As Paint Shop Pro becomes more powerful so do its tools. This power comes with change, though. Certain tools, such as masks, must, necessarily, change their behavior.

Changes, such as these, can be a little disconcerting to users especially with tools as complex as masks.

In version 5.xx, masks have changed quite radically. Part of this change is due to the fact that PSP 5.xx users now have the capability of using layers (for more info on layers, see the tutorial "PSP 5-Layers Primer").

Masks in PSP 5 are now more like masks in the higher-end programs such as Adobe's Photoshop and Corel's PhotoPaint.

The basics are still similar in that a mask is grayscale and where the mask is white you won't see any change and where it's black you will see change.

The change you will see, though, comes not from applying effects to the image through the mask, but from what's on the underlying layer(s).


submitted: 5 years and 3741 days ago

Tags:basicsblackMagicMasksUsingwhite

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The following tutorial will demonstrate how you can use a mask to create a complex selection. Using this selection, you'll be able to copy & paste an object, such as a person, from one photo into another. The results you get will vary depending on the photos used and other factors. Some gotchas to watch for include:

* The overall grain of the two images. You'll want these to match as closely as possible. You may want to add some noise to one of the two images to compensate for any differences.
* The direction of light. It won't be too believable if one photo has shadows going left while the other has them going right. You can always consider flipping one image so that the shadows match up.
* The color cast of the photos. Unfortunately, this last one is a little more difficult to handle in Paint Shop Pro than it is in Photoshop. If it's possible, you may consider re-shooting one of the photos, having the two photos re-printed with the merging in mind, or even seeing if the colors can be matched during the scanning process.



submitted: 5 years and 3741 days ago

Tags:AdvancedMasksSimple

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Masks are one of the most powerful tools a digital artist using PSP has at their disposal. New with version 4, and above, comes the ability to save your masks. This can greatly simplify the process of creating certain types of graphics such as buttons for your web pages. A mask enables you to create beveled edges on textured surfaces giving the illusion of 3-dimensionality. Masks can help you achieve other effects, as well, such as disappearing text and much more.

Along with some of the advancements made in masking with ver 4, and above, came just enough change to confuse users of earlier versions. The following tutorial will help users of previous versions as well as introduce new users to the "Magic of Masks".

As well as demonstrating how masks work this tutorial will give you a quick idea of how to use the built in textures to create your own, well... textures.


submitted: 5 years and 3741 days ago

Tags:bevelededgesMagicMaskstexturesUsing

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Take our free online Paint Shop Pro tutorial. It starts at the beginning and takes you step-by-step through each Paint Shop Pro topic. It covers creating an image, using color, using the Tool palette, text, layers, masks, and much more.


submitted: 5 years and 3741 days ago

Tags:layerspalettestools

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