Section 44. Create Cutouts and Masks


44. Create Cutouts and Masks

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

SEE ALSO

Open Photos in PhotoSuite

Color Correct a Photo

Clean and Fix a Damaged Photo

Use the Clone Brush

Add Special Effects to a Photo


What exactly is a mask? Think of it as a stencil. A mask is simply a way of selecting part of a photo or photo project in order to edit it separately from the rest of the photo. The portion of the project that is not masked can be changed, while the mask blocks the rest of the photo from the edits. You can add flood fills, color corrections, or special effects to only certain areas in your photo this way.

Key Term

Mask An area that overlays part of an image like a stencil so the effects applied to the rest of the image do not apply to the masked portion of the image.

You can also create cutouts to use individually or to place in other pictures. A cutout is just what it sounds likeit has the same effect as taking a pair of scissors to a picture and cutting an object or shape out of it.

Key Term

Cutout An area of an image that has been cut from a larger area.

Several options in creating the shape of the mask give you quite a bit of versatility in what you would like to select, whether you want to ripple every red in your photo, or simply cut a person out of one photo and place her into another photo.

Create Cutouts and Masks


Select Photo from Open Files Window

From within PhotoSuite, choose the photo to create a mask on from the Open Files window at the bottom of the screen and bring it up in the Canvas window.

Select the All Tab

Select the All tab at the top of the tasks pane to open all of your editing options.

Choose the Type of Mask

In creating a mask for your photo, you have several types of mask to choose from:

  • Mask/Cutout by Shape In order to create a mask in a specific shape, click on the Mask/Cutout by Shape button in the Tools menu. This brings up the Mask/Cutout by Shape window. From the window, choose the shape you would like to use for the mask. Don't forget to use the up and down arrows to see a full selection of shapes from which to choose. After you have selected the shape you like, click the Add selected shape button. This places the mask onto your photo. You can use the handles to drag the shape to your desired size and place it in the right spot on the photo.

  • Freehand Mask/Cutout You can choose any shape you want by drawing your mask freehand. This can be as precise as you want if you are patient and your hand is steady. Click on the Freehand Mask/Cutout button in the Tools menu. This brings up the Freehand Mask/Cutout window.

    To create the mask, simply click anywhere inside your picture and begin to draw with your mouse. To pause or to set a point, click again. The dotted line follows your mouse until you are finished, but it won't stick until you click again.

    You must completely surround an area and click directly on your start point before the mask is completed.

  • Mask/Cutout by Color If you have a particular color or set of colors in your photo that you would like to select, click on the Mask/Cutout by Color button to bring up the Mask/Cutout by Color window. From within this window you are given a magic wand. Set the tolerance level for the colors you would like to choose and hold the left mouse key down while you drag the wand over the color or colors to select. Be patient when you are finished; it takes a few seconds for the computer to process the color information and create the mask.

    Tip

    A great way to clean up areas of color that you did or did not want to select using the Mask/Cutout by Color tool is to open the Freehand Mask/Cutout tool and manually select the areas to add or subtract from your selection.


  • Mask/Cutout Edge Tracing This tool differs from the Freehand tool because it only selects in straight lines. Click on the Mask/Cutout Edge Tracing tool in the Tools menu to bring up the window. Click on the place in your photo where you would like to begin the tracing. Each time you click, you can change the direction of the line. Click several times in a row to go around corners.

    You must completely surround an area and click directly on your start point before the mask is completed. After you have clicked back onto your start point, each point that you clicked on becomes a handle that you can edit individually. When you are satisfied with your selection, click on the Done tracing box to create the mask.

Add to or Subtract from Selection

In each category of mask you have to choose from, you are given the option to Combine with current selection or Subtract from current selection. You can do this in the window that you are using, or you can choose another type of mask to add to or subtract from your selection. In this example, I have inverted the first shape and added another shape to the selection.

Set Edge Fading

Set the edge fading to increase the transparency of the edges by using the Edge Fading slide bar. This allows a limited amount of any changes you make to bleed out of the edges of the selection.

Reset the Selection

To remove any masks you have created, click the Reset button at any time. This allows you to start over if you are unsatisfied with the selections you have made.

Invert the Selection

At any time during the masking process, you can invert the selection by clicking on the Invert Selection button. Remember that it is the portion of the picture that you can see that is selected, and that the selected areas are the areas that will be changed. So if I applied a special effect to this photo, the star and the area outside of the circle would be affected by the change. To change the opposite area, click on the Invert Selection button.

Create Mask Or...

When you are finished creating your mask, close the window. Do not click on the Create Cutout button unless that is what you want to do. Closing the window is sufficient to create the mask. The mask no longer appears as grey shading, but as a dotted line.

...Create Cutout

If you would like to create a cutout of the selected areas, click Create Cutout. You are given several options:

  • Cut it out This option cuts the selected area out completely, deleting the other areas within the photo.

  • Create a new object This option copies the selected area and creates a new object within the canvas that contains the selected areas. The photo behind the new object is still a complete picture.

  • Cookie-cut it out This option cuts out the selected area, but does not delete the unselected areas, creating two objects. The photo behind the new object will have a hole in it where the cutout was created.

  • Save masked area to a file You can save your cutouts to a file so you can use them later. This way you have the option of bringing them into other photos or photo projects to create a collage.

Tip

You can revert to the last saved version of your photo at any time by clicking on the File drop-down menu and selecting Revert to Last Saved. This removes any changes you have not saved, and you can start over.





Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 In a Snap
Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 in a Snap
ISBN: 0672328658
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 171

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