Lessons
Class Introduction
03:50 2Why Not Erase or Delete?
05:27 3Add a Mask
07:13 4Make a Mask From a Selection
04:18 5Select & Mask
07:33 6Automatic Masks
06:21 7The Magic of Overlay
09:39 8Mask with Paste Into
10:31Lesson Info
Mask with Properties Panel
it's not really related to a layer mask, but I want to mention it because there are times where it's just easier to use for certain situations. So, for example, if I wanted to take this photograph and put it, we never seen ah photo inside text, so the word looks like it's filled with a photo. I could do that by taking my type tool and making a selection out of it. So let's just call it do this big so I could do it this way. I could make a selection of this Anytime you have something on a layer. If you command or control, click on it. It will make it a selection that I could come back to this one and hit the mass button announced. Add some layer below. You can see it, so tell that I have type photo inside type. The problem is, if someone says who I like that But can you change? The answer is no. Can you change the font? No. Can you spell differently? No, because it's not type anymore, right? It's just a bunch of black and white pixels that masked it. So in a one shot deal, it's fine, bu...
t from a long term edit ability standpoint, it's not very effective. Okay, so we're gonna throw that away. So instead, there is a function in photo shops. Don't do that. Usually when you delete a mask, you want to make sure you're actually deleting it. Okay, here we go. So this thing in photo shop was called a clipping mask, and the only part that throws people off a little bit is I want the photo to be in effect, clipped by the type. So the type is gonna create the mask. So want to do that? The way it works is the photo layer has to be above. She was have to unlock it the type player, so temporarily the type will be invisible on your screen. But in the layers panel, you could still see it's there. So you just have to make sure the order of the layers is whatever's doing, the clipping is below. Whatever's being clip is above. So then you just go the layer menu, and she was create clipping mask. And once again, let's put a white layer below us. You can see what's happening, but the difference is this is still type, uh, cool. So this means we have unlimited ability to still edit the type, and the photos still separates if I want to reposition inside. And if we had more time, I show you how we could put a different photo inside each letter, which just means a whole bunch of layers pile on top each other. But we don't have quite that much time, but that's kind of the point of where as great as a layer mask is the one exception Where I wouldn't use it is with type, because if you make a mask based on type, it's a one shot deal. It's just now black and white pixels that look suspiciously like type, but it isn't live type. So anything where you have any kind of shape, whether it's a type or any other layer, that's a shape base layer, and you want to have the ability to continue edit that shape. That's where a clipping mask comes in so temptingly it's not a layer mask, but the net result is very similar, cause it's still hiding, but it's hiding based on shape, not based on shades of gray. Thank, and there's a place for both, depending on what you're doing. Sometimes it makes better sense to do one or the other for me as soon as type is involved. This is the way to go. Because I don't. I'd hate to do all this work and make a mask of having someone say, Oh, can you change the current ing? No, but here I can. It's still life type, so you can change everything about the type, whatever you want.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
artmaltman
Dave Cross is a superb teacher and this is a superb class. Very clear explanations, well organized, and the demonstrations are spot on. I thought that I already understood masking but really I had just scratched the surface of the topic. Learned a lot of useful techniques. Thanks Dave!
a Creativelive Student
Dave is an amazing instructor and even though this is for beginners he takes you to intermediate. Amazing class learned and learned. Thank you!!!
Tony Walker
Enjoyed the course. Now that I am of an age where I tend to forget more than I remember having this course will help when I want to mask something. I can always come back to a specific video for a reminder. How many folks out there follow a tutorial and think great, then a week later you go back and say how on earth did I do that. Having access to this course is great especially if you are not photoshopping everyday.