This tutorial was written in PSP 7, but the basic principle is the same in PSP 6.
Creating masks is a fun and easy way to personalize your webpage or graphic. They can be solidly black and white with sharp definitions or they can have shades of gray. Solid black areas are totally transparent, white areas show the clear image, and gray areas will show varying degrees of the image depending on the color of gray. Gray areas give a soft, blurred edge to your mask. Information about how to save your mask is at the bottom of the page.
Have a photo open, but minimized on your desktop for testing your mask with. You can use my flower photo I'm using for this tutorial if you'd like. Flower Photo
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Simple mask using a preset shape: 1. Open a 500x500 transparent canvas and flood fill with black. Add a layer. 2. Make your background color white, foreground or stroke color null. 3. Open your preset shapes, choose a shape and place it on your canvas. I didn't use vectors here, but they can be used here if you want to create a more unique shape.  
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Using other tools to create masks: *The Retouch Tool - Smudge 1. Open a 500x500 transparent canvas and flood fill with black. Add a layer. 2. Make your background color white, foreground or stroke color null. 3. Open your preset shapes and place a large ellipse (or any shape) in the center of your canvas. 4. Click on the Retouch Tool and set to SMUDGE. Using these settings below or your own smudge the outside of shape.   |
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*PSP Geometric effects - Twirl 1. Open a 500x500 transparent canvas and flood fill with black. Add a layer. 2. Make your background color white, foreground or stroke color null. 3. Open your preset shapes and place a large star (or any shape) in the center of your canvas. 4. In PSP 7 click on EFFECTS, GEOMETRIC EFFECTS, TWIRL. Use these settings or your own.   |
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Creating a mask with a soft or blurred edge: 1. Open a 500x500 transparent canvas,flood fill with black and add a layer. 2. Change your foreground color to white, background to null. 3. Place a preset shape (I'm using ellipse here) on your canvas. 4. Select the shape by surrounding with a rectangle selection and clicking in the center of the shape. Your shape should now be selected. 5. Click on SELECTIONS, MODIFY, FEATHER and feather by about 35. Then click SELECTIONS, INVERT. 6. Now hit delete several times and the edge will get "soft or blurry". How it looks will depend on your original shape, how much you feather and how many times you hit delete.  Finished Sample:  |
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Now you have the basic idea, here's a few more ideas: 1. Use tubes you've created by adding them on a new layer, selecting and floodfilling with white. 2. Try placing a shape and using other filters on it or even multiple filters. 3. Almost anything can be a mask as long as you keep the basic principles of black, white and shades of gray. HAVE FUN!!!!!:) |
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After you've created your mask and are ready to save, use this part of the tutorial, this information is the same regardless of how you create your mask. This page opens in a new window so you you can have it open while you work if you choose.
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