What's the best way of softening a harsh mask edge in PS please, for example on the edge of a mountain and a skyline?
I've worked through a 40 videos course by Sean Bagshaw over the summer and took notes and saw it done by Sean two or three times but I've searched and just can't find it in my notes now, or work out how it was done!
I'm pretty certain it wasn't using the feathering slider on the masking menu, I have it in mind it was something from the top menu, but I don't think it was a filter.
Apologies for such a muddled question. Anyway what's the best way to soften a mask edge please?
The best way really depends on the image and what you perceive to be wrong with the mask. Gaussian Blur will certainly do it and often that is the best way. Sometimes you might think that the mask needs softening but really it just needs some fine tuning - y'know - manually painting the mask in or out. The best thing to do would be to post some reasonably high res jpeg crops of the area(s) you're concerned about, or a link to the high res layered tiff or psb.
Peter Figen wrote:
The best way really depends on the image and what you perceive to be wrong with the mask. Gaussian Blur will certainly do it and often that is the best way. Sometimes you might think that the mask needs softening but really it just needs some fine tuning - y'know - manually painting the mask in or out. The best thing to do would be to post some reasonably high res jpeg crops of the area(s) you're concerned about, or a link to the high res layered tiff or psb.
Hi Peter
Thank you.
I will try processing something to post up. It wasn't a particular image I was having problems with, it was a theoretical question, so that when I do get to create a sharp and accurate mask I don't create edge halos, or whatever.
I'm at the beginning of the PS journey so haven't experienced this myself yet, but have seen it in the past on other people's images (not on FM postings I would add!).
David
There is also a blur tool. It's grouped with the smudge tool.
Use a soft brush in overlay mode at low opacity to paint over an edge an edge.
In a new layer, paint over the edge to blur. Click on the layer to make a selection of the brush stroke. Change the work layer to the mask and use one of the blur tools.
Lower the contrast of the edge. Make a selection of the edge with the lasso tool and use a contrast or curves adjustment layer.
There is also a great mask tutorial by Deke McClelland "Photoshop: Masks and Channels" on Lynda.com.
Also, I would not want to become to dependent on any of the masking panels other than to create the initial masks.
There's also a new Replace Sky command in the latest version of Photoshop that works amazingly well. At least it did the first time I tried it in a high rez image.
