Add a new raster layer and flood fill it with green. We can apply the same green frame effect as the previous image. In this example, the mask data is inverted so that the edges of the photo will be blocked, not the center.Īfter applying, the square mask image was stretched horizontally to fit the rectangular photo, which is one of the default mask settings. In the Source window, select the spiral image. With the photo selected, go to Layer > New Mask Layer > From Image. Note: you can use a color image as mask as well, though PaintShop Pro will reduce it to grayscale when used for masking. In this example we have our original image open and a black and white spiral image. In addition to the masks available in PaintShop Pro, you can also use an image that you create or find yourself. The green layer remains atop the image as a frame, with some translucent areas, and the center of the image shows through. Click Invert Transparency to reverse the black and white pixels. This means that black should be in the center, white along the edges. This time, the center of the green layer is to be blocked, not the parts along the edges. Since the green layer is active, the mask will be applied to the green layer, not the photo layer. Use the Flood Fill tool to paint the entire raster layer green. Start by adding a new raster layer above the photo. We’ll click Undo again to remove this mask and demonstrate a creative way to enhance this masked image.
The result: the entire image appears in the center, and there’s both full and partial transparency along the edges. This mask is white in the center, with black and shades of gray along the edges. Again, go to Layers > Load/Save Mask > Load Mask From Disk and select the mask called Edge Burst. We’ll click Undo to remove the first mask. Masks can also have shades of gray, enabling some of the image to show through. And because there’s no practical reason for a mask to be under the photo, the mask layer can’t be moved below the background. Masks are always grouped with the layer that was active when the mask was created. The mask layer appears above the background layer, and both layers are placed inside a layer group. Look at the Layers palette and note the change of layer structure. For a photo that has the subject in the center, this mask is good for blocking parts of the background, highlighting the subject. This is the result: the center of the photo is showing, and the background is blocked off, following the flower shape. Leave the default options as they are and click Load. Remember black = block! The white areas will allow the image to show through, producing the equivalent of a flower-shaped window. The black areas of the mask will end up covering the image. In this example we will choose the flower mask. Click on the dropdown menu arrow to see the library of available masks. Go to Layers > Load/Save Mask > Load Mask From Disk.
Open an image in the PaintShop Pro Edit workspace. Let’s look at a few examples of masks and the different ways they can be used. Scroll down to find the Creative Content Pack and download. To get more masks, open the Welcome Book, select Get More in the left menu and then click on the Creative Content tab.
And you can download more free masks from the Welcome Book. PaintShop Pro comes with several masks installed. The bits that are masked are like the wall – whatever is behind the window can’t be seen through the wall. The areas not being masked are the parts of the photo that show through, like a window lets light show through a wall. Or you can also think of masks like windows. The photo is the paint, and the tape applied on the wall prevents those areas from being painted with the photo. One way to think of a mask is with the analogy of painter’s tape on a blank wall. Masks can seem like a confusing or overwhelming topic, but once you go through a few examples, you’ll see that they’re quite easy to understand and use. Welcome to this introduction to masking in PaintShop Pro.