How Do I Save/Apply Changes??

[Mr. LemonHead]

:eek:
I'm sure it's very simple, but I'm really new at this -- learning by trial and error, basically -- but here's my problem: I use the mask brush to paint certain sections of my photo and it looks great, only, when I go to another tool, I can no longer see the portion I painted -- I just see the "crawling ant" outline where I just painted. Then, when I save the file, I still see no evidence of me having ever used the mask brush! What the heck am I doing wrong? How do I save and/or apply the mask paint job I tried to insert? Sorry, for asking such a simple question, but, I'm lost!:confused:

[kevq]

Hi LH,
AS I under stand it you use the selection brush to select an area. When you see the marching ants they show what you've selected. You can then perform other actions on that selected area. If for example you want to put the selection on its own layer just press Control J.
Hope this helps.
Kev.

[Spyder]

Go to Select>Save Selection. You can only load in your selection if you save your work as a psd file though so be sure to save it in PSE4's native format so the layers are intact.

[Diana]

Hi Mr.Lemonhead. I guess we don't understand how you are painting with the selection/mask brush. It makes a selection....then are you filling the selection with a color or applying some colored effect to it? Dragging the selection brush around on the image doesn't in itself paint on the image, just selects a portion of the image to apply certain effects to. Is that the tool you're talking about (the one above the Text tool) or a different brush?

Diana

[Spyder]

If you don't see your mask as you painted it in the overlay colour then select the Mask option in the Mode drop down window on the selection brushes's menu bar. You can switch from marching ants to overlay mode that way, even when you load your selection back in.

[Diana]

Spyder,

I had to go into Elements to see what you're talking about. I guess I had never realized there was another mode to the selection brush as I'd never seen it mentioned in any of the books or articles I've read on Elements. In trying to find out more about this option, I found this article for Elements 2 but seems like it would apply to other versions.

http://www.arraich.com/elements/ref/tool_selectionBrush.htm

I guess I learned something new today thanks to you and to you Mr. Lemonhead for bringing it up. It appears even in the mask mode it's still only a selection tool, not applying color to the image, that's why you're not seeing the overlay color when you select another tool.

Diana

[Daviskw]

OK we know what you are doing now.

You are trying to paint with the selection brush. You have changed to the mask mode and you have changed the default ruby color to white I think. You paint and it shows up white but when you select another tool it turns to a selection.

Do not use that tool to paint, it has a completely different use. In your tool menu select the paintbrush. Set your color in the color picker then paint. Now when you save everything will save just fine.

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/3540/tooth8dx.th.jpg (http://img365.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tooth8dx.jpg)

[Spyder]

Ummm well the way I'm reading it is he does want to paint with the mask brush rather than colouring with a brush, either way it looks like the anwers here should prove useful in both cases.