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Creating and Using Masks I: Heartbeat
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Creating and Using Masks I: Heartbeat
Created by: Advanced Web Design

 
Masks are a kind of stencil used to protect your image while you apply effects and colors.
 
Download the attachments for this tutorial  Download File
For this tutorial you'll need the attached image provided with the download file on the left.
 
Standard Toolbar - New (image) button Create a new image, size = 200 x 100 pixels, white background, 16 million colors.
 
Foreground/Background Color Palette Choose Red as your foreground color.
 

Tool Palette - Text tool 		Click on the Text tool in your Tool palette. Select a nice fat font, size 48 and type the word "Heart" in the text box. Click on OK and center the text in your image. Deselect the text by right-clicking into your image.
 
Standard Toolbar - Open (image) button Open "/tutorial/html/tutbasic/heartbeat.jpg" from your download. Go to Colors || Greyscale.
 

Go to Masks || New || From Image:
– Source window = This window
– Source luminance = selected
– Invert mask data = checked

Click on OK. Then go to Masks || Save To Disk. In the "Save Mask Channel" dialog box, name this mask "heartbeat.msk" and click on "Save". Now close the mask image without saving it and make the Heart image active again by clicking on the blue bar of the image window.
 

Layer Palette - Create layer button

In the Layer palette, click on the New Layer icon and click on OK in the dialog window.

Go to Masks || Load From Disk. Select the "heartbeat.msk" file and click on Open.
 
Your mask is now on the second layer of your image. You cannot see it until you start to paint. If you want to view the mask, click on Masks || View Mask. The white area is where you will be able to paint. The colored area will be where the mask will cover your image.
 
Foreground/Background Color Palette Select a bright green as your foreground color.
 

Tool Palette - Airbrush tool

Click on the Airbrush tool in your Tool palette:

PSP 5:
– Paper Texture = None
Brush Tip tab:
– Shape = Round
– Size = 25
– Opacity = 100
– Hardness = 90
– Density = 33
– Step = 25

PSP 6:
– Shape = Round
– Size = 25
– Hardness = 90
– Opacity = 100
– Step = 25
– Density = 33
Tab 2:
– Paper texture = None
 

Spray this green across the area of your text only. This will give the effect of the heartbeat in the example shown.

Go to Masks || Delete and click on Yes in the following dialog box.