'm gonna go ahead and just make a solid color fill. Fill it with black. Turn the opacity to soft light or overlay. Let's just leave it normal actually. And drop this opacity down. The mask right here, if I wanted to make a vignette, I would paint with a brush on there with black to make that hole for the vignette. A lot of times, though, if I paint right here and do this, what happens is if you look at the mask if I press ALT or Option and look at that mask, it's going over and over spraying the edges of that mask. So if I try to move that around what's gonna happen is you're gonna see a hard edge on that mask. So sometimes what you can do to alleviate that is let's just go back a little bit before we made the mask. I'm gonna make a very small brush, something like th...

is big. And make a spot like that. Now if I go back to there it's a very small vignette, right? Well there's a chain-link right here. If I click on this chain-link and unlink that mask and I click on this mask, guess what, I can resize the mask. I can press CMD- or CTRL-T on the mask and make it larger. See that. Individually modifying the mask outside of the image. Now if I press V and move that around it knows no bounds outside and I don't have the hard edge. So instead of starting with a big brush on that vignette look that we have going on there, we can start with a small brush and make it larger and we're independently modifying this mask from its layer. But just know that if they're unlinked and you start moving things around it might start doing some funny things. So make sure you link 'em back together once you unlink it and get it to where you want it to be. What happens within linked and an unlinked mask is that you can move the mask or you can move the layer individually from one another and they won't move. We saw this in the compositing tutorial when we were looking at the sky that we were puttin' in the background. We wanted to move it around. Same thing here. A mask can also be modified just like a regular layer can. If I ALT or Option and click on this mask, looking at this and how it's a very low contrast, or I guess it's maybe high contrast and very dark, very light and the gradation in between, so it's got a lot of contrast in it, if I wanted to reduce that contrast I could just click on the mask itself, go to Image, Adjustments and Curves and use a curve on the mask. Make that mask bigger or smaller. What we can also do with that mask is we can go to Filter, Blur, Gaussian Blur and I can blur it even more. You can blur a mask, you can use filters on masks 'cause masks are essentially a pixel-based object not a vector-based object so you can use certain filters on masks as well. So if I wanted to blur that even more to about here, because the brush setting that I had wasn't necessarily what I wanted, could blur it a bit little more, blur it a little bit less and have access to that mask independently outside of the layer itself. So with the mask it can be treated just like a layer and it can be moved around. And a lot of times by making a smaller brush for that vignette and then making it larger is better 'cause if we just made the brush inside that very large, we're gonna get hard edges on there and it's gonna be more difficult for us to move around that vignette. That's just one approach to that. So if I were to delete this and maybe make a layer mask, let's see, something like a midtone mask and I press ALT or Option and I look at that mask I can modify this mask further. So yeah, you have luminosity masking here but what if I want that to be a higher or lower contrast mask? Just by clicking on that mask I can go to Image, Adjustments, Levels or Curves, let's do levels on this one, and I can make that mask darker and start reducing the amount of the effect that those midtones are. Now I'm basically saying midtones are no longer this area. Midtones are not gonna contain any of that area. We're gonna spread it down to here. So now if I were to adjust that luminosity mask there's gonna be much less of an effect on those midtone areas. So yeah, I've set you up with a baseline for your luminosity mask, for your highlights, your midtones and your shadows but you can make them even more restrictive by going into the contrast of those masks either by using levels or curves.

Class Description

Adobe® Photoshop CC® is a valuable tool for photographers, but it can also be intimidating. In this all-inclusive 20 lesson course, you’ll go from opening the program for the first time to creating images that really stand out. Join Blake Rudis, Photoshop expert and founder of f64 Academy, as he shows you how to maximize your use of Photoshop. 

Topics covered will include:

  • Class Introduction & Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw, Setup Interface, Cropping and Layers
  • Layer Tools, Masks, Selections, Clean-Up Tools and Shapes & Text
  • Smart Objects, Transforming, Actions, Filters, and Editing Video
  • Custom Creative Effects, Natural Retouching, Portrait Workflow, Landscape Workflow, and Composite Workflow

Don’t let the many aspects of Photoshop prevent you from maximizing your use of this amazing app. Blake will help you develop the confidence to use your imagination and create the images that you will be proud to share with your clients.


SOFTWARE USED:

Adobe Photoshop CC 2018

Lessons

  1. Bootcamp Introduction
  2. The Bridge Interface
  3. Setting up Bridge
  4. Overview of Bridge
  5. Practical Application of Bridge
  6. Introduction to Raw Editing
  7. Setting up ACR Preferences & Interface
  8. Global Tools Part 1
  9. Global Tools Part 2
  10. Local Tools
  11. Introduction to the Photoshop Interface
  12. Toolbars, Menus and Windows
  13. Setup and Interface
  14. Adobe Libraries
  15. Saving Files
  16. Introduction to Cropping
  17. Cropping for Composition in ACR
  18. Cropping for Composition in Photoshop
  19. Cropping for the Subject in Post
  20. Cropping for Print
  21. Perspective Cropping in Photoshop
  22. Introduction to Layers
  23. Vector & Raster Layers Basics
  24. Adjustment Layers in Photoshop
  25. Organizing and Managing Layers
  26. Introduction to Layer Tools and Blend Modes
  27. Screen and Multiply and Overlay
  28. Soft Light Blend Mode
  29. Color and Luminosity Blend Modes
  30. Color Burn and Color Dodge Blend Modes
  31. Introduction to Layer Styles
  32. Practical Application: Layer Tools
  33. Introduction to Masks and Brushes
  34. Brush Basics
  35. Custom Brushes
  36. Brush Mask: Vignettes
  37. Brush Mask: Curves Dodge & Burn
  38. Brush Mask: Hue & Saturation
  39. Mask Groups
  40. Clipping Masks
  41. Masking in Adobe Camera Raw
  42. Practical Applications: Masks
  43. Introduction to Selections
  44. Basic Selection Tools
  45. The Pen Tool
  46. Masks from Selections
  47. Selecting Subjects and Masking
  48. Color Range Mask
  49. Luminosity Masks Basics
  50. Introduction to Cleanup Tools
  51. Adobe Camera Raw
  52. Healing and Spot Healing Brush
  53. The Clone Stamp Tool
  54. The Patch Tool
  55. Content Aware Move Tool
  56. Content Aware Fill
  57. Custom Cleanup Selections
  58. Introduction to Shapes and Text
  59. Text Basics
  60. Shape Basics
  61. Adding Text to Pictures
  62. Custom Water Marks
  63. Introduction to Smart Objects
  64. Smart Object Basics
  65. Smart Objects and Filters
  66. Smart Objects and Image Transformation
  67. Smart Objects and Album Layouts
  68. Smart Objects and Composites
  69. Introduction to Image Transforming
  70. ACR and Lens Correction
  71. Photoshop and Lens Correction
  72. The Warp Tool
  73. Perspective Transformations
  74. Introduction to Actions in Photoshop
  75. Introduction to the Actions Panel Interface
  76. Making Your First Action
  77. Modifying Actions After You Record Them
  78. Adding Stops to Actions
  79. Conditional Actions
  80. Actions that Communicate
  81. Introduction to Filters
  82. ACR as a Filter
  83. Helpful Artistic Filters
  84. Helpful Practical Filters
  85. Sharpening with Filters
  86. Rendering Trees
  87. The Oil Paint and Add Noise Filters
  88. Introduction to Editing Video
  89. Timeline for Video
  90. Cropping Video
  91. Adjustment Layers and Video
  92. Building Lookup Tables
  93. Layers, Masking Video & Working with Type
  94. ACR to Edit Video
  95. Animated Gifs
  96. Introduction to Creative Effects
  97. Black, White, and Monochrome
  98. Matte and Cinematic Effects
  99. Gradient Maps and Solid Color Grades
  100. Gradients
  101. Glow and Haze
  102. Introduction to Natural Retouching
  103. Brightening Teeth
  104. Clean Up with the Clone Stamp Tool
  105. Cleaning and Brightening Eyes
  106. Advanced Clean Up Techniques
  107. Introduction to Portrait Workflow & Bridge Organization
  108. ACR for Portraits Pre-Edits
  109. Portrait Workflow Techniques
  110. Introduction to Landscape Workflow & Bridge Organization
  111. Landscape Workflow Techniques
  112. Introduction to Compositing & Bridge
  113. Composite Workflow Techniques
  114. Landscape Composite Projects
  115. Bonus: Rothko and Workspace
  116. Bonus: Adding Textures to Photos
  117. Bonus: The Mask (Extras)
  118. Bonus: The Color Range Mask in ACR

Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

Amazing course, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a beginner's course for photographers. The problem isn't Blake's explanations; they're top. The problem is the vast scope of this course and the order in which the topics are presented. Take layers for example. When I was first learning Photoshop (back when we learned from books), I found I learned little or nothing from, for example, books that covered layers before they covered how to improve/process photographs. These books taught me how to organize, move, and link layers before they showed me what a layer was actually for. Those books tended to teach me everything there is to know about layers (types of layers, how to organize them, how to move them, how to move them two at a time, how to move them two at a time even if there are other layers between the two you're interested in, useful troubleshooting tips, etc. ) all before I even know (from a photographer's point of view) what it is the things actually do. The examples of organizing, linking, and moving mean everything for graphic designers from Day One, but for photographers not so much. Blake does the same thing as those books. Topics he covers extremely early demand a lot of theoretical imagination for a photographer who doesn't already know quite a bit about what he is talking about. Learning about abstract things first and concrete things later only makes PS that much harder to understand. If you AREN'T a beginner, however, this course is amazing. I thought it would be like an Army Bootcamp, taking you from zero and building you into a fit, competent Photoshop grunt. Now I think it's more like Army Bootcamp for high school varsity jocks. It isn't going to take you from the beginning, but the amount you'll get out of it is nonetheless more than your brain can imagine. I've been using PS for years to improve my photographs, and even to create the odd artistic composite or two. The amount I've learned in the first week is amazing, and every day I learn something -- more like many things -- which I immediately implement to improve my productivity and/or widen the horizons of what I can achieve. If you ARE a photographer who's a Photoshop beginner, I'd take very seriously the advice Blake gives in the introduction: Watch one lesson, and practice the skills and principles you learn in that one lesson for two weeks. THEN watch the next lesson. You can't do that of course without buying the course, so it's up to you to decide whether you'd like to learn Photoshop and master Photoshop all from the same course. Learning it first and mastering it later will cost more money, but I think you'll understand everything better and have a much more enjoyable ride in the process. As for me? I'm going to have to find the money to buy this course. There is simply way too much content in each lesson for me to try to take on all at once, but on the other hand I don't want to miss anything at all that he has to share.

Esther Gambrell
 

WOW!!! I've been purchasing CL classes for several years now and have watched HOURS of "How-To Photoshop" classes, but this is the first one I've actually purchased because of the AWESOME BONUS content!!! SERIOUSLY??!!?!? A PLUG-IN??? But not only that, Blake is SO easy to understand, and he breaks down concepts in different ways to connect with different people's learning styles. I REALLY appreciated this approach because I am a LEFT-BRAINED creative that has an engineering background, so I really connected to what Blake was saying. THANK YOU FOR THAT! There are TONS of Photoshop courses out there, but I found this one to be the most helpful in they way Blake teaches concepts so that you know WHY you're doing what your doing. I feel like he taught me how to fish with Photoshop to feed me for a lifetime instead of just giving me a fish to feed me for one day. This is the BEST overall PS course out there!!! Thank you!!!!

Sonya Messier
 

I'm been using Bridge, Adobe Raw and Photoshop for 12 years. I thought I knew those programs until I started to follow Blake and do this Photoshop CC Bootcamp. This course is AMAZING. I love the way Blake teach, brakes down concepts and tools... excellent teaching qualities! I'm half way in this course and I change all my workflow already. Much better results and better use of what Adobe offer me. This course is an investment! When I will be done, I will listen it again. Great job and congratulations on your success Blake!