Masking Tutorial for Beginners

DebiDalio · **Joined:** Nov 06, 2012 **Posts:** 78 **Location:** Texas

Hi All!

I just posted a new masking tutorial for beginners called A Non-Destructive, Adjustable Method for Cutting Out an Image.

Keep Calm and GIMP on.

Debi

Erisian · **Posted:** Thu Oct 03, 2013 1:40 pm **(#2)**

Nicely explained. Layer masks are so useful for so many things.

ek22 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:27 pm **(#3)**

Well done. I always like when layer masks get the credit they deserve. I can't imagine doing my stuff without using a gazillion of them.

molly · **Joined:** Apr 07, 2010 **Posts:** 14182

Very nice... thank you DebiDalio. I don't use layer masks often enough and I know I should.

K1TesseraEna · **Joined:** Sep 22, 2012 **Posts:** 2089 **Location:** US

Good tutorials. Yet, it's not masking vs using Free Select tool.

By and large, it's about choosing a selection method. If someone is more comfortable
with Free select tool (or Scissors tool, Fuzzy select, Quick mask and even Path tool) for making
foreground selection, it does not have to be destructive and non-adjustable.

Instead of cutting background after making a selection you can Add_Layer_Mask from Selection
and adjust it if necessary.

Depending on background/foreground complexity I always choose between methods of making a selection.
For your particular owl image with brick wall BG I'd use Scissors first and then apply mask from the selection.
I would definitely spend more time using Paintbrush tool to paint over bg areas and having to
constantly adjust brush size.

DebiDalio · **Joined:** Nov 06, 2012 **Posts:** 78 **Location:** Texas

K1TesseraEna wrote:

Good tutorials. Yet, it's not masking vs using Free Select tool.

By and large, it's about choosing a selection method. If someone is more comfortable
with Free select tool (or Scissors tool, Fuzzy select, Quick mask and even Path tool) for making
foreground selection, it does not have to be destructive and non-adjustable.

Instead of cutting background after making a selection you can Add_Layer_Mask from Selection
and adjust it if necessary.

Depending on background/foreground complexity I always choose between methods of making a selection.
For your particular owl image with brick wall BG I'd use Scissors first and then apply mask from the selection.
I would definitely spend more time using Paintbrush tool to paint over bg areas and having to
constantly adjust brush size.

Thanks for pointing all that out. I agree that there are lots of different tools you can use to do this. I'm slowly working my way through them. I haven't yet used most of the variants of adding a layer mask. I've never used the Scissors, either. I'll have to check all this out. Cool. New stuff to try. :bigthup

AnMal · **Posted:** Fri Oct 04, 2013 3:19 am **(#7)**

debi dalio: i think masking scares many beginners stiff and confuses them unnecessarily - great that you took the time to make your tutorial, it was very beginner friendly and easy to understand and i hope it will inspire more people to use layer masks

.

DebiDalio · **Joined:** Nov 06, 2012 **Posts:** 78 **Location:** Texas

AnMal wrote:

debi dalio: i think masking scares many beginners stiff and confuses them unnecessarily - great that you took the time to make your tutorial, it was very beginner friendly and easy to understand and i hope it will inspire more people to use layer masks

.

Thank you. I hope so. When I started using GIMP I didn't have a clue what a mask was. I finally got an inkling when I started editing tutorials for the magazine. The whole black/white thing confused the heck out of me. I think I (mostly) get it, now. :hehe

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