{"id":1107,"date":"2017-06-11T05:27:28","date_gmt":"2017-06-11T09:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/chapter\/11-2-exercise-2-saving-a-selection-on-a-layer-mask\/"},"modified":"2020-09-27T16:36:15","modified_gmt":"2020-09-27T20:36:15","slug":"11-2-exercise-2-saving-a-selection-on-a-layer-mask","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/chapter\/11-2-exercise-2-saving-a-selection-on-a-layer-mask\/","title":{"raw":"11.2 Exercise 2: Saving a selection on a layer mask","rendered":"11.2 Exercise 2: Saving a selection on a layer mask"},"content":{"raw":"Important Note:<\/strong> The remaining exercises have many steps, so make sure to save your work often as you step through. You don\u2019t want to risk having to start over if Photoshop\u00ae crashes while you\u2019re working!<\/em>\n
    \n \t
  1. To start this exercise, make sure you have loaded the left mustache selection from your Alpha Channel.<\/li>\n \t
  2. Duplicate the selected pixels into a new layer by pressing Cmd+J on your keyboard (or you could copy and paste using the Edit menu or Cmd+C and Cmd+V key commands).<\/li>\n \t
  3. Rename the Background layer to \u201coriginal image\u201d and the copied Layer 1 to \u201cleft mustache\u201d.\n\"Screen<\/li>\n \t
  4. Make sure that \u201cleft mustache\u201d is your active layer. Use the Move Tool to position the mustache on the left side of the cat\u2019s face.\n\"Using\n
    Watch Out:<\/em> If the left mustache layer was not active (highlighted) you may have moved the layer containing the original image. Make sure the layer that you want to edit is active before editing.<\/div>\nNow we\u2019ll rotate the mustache to match the angle of the cat\u2019s head. Use Edit > Free Transform<\/strong> (or Cmd+T) to activate the transformation bounding box. Before you start rotating, move the Free Transform\u2019s reference point from the center of the bounding box to the right end of the mustache by clicking and dragging the center crosshairs as shown below. This will allow you to rotate from that point instead of from the center of the layer\u2019s pixels. Rotate the mustache and press the Enter key on your keyboard to finalize the transformation.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_476\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"887\"]\"Sequence 1) Click and drag the Transform bounding box\u2019s reference point; 2) position the reference point over the right end of the mustache; 3) rotate the mustache into position. (Your movement coordinates and rotation angle don\u2019t have to match the numbers in the images.)[\/caption]\n\nFinally, add a Levels Adjustment Layer and clip it to the left mustache layer. Adjust the levels to make the mustache darker. We will add a final adjustment for contrast at the end of this exercise, but making this adjustment now will make our next steps easier to see.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_477\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"559\"]\"Adding Darken the cat\u2019s mustache with a clipped Levels Adjustment layer so that it\u2019s easier to see.[\/caption]\n\n <\/li>\n \t
  5. Now we will add a mask to the left mustache layer in order to further refine how the layer blends with the original image. Make sure the \u201cleft mustache\u201d layer is your active layer, then add a layer mask by clicking on the Add Layer Mask button<\/strong> in the bottom of the Layers Panel.\n\"Screen<\/li>\n \t
  6. Zoom in to at least 100% before editing the mask. Notice that the layer mask\u2019s thumbnail icon in the Layers Panel is white (everything on the layer is revealed) by default.The mask is currently active in the Layers Panel. Remember, you can tell which part of the layer is active \u2013 the content or the mask \u2013 by the white brackets framing around corners of the icon for the active layer component.\n
    Tip: Click on the icon of the layer content or the layer mask to activate either layer component.<\/div>\nNow we will blend the edges of the mustache using the Brush Tool<\/strong> on the layer mask. This will make the mustache appear more realistic on the cat\u2019s face. Click on the Brush Tool in the Tool Panel (or press the B key on your keyboard), then get set up with the following steps:\n
      \n \t
    • Make sure black is set as your foreground color. Black will be used on the mask to hide parts of the layer content.<\/li>\n \t
    • Use Window > Brush<\/strong> to show the Brush Panel. Adjust your Brush settings to a big, soft brush. We set our brush size to 40 pixels with a\u00a020% hardness. We also find that setting the Spacing to 1% results in a much smoother painting experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\"Screen\n\nNow, paint just around the edges of the mustache with the edge of the Brush Tool brushing against the edge of the mustache. You may need to increase or decrease your brush size while painting \u2013 remember that you can use the ] key to increase brush size and the [ key to decrease.\n
      Tip:<\/em> In Photoshop\u00ae Preferences (press Cmd+K), go to the Cursors settings and select \u201cFull Size Brush Tip\u201d under \u201cPainting Cursors\u201d. This will show a more accurate brush cursor when using a soft brush and will make it easier to tell where your brush edge is, including the soft fade.<\/div>\n \n\n[caption id=\"attachment_481\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"597\"]\"Screen Use a soft brush in your layer mask to clean up the edges of the mustache[\/caption]\n\n <\/li>\n \t
    • When you have finished painting into your layer mask and are satisfied with your blending of the mustache edges, zoom out to \u201cFit on Screen\u201d viewing mode by using Cmd+0 and then view the image with and without the layer mask. Shft+click on the mask icon to disable the mask. Then Shft+click again on the mask icon to enable it. This is a way that you can check how much of a difference your mask has made compared to the unmasked layer.\n\"Layer \"Layer<\/li>\n \t
    • View the mask in the document window by Alt\/Opt+clicking on the mask icon in the Layers Panel. While it is possible to edit the mask with black or white paint in this mode too, it\u2019s not very helpful without being able to see the effects of editing the mask with the image visible. To restore your view to Standard Editing Mode, simply click on the layer\u2019s content thumbnail icon.\n\"View<\/li>\n \t
    • Now for the true test: repeat all of the steps in both exercises with the other half of the mustache! You should end up with something like the image below.\n\"Result<\/li>\n \t
    • Once again, repeat these steps for the eyes. Use the Ellipse Selection tool to select one of Dali\u2019s eyes. Then hold Shft while selecting the other eye with the same tool. Make the \u201coriginal image\u201d layer active by clicking on it. Press Cmd+J to float the selected eyes to a new layer. Rename the layer \u201ceyes\u201d and position it as the topmost layer.\n\"Selection\n
      Tip:<\/em> If you see a warning that says \u201cCould not make a new layer from the selection because the selected area is empty.\u201d then you probably did not make the correct layer active before pasting or floating.<\/div>\n <\/li>\n \t
    • With your \u201ceyes\u201d layer active, use the Move Tool<\/strong> to position the eyes onto the cat\u2019s face. You will have to select each eye individually to move it into place and use Edit > Free Transform<\/strong> to rotate it. Add a layer mask and use black paint to hide the edges of the eyes.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_488\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"760\"]\"Copy Okay, now things are getting weird.[\/caption]<\/li>\n<\/ol>","rendered":"

      Important Note:<\/strong> The remaining exercises have many steps, so make sure to save your work often as you step through. You don\u2019t want to risk having to start over if Photoshop\u00ae crashes while you\u2019re working!<\/em><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. To start this exercise, make sure you have loaded the left mustache selection from your Alpha Channel.<\/li>\n
      2. Duplicate the selected pixels into a new layer by pressing Cmd+J on your keyboard (or you could copy and paste using the Edit menu or Cmd+C and Cmd+V key commands).<\/li>\n
      3. Rename the Background layer to \u201coriginal image\u201d and the copied Layer 1 to \u201cleft mustache\u201d.
        \n\"Screen<\/li>\n
      4. Make sure that \u201cleft mustache\u201d is your active layer. Use the Move Tool to position the mustache on the left side of the cat\u2019s face.
        \n\"Using<\/p>\n
        Watch Out:<\/em> If the left mustache layer was not active (highlighted) you may have moved the layer containing the original image. Make sure the layer that you want to edit is active before editing.<\/div>\n

        Now we\u2019ll rotate the mustache to match the angle of the cat\u2019s head. Use Edit > Free Transform<\/strong> (or Cmd+T) to activate the transformation bounding box. Before you start rotating, move the Free Transform\u2019s reference point from the center of the bounding box to the right end of the mustache by clicking and dragging the center crosshairs as shown below. This will allow you to rotate from that point instead of from the center of the layer\u2019s pixels. Rotate the mustache and press the Enter key on your keyboard to finalize the transformation.<\/p>\n

        \"Sequence
        1) Click and drag the Transform bounding box\u2019s reference point; 2) position the reference point over the right end of the mustache; 3) rotate the mustache into position. (Your movement coordinates and rotation angle don\u2019t have to match the numbers in the images.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        Finally, add a Levels Adjustment Layer and clip it to the left mustache layer. Adjust the levels to make the mustache darker. We will add a final adjustment for contrast at the end of this exercise, but making this adjustment now will make our next steps easier to see.<\/p>\n

        \"Adding
        Darken the cat\u2019s mustache with a clipped Levels Adjustment layer so that it\u2019s easier to see.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

         <\/li>\n

      5. Now we will add a mask to the left mustache layer in order to further refine how the layer blends with the original image. Make sure the \u201cleft mustache\u201d layer is your active layer, then add a layer mask by clicking on the Add Layer Mask button<\/strong> in the bottom of the Layers Panel.
        \n\"Screen<\/li>\n
      6. Zoom in to at least 100% before editing the mask. Notice that the layer mask\u2019s thumbnail icon in the Layers Panel is white (everything on the layer is revealed) by default.The mask is currently active in the Layers Panel. Remember, you can tell which part of the layer is active \u2013 the content or the mask \u2013 by the white brackets framing around corners of the icon for the active layer component.\n
        Tip: Click on the icon of the layer content or the layer mask to activate either layer component.<\/div>\n

        Now we will blend the edges of the mustache using the Brush Tool<\/strong> on the layer mask. This will make the mustache appear more realistic on the cat\u2019s face. Click on the Brush Tool in the Tool Panel (or press the B key on your keyboard), then get set up with the following steps:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Make sure black is set as your foreground color. Black will be used on the mask to hide parts of the layer content.<\/li>\n
        • Use Window > Brush<\/strong> to show the Brush Panel. Adjust your Brush settings to a big, soft brush. We set our brush size to 40 pixels with a\u00a020% hardness. We also find that setting the Spacing to 1% results in a much smoother painting experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \"Screen<\/p>\n

          Now, paint just around the edges of the mustache with the edge of the Brush Tool brushing against the edge of the mustache. You may need to increase or decrease your brush size while painting \u2013 remember that you can use the ] key to increase brush size and the [ key to decrease.<\/p>\n

          Tip:<\/em> In Photoshop\u00ae Preferences (press Cmd+K), go to the Cursors settings and select \u201cFull Size Brush Tip\u201d under \u201cPainting Cursors\u201d. This will show a more accurate brush cursor when using a soft brush and will make it easier to tell where your brush edge is, including the soft fade.<\/div>\n

           <\/p>\n

          \"Screen
          Use a soft brush in your layer mask to clean up the edges of the mustache<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

           <\/li>\n

        • When you have finished painting into your layer mask and are satisfied with your blending of the mustache edges, zoom out to \u201cFit on Screen\u201d viewing mode by using Cmd+0 and then view the image with and without the layer mask. Shft+click on the mask icon to disable the mask. Then Shft+click again on the mask icon to enable it. This is a way that you can check how much of a difference your mask has made compared to the unmasked layer.
          \n\"Layer \"Layer<\/li>\n
        • View the mask in the document window by Alt\/Opt+clicking on the mask icon in the Layers Panel. While it is possible to edit the mask with black or white paint in this mode too, it\u2019s not very helpful without being able to see the effects of editing the mask with the image visible. To restore your view to Standard Editing Mode, simply click on the layer\u2019s content thumbnail icon.
          \n\"View<\/li>\n
        • Now for the true test: repeat all of the steps in both exercises with the other half of the mustache! You should end up with something like the image below.
          \n\"Result<\/li>\n
        • Once again, repeat these steps for the eyes. Use the Ellipse Selection tool to select one of Dali\u2019s eyes. Then hold Shft while selecting the other eye with the same tool. Make the \u201coriginal image\u201d layer active by clicking on it. Press Cmd+J to float the selected eyes to a new layer. Rename the layer \u201ceyes\u201d and position it as the topmost layer.
          \n\"Selection<\/p>\n
          Tip:<\/em> If you see a warning that says \u201cCould not make a new layer from the selection because the selected area is empty.\u201d then you probably did not make the correct layer active before pasting or floating.<\/div>\n

           <\/li>\n

        • With your \u201ceyes\u201d layer active, use the Move Tool<\/strong> to position the eyes onto the cat\u2019s face. You will have to select each eye individually to move it into place and use Edit > Free Transform<\/strong> to rotate it. Add a layer mask and use black paint to hide the edges of the eyes.
          \n
          \"Copy
          Okay, now things are getting weird.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["xtine-burrough","michael-mandiberg"],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc-sa"},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[65,64],"license":[56],"class_list":["post-1107","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless","contributor-michael-mandiberg","contributor-xtine-burrough","license-cc-by-nc-sa"],"part":1081,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1108,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1107\/revisions\/1108"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/1081"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1107\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1107"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1107"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/designandproductionforpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}