PS CS2 Layer Mask Tutorial

[NikonErik]

This technique was very confusing to me the first time I tried to use it. I stuck with it and it now is one of the techniques I use most often to control where my effects are applied, and how layers interact.

I used Adobe Photoshop CS2 on a PC. This tutorial will very likely apply just as well on a Mac system.

Below, please find the base image that I used for this tutorial. Feel free to copy it so you may follow along:



This is a Gibson Les Paul that I sold to buy my D70s . . . Trust me; I'm a much better photographer than musician!

Open the base image in Photoshop and make sure you have the Levels window open. If you do not, then in the tool bar at the top, go to Window>Layers (or press F7 ?I think) to open it.

In the layers window you'll see a tiny version of your image that says background. Somewhere next to the word "background" right-click and select Duplicate Layer. You can name the layer if you want (a good habit). Click OK.

Notice that the new layer is highlighted in the layers window. That's the activated one. You can click on any layer to activate it. Only the activated layer will change when you apply effects and modifications . . .

In the Tool bar at the top go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. In the next window I entered a Radius of 3.0 for this demonstration.




The image looks ruined, but not for long . . . Now we have to remove the blur from just the Les Paul body . . . We need to paint a mask for this blur layer that keeps the blur off of the guitar body.

[NikonErik]

Now we have to create the mask that will allow the guitar to shine through. Click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the layer window. It's the one that looks like a piece of paper with a hole in the middle of it.

You'll notice the white box that appears next to the layer picture in the window. That is now the active portion of the layer. Click on the little picture next to it and back. You'll see what I mean.

If a layer mask is active, like it should be now, all of your painting tools work a little differently in that they will only paint black or white. This may seem like something you don't want, but you'll see the magic in a moment! I usually only use the brush tool to paint the layer mask, but the bucket, gradient, smudge tools etc. will work too.

So before we continue, lets take inventory. Your background layer is nice and sharp. Your top layer is blurry as can be. You are ready to remove the blur from the guitar body, but leave the furry case and the other background elements alone.

You do this by painting black over the guitar body in the layer mask. Black became the default color when you created the layer mask, so all you have to do is select the brush size, and softness that you are comfortable working with.

(The circular thing in the middle of the guitar is my brush. Also, you can see I was painting with 100% white when I took this screenshot.)


So paint away! When I got to the neck of the guitar I changed the opacity of the brush to 25% -You'll find that setting at the top pf the Photoshop window. This way I can carefully control the look of how the blur fades-in as you look down the neck of the Les Paul. What's cool about using an opacity like this is that you can keep painting and the "paint" builds-up getting darker . . . the darker it is the more it blocks the effect!

If you make any mistakes you can Undo, or better yet, clean up with white or an opposite opacity . . . .

[NikonErik]

At this point I like to "Save As" a .psd and give it a name like Les Paul v1 (as in "version 1") Once I do that, I right-click the background layer in the layer window and select Flatten Image. Right click it again and Duplicate Layer.

This time we are going to create a B&W layer above the color layer in the background and just like before, we'll use a mask to reveal the color body of the guitar only.


The above image has most of what you need to know at this point. You'll notice that by performing step one above, you'll automatically get a layer mask ready to go. You don't have to paint anything in the mask. You can certainly leave it white. In fact, many of the most useful adjustments are in the "pie button" ready to go. With a creative use of the layer masks and the menu of items in the pie button, you can do lots!

So paint away the B&W layer to reveal the Cherry Sunburst pattern in this classic Gibson Les Paul guitar . . .

[NikonErik]

Hopefully you'll have something like my final image, or even better. Personally, I feel that this image needs more work, and was a quick and dirty job. I would have spent more time creatng the mask more carefully in the edges, but I think it's fine for our purposes.

Lastly: Photoshop is amazing in the multitude of ways a user can do things. Notice the two masks we painted in this tutorial were essentially the same. There is a way to save the mask after you make it the first time so you can re-apply it later without having to paint it again . . . but that's for another tutorial.

-Erik

Please post Questions/Comments below.

[Kathryn69]

I am always looking for good info on how to do masking in Photoshop. I need to mask images that sometimes take too much time because maybe there is HAIR or some mass detail I need to put a mask around. I am going to print out your tutorial, its very helpful. Thanks

[Man1c M0g]

Very nice tutorial! Its now online over at BioRUST.com :: Tutorials >> Layer Masks

Many thanks!