Very basic tutorial for layer masks (Beginners level)



I have a red barn with a landscape surrounding it. I want to turn the background into black and white and keep the color of the red barn.

This is one of the several ways to make this happen.

- Open your image

- duplicate layer with seen at the bottom of the layer dialog

- On the duplicated layer, click colors > desaturate > luminosity ( this will turn the image to black and white



- On the duplicated layer. right click and a menu will come up, apply layer mask.


When mask dialog comes up, select white - full opacity



Set black as your foreground color. (If you want a more muted color of red, experiment using gray tones to paint in your colors.

- Left click on your layer mask to make it active.

- Using a large fuzzy brush and painting on the layer mask, start brushing your colors back into the barn.



Please post here if you have any questions...Enjoy

Wow Molly. Nice tutorial. Simple with great results.

Nicely done. And an excellent choice for an example photo.

wow thanx Saul

Good job, Molly!

nice tut! Layer mask is a great way to "erase" through a layer as it allows you to fix up mistakes by switching brush colors from black (make transparent) to white (replace opaqueness) and back again.

Very concisely explained masking tutorial, Molly.

You gotta love nondestructive editing.

>Thinks about when he first tried this effect using eraser tool
>Shivers at thought of constantly undoing going over the lines
>Falls in love with Layer Mask all over again

Nice tutorial Molly!
I can not see myself using any graphics program without masks.
You just have to have them.In my opinion they are a required piece of any graphics ware.

I tried this with another tut but couldn't get my head around it but yours Molly is very simple. Thanks for the tut

thanks Lorri, you are really having fun with the animations huh! You can also use a layer mask to fade out the moon reflection in your sig.

Excellent result ...

Molly...
Excellent and nicely explained...got it first time! Which is a first!
Thanks
Ralphc

You are very welcome Ralphc, I forgot all about that tute, and yes it is very simple and easy.

Haha this, so much this. I have some memories along those lines. Remind me to buy layer mask some flowers and a nice dinner.

Here's one I colored using layer masks that works just like the tut in reverse. Though I gave the BW area a kind of bluish tint to offset the orange of the eyes.

That is one beautiful beast. I want him for a house pet.

Thanx Molly.
Now I hope I can just put it into practice......

easiest tute ever written... Just like coloring.

Very nice tut Molly.

Love that automobile Mike, but would love to see it in my favorite color.