Preserved Topic: Two Layer Masks??? - Crit

Hey,

I?ve been working on a collage, but I got a technical problem. In the lower left hand corner you will see a rocket ship taking off. I imported the image into the collage, applied a layer mask to it and added a gradient fill. Problem is, the feathering goes off the edge of the image. Is there a way to ADD to a layer mask with a second gradient, or add a second layer mask to the layer?

If you feel so inclined, I would love to hear what others of you think of the collage right now. Personally I think it?s a bit rough, and needs some more / less elements to balance it out? but I?ve looked at it for toooooo long and would love another pair of eyes.



http://www.homestead.com/reitveld/folio_ps_exploration.html

Thanks for your help.


Cheers!

www.homestead.com/reitveld

[This message has been edited by reitveld (edited 01-20-2002).]

Layer masks can always be added to.

Just click on the mask itself to edit it. Anything you paint in (or use the gradient tool, fill etc.) that is black, will make the area transparent. Any white will show through. Varying degreees of grey will (you guessed it) give varying degrees of transparency.

I'm in no position to say do 'this' do 'that'.... but *overall* I think it's pretty damn cool!

And ya..... I was making those rocket noises

Thanks Dark, but I guess my problem is everytime I add a gradient it over-writes the previous gradient. I want to try to add to the previous gradient. I know I did this once before, but I can't seem to figure out how. hummmmm.

I haven't used Photoshop in like... Six months, due to both of my computers being fux0red, so I really need to get back into the swing of things before I can remember how to do stuff. But let me think...

*thinks*

I'm going to assume you're talking about a simple, two-color gradient. So I guess you could make the gradient on a seperate layer, then select and delete the part you don't want to be in your layer mask. And then just add the remaining half of a gradient to the mask.

Um, or I guess you can do a color-to-transparency gradient as opposed to color-to-color. Christ, I really am out of it. lol

Play with the Blending mode of the (second) gradient. For example, Screen, Multiply, Lighten, Darken. That might fix your problem.

ok, when making the second gradient set it's opacity low (like 10%) and repeat it until you got a satisfying result.

yours,

Tyberius Prime

try setting your gradient to "Foreground to Transparent". It sounds like you're doing "Foreground to Background".

One will blend in with the old layer masking, the other will overwrite the mask completely since it will choose two opaque colours and do a grade

Too bad it's not 1024 x 768. It would make nice wallpaper

Got it fixed thanks to all of you!!!



Dave: It started out that way, but the composition just worked so much better when I tightened it up.

DarkGarden: Your tip helped nudge me towards my line of thinking. Thanks!!!

War and Tyb: Well, I guess I have still many more months of practice to get to your level as your advise set me spinning. Maybe I?ll understand what you said then.

NoJive: Thanks!!! Positive feedback makes it easier to keep pushing myself.

Ok, guys you got me thinking. In the past I only applied a white to black layer mask (white is transparent in the mask and black hides all). Well I had never tried black to transparent (which gives you the exact same thing as white to black but as DarkGarden said, you can add to the layermask) nor had I ever tried using the marquee tool to hide what I want to show. Silly me, I always used just the gradient fill (what the heck was I thinking?)

The marquee tool works the same way on a layer mask as it does anywhere else. In essence I made a vignette. The steps are thus:
1) create a layer mask over an image (2nd icon at the bottom of the layers pallet).
2) use the marquee tool to select what you want to show.
3) SELECT > MODIFY > CONTRACT the marquee if your to close to the edge of the image.
4) SELECT > FEATHER the marquee.
5) SELECT > INVERSE to highlight the area outside the selection.
6) click on the paint bucket tool and select BLACK.
7) Click to fill with black anywhere outside the original selection.
8) Ctrl+D to Deselect.

This is the same process to go through to make a vignette, but was done on a layer mask? so this means the whole image is still there to re-edit in the future and only what I want to show, shows, and what I don?t, doesn?t.

Thanks guys for your help! I knew all I needed was a good kick in the right direction. So, anyone have any crits on the composition?


Cheers!

www.homestead.com/reitveld

I really dig that pic!

Beauty is only skin deep
ugliness goes to the bone.

me like! only thing i'd subtract is the layer with the glass block filter. those almost-invisible squares that are all over the image.

love that blue behind the word "Exploration". :-)