Photoshop Tips: Simple Masking - Part 2

Simple Masking: (Part 2) (You can find Part 1 HERE!)

As promised, it’s Christa, and I am back with my favorite tool in my tool box! The Clipping Mask This is such a fun tool, and there is so much that can be done with it. Today I am going to show you 2 fun things to use it for, however there are infinite uses, and you will just need to play and experiment to experience it!

Clipping Mask: A clipping mask is an attached layer. The layer is “clipped” to the layer below and will not expand past the layer below’s boundaries. This feature is available in CS3 (and above), and PSE10/PSE11 versions of Photo Shop. (alt + ctrl + G is the shortcut)

I like the clipping mask for use in adjusting photos etc. I can clip an adjustment layer just on the item I want the adjustment to apply to instead of the entire layout. This can be done with anything you want to clip. The clipping mask will “clip” the item to the layer below and “mask” the out-bounding area.

It is very simple to do, and I am going to show you first the simple step to do so, and then we will have some fun, “painting in” your photo just what you want to reflect. (This would be great with blending into a background too!)

Select the layer you want to clip to the layer below and right click with your mouse.

So that is how easy it is to create a clipping mask. Simple right?
Now let’s have some fun. I have a photo of a pair of giraffes that I took at the zoo in March. I really want to concentrate on just the giraffes and paint a mask to reflect what I want to see on my layout page.
Open up your new workspace. I am going to open up a 600×600 white filled workspace.
From the layer palette add a new blank layer.
Open up your photo image and copy and paste into your workspace which will paste it on a new layer above the blank layer. Resize if you wish. (I use File > Place then go to my hard drive to locate my photo and place it/size it in my layout. I had to add a blank layer under my photo as I lost it!)

If you have a background that you want to use, go ahead and add that above the white background layer. (I am just going to add a “Kraft Paper” pattern to the background for simplicity sake. You will need to change the background layer to a layer by right clicking and choose layer from background, before you can apply a pattern paper.)

Now let’s paint! Choose a brush from the brush palette. Any brush will do- whatever you like. I am going to choose a chalk brush size 23 and increase the size of the brush to 46 by changing the size slider. (You can also press the right bracket ( ] ) to enlarge the brush or left bracket ( [ ) to make the brush smaller.)
Clip your photo to the blank layer below, so it looks as though it disappeared. (Layout palette still reflects the 3 layers.)

Using your paint brush, paint on the blank layer whatever shape you want and you will see your photo start to “reappear”. Do as much as you want and whatever shape you want have fun.

I am going to finish off my mask painting with a soft brush size 100 and go around the edges. This will soften the edges (make it look feathery) and will allow it to blend nicely with the background.

Now decorate your page as you wish! (I decorated mine with Kate’s Safari Malarky.)

Instead of painting a mask you can do the same with masks that you have in your stash, just clipping your photo or papers to it. The sky is the limit!

I do hope you enjoyed today’s tutorial and saw how much fun a simple mask can be. I simply LOVE the “create clipping mask”! It is one of my “all time” favorite go to tools!

If you have any questions feel free to ask, and I will do my best to answer them! Until next time, have fun and enjoy making wonderful scrapping pages and cards!!!