Layers

[e-mailsucks]

I just finished watching the Layers video that is in the subscribers section. I watched it 5 times in a row. Now, I went to my picture that was a background, changed it to a layer, made a new layer below it and filled it in black. I went into my effects folder, got out the layers mask, double clicked it while my layer 0 was selected. Now I had a mask beside my picture. I then grabbed my gradient tool and selected black & maroon as my colors. I clicked on the bottom of my mask and dragged up to find that my mask turned completely maroon. I reversed that choice and changed my background/foreground colors and tried again. Now my picture disappeared to reveal a checkerboard. Also, my layer 1 that is black located below my picture layer does not show up like in the video. I then selected my picture layer and re-sized it 1" smaller each way, still nothing. I can't see the edges of my black layer. Since I copied him step by step in the video, how come it doesn't work for me. Did he do something that he forgot to tell me? I've tried this 4 times this morning since getting up. It's starting to sink into me that this is going to be a two year course to learn this program.

Brian

[GaryK]

Hi Brian

It looks as though he has resized the canvas before he started the tut.

I am just guessing but the transparent checkerboard around the photo looks like it to me. Or he created the white layer (layer 1) using an original that is bigger and then cropped the photo to make it samller than the white layer.

the more I think about it, I think maybe my second guess is better. :)

What you could try is to make a layer below the layer that your mask will be on and colour that something very different (red /yellow). Create the mask on the layer above and start using the black and white brushes on the mask , just to get the idiea.

Gary.

[willpresley]

Are you speaking of the video Layer-Mask?

If not let me know which video so I can research a bit more... Thanks!

[GaryK]

Will

I hope he was :lol: :lol: , else I've just steared him wrong...steered? hmmm neither looks right. :lol:

[e-mailsucks]

Thanks so much for your replies you guys. I was reading on how to delete postings. It's the layer/Mask video. The picture he is working on is smaller than what appears to be a layer below it. I don't know how he did that and do you have to do it that way. If you follow his video step by step, I can't replicate it. I think he is doing some things and assuming that you already know how to do it. I think he is forgetting the reason some of us are watching video tips. I can't get me picture to be smaller than my layer below it. He doesn't say how to do it. It's probably just an over sight on his part, no big deal. All I'm trying to do is finish my picture with a border and I kind of liked that one. If you notice, he also somehow had his color pallet pop out below his layer pallet on the right. How does that happen? Sorry I have so many questions.

Brian

[Punkinsmom]

How about sent him in the wrong direction :lol:
I know, I'm no help! :wink:

[willpresley]

Brian to create the bigger than picture background (white) go into Image Resize Canvas -- then increase say 1 in and 1 in leaving the rest of the settings. This will give you the background but not necessarily the same size as you'd do for a gallery print. But that works.

You don't need the transparency part of the picture this way.

[GaryK]

Brian

After I posted, I figured my second guess was best. Do this on a copy or a picture that you don't mind losing (in case of mistakes)

Open your picture and create a new layer

Fill new layer with white and drag it below your picture

Now using the selection tool (Rect marquee) select part of your picture

go to selection>inverse in the menus on top (make sure your selelction is still blinking) then hit delete

this should give you something close to what he started with (no text layer though)

Hope this gets you started or restarted :wink:

Anything else ...just ask

Oh one other thing I believe he got the layer to pop below by pressing ctrl as he hit the new layer icon.

Gary.

[willpresley]

Gary -- I think you're a genius. Good ideas and instructions.

[GaryK]

Will

Thanks, just trying to get him in the ballpark.

I was kind of surprised when I cranked up the video and saw 4 layers to start with. I am just guessing but at least he will have what looks like the start of the tut. :lol:

[e-mailsucks]

Thanks Gary & Will. I'm so close now it's almost scary. I have to somehow have the picture layer must be clear underneath it. I used the marquis tool to re-size my picture, but now behind it is a solid white paper we'll call it. When I put a new layer below it and fill it with black, it makes no effect on my picture because the white paper is covering the black layer. My gradient tool is working perfectly, I just need clear paper.

Brian

[willpresley]

Brian -- create the 4 layers in the video -- the arrange them as shown in the video. I am thinking and this is blind guessing that the order of your layers are not in agreement with what is in the video.

I'll run through the tutorial and see if I can come up with some more answers.

[GaryK]

Brian

If you turn off (eye icon) all the layers except the one you cut out, is the background (edges with no picture) of that tranparent?(grey and white checkerboard)

Gary.

[e-mailsucks]

Will, the layer below my picture is black. I have a mask beside my picture layer, which is on top. When I re-sized my picture, instead of whats behind the picture going to transparent, it went to white. The white hides my 2nd layer which is black. It has to be clear under the picture like on the video. Man I wish he would of showed how he arrived at all his settings.

Brian

[e-mailsucks]

Gary, I have to shut my picture layer off and my 2nd layer which is black off, then I have a transparent canvas. Soon as I click my picture on, I have a white canvas with my picture in the middle.

Brian

[GaryK]

Brian

I just tried deleting a inversed selection here and the part that was delelted went tranparent.

For fun, try the magic wand (selection tool) on the white border of your picture and delete that.

Gary.

[GaryK]

Just had another thought

What colour is a new blank layer?

[willpresley]

OK Brian -- start with your picture, then go to image resize canvas size and add 2 inches to it (what I did was resize the photo to something like 7x6 inches just to get it down to easier numbers). Then with white as your background color -- use CTRL-Backspace to fill it with white.

Then I used the magic wand and clicked on the white (had to tidy up a bit as part of the picture was white by using the selection brush and holding down the alt key to fix the flaw.

Then I did inverse to get the picture selected and then CTRL-J to put the picture on it's own layer. This gives you the basic picture needed for the tutorial.

Then I CTRL-Click on New Layer (with the picture layer selected) and got the blank layer then pressed X to switch the foreground/background and then ctrl backspace to fill the newly created layer with black.

For now you can ignore his text layer and the outline layers (just work on getting this part down.

Then click on your picture layer and add the layer mask. Then paint with black or white to add to or remove the picture parts. When you have gotten good at this part of the deal. Then go to the gradients.

Remember in this tutorial he uses white---to---black and shades of grey. Using the other gradients should come after you realize what is happening with the picture and the effects that the shades have on it -- then play with gradients to see what else you can come up with.

Do let us know how you get on with this approach.

[e-mailsucks]

You guys are incredible. Will, I read Gary's idea first and tried it a voila', it went clear. I'm a real happy camper now. I'm going to have to study your explanation because it looks involved. Now once this is done I will post it for you guys to look at. I'll read up on how to do that. Thanks again, I really really appreciate it. Hopefully one day when I get more experienced I can help someone out as well.

Brian

[GaryK]

Brian

Glad you got it.
I'm not sure why you had white around your photo. All I can figure is that maybe when you first did the white fill (layer) you were on the wrong layer.
I am embarassed to say how many times I have done and still do an effect/filter that didn't work because I was doing it on the wrong layer or I had another layer covering it :oops: :oops: :lol: :lol:

For sure post it so we can see.

[e-mailsucks]

I don't know Gary. When I first started this project I just brought in a picture. Then did some layers to fix the picture and then flattened the layers into one. That was then one picture/one layer. Then after using the marquis tool to re-size the picture, I was left with a white border. I thought it should have been clear. In Paintshop Pro you can choose the color of your canvas or have it transparent. I haven't seen these setting in PSE3. I have to go down town tomorrow and look at the spot I took my picture at to get some information off of a plaque. I want to have a title for this shot. Then I have to go to Pixentral to see how to post photo's. I want to say again how much I appreciate the help that you & Will provided me. I couldn't have finished this project without you.

Thanks so much,
Brian

[Wendy]

When you have a flattened image and you add canvas then the canvas it adds uses your background colour (from the two little squares in the tool box) and it adds it around the original image.

I tend to create an new layer below my image before I add canvas ... that way it gets a transparent surround :)


Wendy

[e-mailsucks]

Morning Wendy. I didn't think I created a canvas. All I did right from the start was open a picture. After that I just started erasing & cloning in it. Once that was completed is when I started the task of my border. If you were to add a layer below the picture, you would just click new layer and it would appear above the picture on the layers pallet, right? I just can't figure out how you wouldn't see the canvas if your layer was transparent. I hope you're understanding what I'm trying to say to you. When I used the marquis tool and re-sized my picture, where did the canvas come from that was underneath it? Is it created by PSE each time you have a picture in the workspace area? I know, 20 questions again...

Brian

[e-mailsucks]

Hi again Wendy. Don't worry about what I just finished asking you. I went in and figured it out. I clicked new blank file. Then selected transparent as my color. I think I just had a flashback from Paintshop Pro. Sorry for the trouble.

Brian

[Wendy]

Hi Brian ...

... Glad that you managed to solve it :)


Wendy

[e-mailsucks]

OK, one last question, I hope. What is the difference between a layer & a mask? The reason I ask is that in the Layer Mask video, he uses the marquis tool and then strokes it 1 px wide. He realized he did it on the wrong layer, but said he already had it on a layer. Which layer would you use it on, the last one?

Brian

[willpresley]

a layer is anything you have in the layers pallette. the mask empowers you to affect the layer like blending 2 pictures, or as shown in the video a gradient to affect the picture in a gradual way.

To do the stroke layer -- create a separate new layer then use the marquis tool to draw a square around the picture -- slightly larger than the picture then go to edit stroke and the 1 pixel if it is a low res picture or up to 10 for a high res picture, else you won't see the effect.

[GaryK]

Brian

You could use the stroke on any layer ( blank one gives the most versatility)
But to see it, it would have to be above any layers that were bigger than it.

Gary.