Computer Graphics with Photoshop - Extraction into Mask ?

Author

Extraction into Mask ?

crane763@yahoo.com

2006-03-21, 6:14 pm

How do I turn an extraction into a mask ?

I've used the Extract command to isolate a small
part of a photo. I used Extract because the item has
rather vague feathery or hairy edges. The extract
command worked pretty well for this. It captured
most of the detail that I wanted.

Now I want to make a mask that maintains all that
edge detail.

How do I do this?

Ultimately I want to combine this *feathery* mask with
another mask to define a larger object. I think I know
how to combine the two masks into one.

I'm just stumped on how to select all the feathery detail
of the extraction so that I can turn it into a mask.

Thanks,
Larry

tacit

2006-03-21, 6:14 pm

In article <1142951090.103775.82940@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
crane763@yahoo.com wrote:

> I've used the Extract command to isolate a small
> part of a photo. I used Extract because the item has
> rather vague feathery or hairy edges. The extract
> command worked pretty well for this. It captured
> most of the detail that I wanted.
>
> Now I want to make a mask that maintains all that
> edge detail.
>
> How do I do this?

Load the layer as a selection (hold down Control on the PC or Command on
the Mac and click on the thumbnail in the Layers palette). Now you have
a selection that defines the transparency. Save this selection as a
layer mask on the layer you want to mask.

--
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Hunt

2006-03-21, 6:14 pm

In article <1142951090.103775.82940@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>, crane763
@yahoo.com says...
>
>How do I turn an extraction into a mask ?
>
>I've used the Extract command to isolate a small
>part of a photo. I used Extract because the item has
>rather vague feathery or hairy edges. The extract
>command worked pretty well for this. It captured
>most of the detail that I wanted.
>
>Now I want to make a mask that maintains all that
>edge detail.
>
>How do I do this?
>
>Ultimately I want to combine this *feathery* mask with
>another mask to define a larger object. I think I know
>how to combine the two masks into one.
>
>I'm just stumped on how to select all the feathery detail
>of the extraction so that I can turn it into a mask.
>
>Thanks,
>Larry

Once you have done the Extraction, choose Selection>Load Selection>Layer X
Transparency, and Save image. You can then drag the Mask (Alpha Channel) to a
copy of the image to use the Selection. Don't be too concerned if the "
marching-ants" do not seem to show exactly what you saw after Extract, as they
are only an approximation of the actual mask, depending on the degree of
Opacity in the Transparency.

Hunt