Iankahler Loc: Seattle WA

So... thanks to the many folks who stepped up to help me in the recent thread on understanding masks.
I am getting the idea of how this works now.
I am still, however, in the hunt and peck stage of this process as there seems to be still mysteries to be solved. I need to go back to my notes and get a better understanding on how to manipulate... aka navigate thru the layers.
I have found an excellent tutorial on using layers, but this dude talks so dang softly I am going to have to invest in a good set of earbuds to hopefully hear what he is saying LOL.

Anyway.... just sharing... and thx again to all the folks who helped me get a little further with this masking and layers scenario.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

On mask...

Something not publicized but that influences the results...

A mask is applied AFTER an edit. The result is a possible bleeding when using some filters.

ahudina Loc: Browns Point, WA

You indicate you found an excellent tutorial on layers, would you be kind enough to provide either a link or the name of the tutorial for those of us also struggling a bit?

Iankahler Loc: Seattle WA

certainly.... here ya go

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Learn+How+to+Use+Photoshop+Elements+12&&view=detail&list=K%2bH2uPXoUJ2%2bbQ&FORM=VRPPLA

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

I'm glad to hear that you are starting to make progress. As you experiment and try different things you will gain confidence and ability. As some wise old guy once said, "A journey of a thousand miles...................".

JD750 Loc: SoCal

What was that thread?

The concept of masks makes sense to me but I struggle with the software’s implementation of masks.

Iankahler Loc: Seattle WA

right here JD750

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-582477-1.html

Iankahler Loc: Seattle WA

ok so here it is.... the way I see it.
I have read so many tutorials over the lest few days.... and I am still at square one.
I have made almost ZERO progress.
To some of you it is a simple 5 minute task and off you go and create wonderful exciting images.
For the rest of us... I quote Joshua Johnson. " The term mask isn't immediately understandable to someone outside the realm of graphic design"

Well... that is where I am gonna leave it.
I am going to stick to just plain old regular photography, and to hell with this "realm of graphic design".
I have made myself sick... literally... trying to understand the concept.
I will never understand it... I will never "own it."
There are a lot of values in Photoshop that serve me well.

I even understand layers, in that I can do quite a lot of processes.

But dare I cross over that line to masks???

Like I said in the other thread... it is time for me to draw the line in the sand.
It would appear to make a tiny bit of sense for a very brief moment, and then the next time I try something … or the same process; no matter what I do there is just a mass of confusion and no direction.

I will never understand masks... so in my world... there is no point in continuing with this absolutely unreachable goal.

If you guys out there can understand it... then good. Like I said before my brain is wired differently and so there is not now, and never will be, any connection to that reality for me.

Ian

Rongnongno Loc: FL

I'll write a simple tutorial on this.

Most of what you have seen is likely the source of your confusion.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Thank you for the link.

Like I said the concept is simple but the software implementation is more complex. A mask is a layer.

Suppose you lay a print of a portrait on at table. Now take a piece of white cardboard, the same size as the print, cut a heart out of the center of it and and lay it over the print. You have masked off the print except where the heart is cut out of the cardboard. That is the mask. That is the basic concept.

Now suppose you remove the cardboard and put a piece of clear plastic over the print. Now you take colored pens and draw a heart on the plastic, and fill in the area outside the heart. That is also a mask.

In Photoshop the types of masks above, are called layer masks. A black mask hides the layer below, a white mask reveals the layer below. You can cut out the mask using the selection tools. You remove the white mask, to hide it, and you remove the black mask to erase it. You can also paint on the masks to remove them.

Suppose you create an adjustment layer, say exposure, and kick it up +2 , so it is brighter. But you don’t want the entire frame to be brighter by +2. So you can put a black layer mask over it, to hide the increased exposure everywhere. Then you can paint over the mask to remove the mask in the areas you want to be brighter.

So it’s simple in concept but actually doing it in the software is a little harder. Start with simple images and try a few simple things. Once you understand thy something new. That is the best way to learn it.

Adobe has a nice set of tutorials on masks at the following link:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/how-to/layer-mask.html