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[ 45 ]Step Eight: To save the Photoshop docu-
ment (and your vector mask!), choose
File>Save As. In the resulting dialog, pick
Photoshop as the file format and click Save.
Step Nine: To save a copy of the photo
with a transparent background, choose
File> Export> Export As. In the resulting
dialog, choose PNG from the menu at the
upper right and make sure Transparency is
turned on. Click Export All. In the window
that appears, tell Photo shop where you
want to save the PNG and click Export.
Photoshop saves a copy of the document
as a PNG with a transparent background
(this is something Lightroom can’t do).
Note: If you peek at the PSD in Lightroom,
you’ll see the stone’s original background.
Why? Because Lightroom doesn’t support
transparency; however, if you reopen the
PSD in Photoshop from inside Lightroom,
using either the Edit a Copy or Edit Original
options, it’ll open with the vector mask and a
transparent background.
Step 10: To create a solid-colored back-
ground instead of a transparent one, click
the half-black/half-white circle at the bottom
of the Layers panel (circled here). Choose
Solid Color from the resulting menu, and in
the Color Picker that opens, pick a color and
click OK (white was used here). Now drag
the Solid Color Fill layer beneath the stone
layer in the Layers panel. If later on you want
to change the background color, double-
click the Solid Color Fill layer’s thumbnail to
reopen the Color Picker.
Neat, huh? Obviously, this isn’t a compre-
hensive guide for using the Pen tool, but
now you’re on the right path (ha!). And as
usual, practice makes perfect. Heck, when
you get really good at it, you can use the Pen
tool to draw complicated shapes and make
art from scratch! Until next time, may the
creative force be with you all. n