Making Masks - Part 3

Let's play some more. Got the plugin Sinedots I? It does great things for delicate mask edges. It's freeware. You can find it at http://www.Philipp-Spoeth.de/ (Click on the "Photoshop" bubble on the left side of the page.) Go grab it, you won't regret it. :)

Create a new image. 400x400 Black

Run the Sinedots filter on it with the Options > Inverse box UNchecked. I used the settings in the image below, but you play around and find something that you like. :) You want the outside edges of the image to have lots of texture.

Activate the Selection tool.

Set the feather to 20.
Starting at 50x50, draw a rounded rectangle to 350x350.

Activate the Flood Fill tool.

Flood fill your selection with white.
Save a copy as a maskjpg and use it as outlined in my mask-edge tutorial
OR
Save your mask as a .msk file as outlined in Part 2 and use it that way.

Follow the same steps again but change the settings in Sinedots and maybe use an oval selection this time. Play around and have some fun. :)

Another slightly different way to frame a photo with a mask...

Create a new image. 400x400 This time we want it to be white

Use Sinedots again to create a nicely edged image. This time you want Options > Inverse box CHECKED.

I used the settings below but you choose something that works for you. :)

Activate the Selection tool.

Set the feather to 20.
Starting at 50x50, draw a rounded rectangle to 350x350.

Activate the Flood Fill tool.

Flood fill your selection with black.
Save a copy as a maskjpg.
If you need help with this, see the mask-edge tutorial. OR
Save your mask as a .msk file as outlined in Part 2.

Open the image that you want to frame.

Add a new layer.

Flood fill this new layer with a color that compliments the image you want to frame.

Apply the mask to this new layer.
Delete the mask. Masks > Delete
Choose "Yes" when asked if you want to merge the mask with the current layer.

That's it! Frame your picture and save it as a .jpg or .gif to post to the web.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

If you enjoyed this tutorial I'd love to hear from you. If you need help with anything here or if the steps aren't clear, please let me know and I'll try to explain it better.

If you'd like to see some of the beautiful work other people have done with this tutorial, please visit the Gallery Page.

Mask Edges | Lettering with a Mask | Gradient Mask