The Professional Photoshop Book - Volume 7 2015

EXPLORE A VARIETY OF MASKING TECHNIQUES

IN PHOTOSHOP TO CREATE A MAGE’S MASK

IMPROVE YOUR

MASKING SKILLS

M

ythical imagery is a pop culture trope

enjoyed by millions of people. From

video games to TV series, it has

influenced a lot of art forms in today’s

world. Inspiration drawn from the mythical age will

be crucial in creating a mask for a mage.

Within Photoshop there are different types of

masking that can be used along with various

selection tools to help the process. Photoshop CS6

is recommended for this tutorial since the Oil Paint

filter will be used for post-processing. Different

SET THE SCENE

EDIT THE MODEL AND BACKGROUND TO GET STARTED

types of adjustment layers will also help to blend

different stock photos together.

When using masking techniques such as

layer masks and clipping masks, edits are

non-destructive and easily editable. With the

nested layers ability in Photoshop CC, masking

can target specific layers and groups.

A tablet is recommended since it will increase

the speed of cutting out stock photos, editing

layer masks, creating selections and painting the

the model’s hair.

01

SET UP THE BACKGROUND

First download the free image

ZSMgNjYrHRM from unsplash.com to set as the

background. Create a new document with

dimensions of 240mm by 310mm. Import the

image. Right-click the layer and select Rasterize

Layer. De-saturate using Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+U. Create

a Levels adjustment layer. Set values to 25, 0.85 ,

245. Group the layers and name it ‘BG’.

02

FROM MODEL TO MAGE

Import the model photo. Select the

model from the background using the desired

Selection tool and create a layer mask. After that

create a new Selective Color adjustment layer.

Clipping mask it to the model layer by holding

the Alt/Opt key and clicking between layers in

the panel. Clipping mask only targets the clipped

layer and nowhere else.

03

PA INT THE MAGE’S EYES

Under the magenta tab, set the percentages

to 0, -80, +88, -24. Create a new layer and set the

blend mode to Overlay and clip mask again. Grab a

soft white brush and paint inside model’s pupils.

Create a new layer with blend mode to Soft Light and

Opacity at 35%. Paint outside the eyes.

MASKING THE MAGE

WORK IN

PROGRESS

Progress 1: Editing the model

and background

Progress 2: Cutting out

parts for the mask

Progress 3: Final touches

MOE PIKE SOE

http://pike.moe

@moepike

OUR EXPERT

Moe Pike Soe is a 22-year-old self

taught digital artist and designer

from Yangon, Myanmar. He is

currently working as a freelance

graphic designer while extending his

knowledge at Parsons the New

School of Design in New York.

SOURCE FILES

On FileSilo you will find all the stock

photos needed to follow the tutorial,

including the retouched model photo

provided by Moe Pike Soe’s

photographer friend, Jason Nine.

Improve your masking skills

The Professional Photoshop Book 41

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