Masks and Channels

1. Masks and Channels Digital Imaging

2. Masks • Let you isolate and protect parts of an image • Based on a selection • The area not selected is masked or protected from editing • Helpful to use because you can create a selection to save time if you want to re-use it later • Also effective with color changes and filter effects

3. Quick Masks • These are temporary masks, they are helpful when trying to make a selection of a difficult shape / image • This converts a selection border into a temporary mask • It is discarded once it is converted to a selection • It is not saved unless you make it a permanent selection

4. When in Quick Mask mode • A red overlay appears to mask and protect an area outside of the selection • You can only apply changes to the unprotected area that is visible and selected • PS defaults to Grayscale mode • the foreground color defaults to black and the background color defaults to white

5. When in Quick Mask mode • Painting with white erases the mask and increases the selected area • Painting with black adds to the mask and decreases the selected area

6. On the toolbar is where the QUICK MASK icon is located. Puts you into Quick MASK MODE Puts you into STANDARD MODE

7. Permanent Masks • Stored on the Channel palette (next to the layers tab on the Layers palette) • Get stored as a grayscale channel called alpha channel

8. Channels • PS uses channels to store an image’s color information and information about spot color • Channels do not print

9. Alpha channels • A storage area for information • Use to create a more permanent mask by storing it and editing it • Saved on the channels palette • Can be added or deleted • Can be edited using painting or editing tools

10. The Extract Command • Provides a sophisticated way to isolate a foreground object from its background • Objects with wispy, intricate or indefinable edges can be clipped from their background with a minimum amount of work

11. Where to find the Extract command Filter > Extract