-
Greyscale images as masks: How?
I may be overlooking something, I hope someone can help.
I have worked with Paint Shop Pro for a long time, but now, for my work, I have to switch to PhotoShop (CS2).In PSP I worked a lot with masks in layers. I always created a greyscale image and then attached it to a layer as a mask. That worked great for me. In Photoshop I can’t find the way to do this. I may be overlooking the obvious. So how do I turn a greyscale image (file A) into a mask in a layer of file B?
Thanks, Joost
-
6 Replies
-
Copy grayscale iamge to clipboard
Then select layer.. click add layer mask button
and paste data in
Richard M. Harrington, PMP
Author: Photoshop CS for Nonlinear Editors
Co-Author Final Cut Pro on the Spot, After Effects on the Spot, Broadcast Graphics on the Spot, and After Effects @ Work
Check out the new DVD: Photoshop CS: Essentials for Digital Video from http://www.photoshopforvideo.comedit – produce – direct –
-
Thank you Richard. I feel stupid but I can’t get this to work. I know how to create a new layer mask with the layer mask button, but I don’t know how to paste the greyscale image (from the clipboard) to the layer. If I use Ctrl+V, a new layer is created and the clipboard is pasted there, but PS doesn’t paste it into the mask area.I can’t find the option when I right-click on the layer. I see the white rectangle of the masked layer, but I can’t get any dat into it.
This is driving me nuts. In Paint Shop Pro I could do this with one mouse click, and now I’ve searching for days and haven’t found it yet. Any help is much apreciated. 🙂
Joost
-
Click on the white layer mask so it is selected
Richard M. Harrington, PMP
Author: Photoshop CS for Nonlinear Editors
Co-Author Final Cut Pro on the Spot, After Effects on the Spot, Broadcast Graphics on the Spot, and After Effects @ Work
Check out the new DVD: Photoshop CS: Essentials for Digital Video from http://www.photoshopforvideo.comedit – produce – direct –
-
Richard, thank you. I managed to get it right this time. The reason it didn’t work at first, is that the visibility of the mask was switched off (by default?). I saw this when I selected the ‘channels’ tab in the layers palette. The little visiblity-eye was not there. After I had turned it on everything worked as you described.
I think I need a good book because Photoshop doesn’t seem to reveal itself just by trial and error, as some programs do. At this point I experience that as a drawback in Photoshop. It has a load of functions but most of them are not as easily accessible as for example in PSP.
Oh well, I don’t want to be an old nag, rambling on about why one software is better than the other. You’ve helped me a lot. Thanks !!
Joost
-
It doesn;t have to be turned on via eyeball… just selected (by clicking on its square in layers palette), BUT, turning it on and selecting it in channels did the same things.
If using video check out PS for NLE… if not… I’ve got a new one coming out in February
Richard M. Harrington, PMP
Author: Photoshop CS for Nonlinear Editors
Co-Author Final Cut Pro on the Spot, After Effects on the Spot, Broadcast Graphics on the Spot, and After Effects @ Work
Check out the new DVD: Photoshop CS: Essentials for Digital Video from http://www.photoshopforvideo.comedit – produce – direct –
-
I can asure you that it doesn’t work if the eyeball is not switched on (for the mask, in the channels palette). I have tried it again and again after your last post. I have made sure the mask was selected (by clicking on it). But if the eyeball was not visible, the greyscale image would paste into a raster image in a new layer. If the eyeball was visible then the image would paste into the mask. I am talking about the eyeball in the channels palette. There is a seperate channel here, called ‘layer 1 mask’ (by default). This channel has it’s own eyeball switch. It is switched off by default after the mask is created.
I will look out for your book (CS2?). I think I will be visiting this forum on a regular basis.
Joost
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up