Datasheet

14
Using the new Mask panel
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Digital Classroom
1
2 Choose Window > Masks, if the Masks panel is not visible. With the selection still active,
click on the Add a Pixel Mask button (
) in the upper-right corner of the Masks panel.
A very rough mask is created, eliminating the area outside of your selection; you will
now re ne that selection.
With an active selection, click on the The selection is converted into a mask.
Add a Pixel Mask button.
In the Masks panel, you can choose to set the Density (opaqueness of the mask) or the
Feather (softness of the edge), using the sliders. To achieve even more control, you can
select the Mask Edge button. In this lesson, you are brie y introduced to the Re ne
Edge dialog box; you can  nd more details about selections in Lesson 5, “Making the
Best Selections.”
3 Click once on the Mask Edge button to open the Re ne Edge dialog box. The selection
appears with a white background, to help you see your selection. Now use the sliders, or
enter values in the appropriate text box, to make the following adjustments.
Change the Radius to 5. The Radius determines how much of an area will be a ected •
by the adjustments you are making.
Make sure the Contrast is set to 0 (zero).
•
Set Smooth to 3.•
Change Feather to 10. This softens the hard edge.•
Use the Contract/Expand slider to adjust your selection so that it is as close to the •
edge of the boy as possible. Make this a visual change based upon your selection. In this
example, the selection had to be contracted to –25 pixels to bring it closer to the boy.
PSCS4.indb 14PSCS4.indb 14 9/17/2008 2:41:38 PM9/17/2008 2:41:38 PM