UNDERSTANDING LAYER MASKS

[Flora]

Hi discinque,

Welcome to RP!

Originally Posted by discinque

They say the best way to be a successful teacher is to have a really dense student <raises hand>.

...Thank you so much for your help in teaching me how to be a better teacher ....

Originally Posted by discinque

On the discription for Image 4 the last line states to fill the layer with a color of your choice. Image 4 points to the little icon under the layers...

Right, my mistake, what happened there is that I put the description for Image 4 on the wrong line .... the little icon under the Layers is the 'Create a New Layer' Icon, as explained in the small tip that appears if you keep your pointer on it for a couple of seconds .... Thanks for pointing it out ... I have corrected my mistake in the tutorial, replaced Image 4 and added a couple of images.

Originally Posted by discinque

after playing with that (and cleverly using "layer properties" to change the layer bar blue...)

By using the Layer Properties, you are only Color Coding layers and/or layer sets which "makes it easier to locate related layers in the Layers palette." (PS Help file).
As I'm sure you've noticed, Color Coding a Layer doesn't colour the whole Layer bar (and not only light blue since you can choose different colours for it), but only the left most part of it (where the eye icon is..) and Color coded Layers can be active or not ... What actually coloured your whole Layer bar 'deep' blue was the fact that to get to the Layer Properties Options you had to click on/activate your Layer as described in my first list point after Image 3. "Click on/activate your Background".

Originally Posted by discinque

I finally realized I should use the Fill tool... ? is that right?

Right ... The Fill Tool is one way to fill a Layer ....

Originally Posted by discinque

Also - for some reason - "Create Background Copy" isn't a choice when right-clicking Background.

... By right clicking on a Layer you don't get the "Create Background Copy" option ... you get the 'Duplicate Layer/Background' option, definition used in my first list point just before Image 3 .... which actually 'Creates a Layer (X) Copy' or a 'Background Copy' if you right click on your background .... (see attachment)

Originally Posted by discinque

I found that if you drag the Background to the "Create a New Layer" icon it makes the Background Copy - is there another way to do it?

.... Right again ... The 'right-Click' and the 'Drag to the "Create a New Layer" ' methods are only two of the different ways to duplicate/make a copy of any Layer .... all methods described in the PS Help file.

Hope this helps.

What I'd like to add is that I'm sorry if my mistakes or lack of 'detailed' descriptions on some points might have misled someone, but my Tutorial was intended for helping with Layer Masks and for Layer Masks 'Beginners' .... not for helping with the basic usage of Tools, Options, Menus and Keyboard-Shortcuts in PS which are described much better than I could ever do in the Photoshop Help file available to anyone using PS.

[hpycmpr]

Thanks for one excellent tutorial, it fills in many gaps. One small suggestion though. When saving this tutorial in WinXP with Save As, the file name shows up as "tutorials" which I have to replace with something like "layer_mask_tutorial". This is a fairly common problem with saving web pages, here and elsewhere. I think it can be fixed in web design, and can benefit many downloaders.

[Flora]

Hi hpycmpr,

Thank you so much for your kind words!!!

Originally Posted by hpycmpr

... One small suggestion though. When saving this tutorial in WinXP with Save As, the file name shows up as "tutorials" which I have to replace with something like "layer_mask_tutorial". This is a fairly common problem with saving web pages, here and elsewhere. I think it can be fixed in web design, and can benefit many downloaders.

I know exactly what you mean... ...and I couldn't agree more .... but I have no influence whatsoever on it ... Maybe Doug Nelson, our Administrator, could change it ....
What I do is select and copy the title of the tutorial while on its page and paste it on the 'save as' window ...

[nebgranny]

Hello Flora: As I read through the tutorial I could not help but think about the time you must have put into prepareing it. All the screen shots , the written explainations. the time to upload and all for the sake of helping people learn.

My heartfelt thanks to you for your kind and very helpful postings here. Your work is an inspiration to me and I am sure many others, your attitude shines through your posts to help people needing assistance. I am grateful to you and the many others who give of their time to help those of us wanting to learn photoshop. I also say a special thank you to Doug for making this site available to us.
Nebgranny

[Flora]

hpycmpr,

I've asked 'higher up' ... ... there doesn't seem to be a way to control it in a satisfactory way ....

nebgranny,

*Thank you* very much for your kind words!!!

[hpycmpr]

Flora, thanks for following up. The naming for downloading is just a small inconvenience compared to what your tutorials have to offer. And I don't mean to pick on you. <g> Some sites' pages manage to get this right, so all I can say is it can be done. Let's move forward.

[Canna W]

Many thanks for you wonderful tutorial - which is beautifully written. It really makes you want to move on.

I'm working with Elements 2 and a masking layer plug-in from

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pse...layermasks.htm

In your tutorial I got up to the para under image 12, but had problems bringing back the marching ants - I suspect I can't with do this with a plug-in.

I also don't have a Selective Colours Adjustment Layer - but presume I could get round this by using an adjustment layer with hue/saturation/colourization?

I suspect I will need to get rid of the plug in, and use Margaret's helpful method instead. It would be so good to be able to work right through with your tutorial though.

I just wondered if it might be negotiable?

Either way, your exercises have helped enormously.

All best wishes, & thanks again.

Caroline

[Flora]

Hi Caroline,

Welcome to RP!

Thank you for your feedback!

So glad you liked the Tutorial and found it useful ....

Since I've never worked with PSE, I can't help you with the problem you are having re-selecting from the mask itself ....

Why don't you try posting your question in our Photoshop Elements Q&A Forum ? .... I'm sure someone will be able to help you there ....

[Canna W]

Hi Flora,

I have just got in touch with another forum about this, & think I will now be able to get on with the rest of the tutorial.

Thanks again (lots),

Caroline.

[Flora]

So glad you found help!!

Take care ...

[MrChevy]

Nice tutorial on using layers Flora.

I have found, that for me, using CTRL J (CMD J on an Apple I believe it is) to duplicate layers works quickly.

Sometimes I want a selection to be on its own layer and using CTRL J on the selection will put just the selection on a new layer. Of course you, being the Guru you are, know all those tricks, but maybe someone reading this thread wasn't aware of that way of doing something and it will benefit them.

Again, thanks for a fine tutorial Flora.

[Flora]

Hi ken,

If I haven't done it yet,

Welcome to RP!

Thank you so much for your feedback and kindest words ...

.... and thank you so much for your help!!!

I'm sure a lot of people will be very thankful!!!