Photoshop Selection Tools and Masking
Today we were in DM5 with Chrissy who was showing us some more Photoshop basics. Specifically we were learning the selection tools and masking in depth creating examples and experimenting with them. We created and edited 5 images altering there features in any way we wanted but only using the selection and masking tools.
The first image shows a urban scene with a large neon sign which I would say is the focus of the image. We began by simply using the 'Rectangular Marquee Tool' which selects an area into a rectangular box, the size depending on how far you drag it. Once an area was selected, we created an adjustment layer and selected a random factor to adjust in the selected area to which I chose contrast and brightness. After, we used the 'Elliptical Marquee Tool' which instead of a rectangle, it created a circle. whilst creating a circle, holding shift would make it a perfect circle. Then again, a regular occurrence in this lesson we created another adjustment layer and this time I chose the patter feature to change and make the circle you can see on the left of the image. Moving on we then selected the next tool down which is the 'Lasso Tool'. With this you can make a free hand selection, and then creating an adjustment layer I adjusted the hue and saturation. Within that lasso tool when right clicking the other options of the 'Polygonal' and 'Magnetic' tools, which the polygonal makes a selection with straight lines and the magnetic creates a selection that automatically sticks to any lines it sees within the image.
The next image of the same picture we played with the 'Quick Selection Tool' which acts like a brush and you pretty much 'draw' what you want selected and it sticks to different parts of the image for you. Holding ALT whilst selecting takes away parts that are selected so you can go in after whilst zoomed and refine what is selected.
The third image is an in progress screen shot that shows what happens after clicking 'Select and Mask' after selecting the area you want changed. The screen turns the selected area into a different textured space to easily differentiate the selected are and the are which is not so it is easier to refine what you have done. The forth image shows what happens after you click done and create an adjustment to it.
The fifth image shows a living room scene as to which we used all the above tools to change the features of the image and using the correct tools for the job. For example using the polygonal tool to create a sharp, straight selection box around the picture on the wall. Or using the quick selection tool to change the whole wall into a camo like wallpaper - doing this was a bit harder as I had to refine a lot of what I had selected as it selected parts which I didn't want it too.
The sixth image shown is of a stone doorway looking too a lady in a red dress walking through a forest. This was our first masking task. The forest image was placed on a layer bellow the door and to create the mask it is pretty simple. I selected the top layer - the door - and selected the add a mask tool in the layer section. then using the brush I painted a black or white colour to add or deduct parts of the picture I wanted or not. This make it seem like one image rather then two different images on different layers.
The last image is the same however we focused on composition. Again all the images were separate on different layers but to mask them we hid the layers that we didn't want to do first and I started with the background layer and the sandy desert scene. Then adding the Robot using the selection tools to remove the black border around the robot that was there then masking it like before to fit the scene. Then finally doing the same thing to the space woman to finish the whole scene, bringing the image together as one.
These basic Photoshop skills are essential to take into the future as editing images together or on there own will be a second nature rather then a different language all together!
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