DESCRIPTION:
Create an unusual effect on a headshot using Mask Mode and a plugin.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Save often.
1. Open your image. You can use my image if you like. I'll be referring to this image but you can use any you wish, of course.Save As so you are not working on the original.
2. Select the Lasso Tool with Snap to edges unchecked and make a rough "drawing" around the girl's head. Double-click inside the shape you've formed to change it into a selection.
3. Click on the Mask Mode icon in your Tool Panel. My mask colour is white. You can change it in File / Preferences if you wish.
4. Click on Paintbrush. In Mask Mode you can only work with white, black or shades in between (which give different levels of transparency to your mask). With white you paint the (white in my case) mask away. With black you add more to your (white) mask. If you're feeling clever, use your keyboard Y for your Eyedropper to click inside or outside the mask for your black, white or greys. Then press the P key to continue painting with your selected colour. We have a high transparency setting for this tutorial so I haven't used any greys this time.
Settings for paintbrush: Shape: Circle
Colour: Black to start with
Size: 30
Transparency: 80
Soft Edge: 80
5. Softly paint around the girl's head and hair adding to your mask so that you are outlining close to her head. Don't worry if you go over her hair a little because you have a very soft edge on your brush. As you can see, I went in a bit too far on her dress with the Lasso Tool so I switch to white to paint this part of the mask away to reveal more of her outfit. Simply click on the colour swatch in the Attribute Toolbar and drag the slider all the way to the right.
So far:
6. When you're happy with the job you've done, click on the Mask Mode icon. You can do this every now and then while you're working as well to see how you're doing. Here is how my image looks:
7. Right-click / Convert to Object. In the foreground / background swatches in your Tool Panel, make the background black. Drag your object into the workspace. You now have a new document with her head on a black background. With the object active, Format / Focus / Options / Level 1.
8. Effect / Xero / Titanium. Click the 1:1 button to bring the picture up bigger so you can see what the settings do. My Settings: 30 50 50 130 Extreme. (You can also use Effect Gallery / Texture / Metal1 and play with the settings if you don't have the Xero plugin but it is well worth having.) You will probably see a pale glow around the girl's head. If you don't want this you can always return to your main image and click Undo until you are back to your mask and paint the mask further into her hair and continue from Step 5. I kept the glow because it fits in ok with the Titanium effect.
9. Right-click / Merge All. For a frame: Format / Expand Canvas, tick Expand sides equally. Type 10 in one of the boxes (or whatever number you prefer). Right click / Eyedropper on the Expand color swatch and choose maybe the darker rich pink from her dress. Click OK. We're done. Try some of the other effects in Xero on the girl - there are some great filter effects in this plugin.
Thank you for trying out my tutorial :). I hope you've enjoyed it.
