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Corel Photo-Paint 9

Working with Masks & Channels

by Joyce Evans

September 1, 2000

 
1

Open any image, then save it as a cpt. Close your image and reopen the .cpt file (this will automatically load as a mask, more below)

*TIP* to get your total image to view on your screen, click the maximize button on your image (the middle square next to the X) then click on F4.


2

Check your object docker, it'll have a red rectangle called Background. The red simply means it is the active layer.

You should have your channels docker open, click on it now (CTRL + F9) See below, now you have the Objects and the Channels Dockers open. To switch between the two, just click on their tab.

 


3

In the Channels Docker the top RBB Channels is a composite of all channels Red is Red etc.Take a little time now and click on each one. You will see a black and white image of each color channel.

You will also notice an extra channel called Current Mask (you wouldn't see this on a normal jpg, tiff, bmp etc image. You'd have to load as a mask first).

 




4

Click on the Current Mask(in the Channels Docker) to make the selection active. If your paint color isn't black then right click on a black color in the color palette or double click on the Paint icon at the bottom of your window and select black.

Select the fill tool and click anywhere in the image to fill with black. The reddish tone is the mask which protects your image in varing degrees.

We are going to take a little time here and look at some of the basics of masking. Masking is when you want to protect an area of your image from any changes.

 

5  

We filled this image with black. Now click on the Objects Docker, click the fill tool and fill the image. Nothing happen? Good!!! that is what was supposed to happen. The image is covered by a mask.

 


6

Now go back to channels, select the current mask. Right click on 50% grey, click the fill tool, and click anywhere in the image to fill.

         

6

You'll notice now that the red overlay is only partially covering the image. To see the effect, click on the Objects docker, select the background. We need to select a color that we can tell the difference with. I choose black (if your image has a lot of black choose a light color), click the fill tool and click in the image to fill.

Notice what happened? The fill went through your mask and applied 50% black to the image. The next image I used a light purple. Are you starting to see the effects you can make with masking?

        

6

Now go back to channels, select the current mask. Right click on white, click the fill tool, and click anywhere in the image to fill.

Go back to Objects docker, right click on any color, click the fill tool, click in the image to fill. Well I don't think that's what you wanted,is it? What has happened is that by using white, there is no mask. Just remember, black protects and white doesn't.

 

 

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