Advanced Masks and Pathing

As part of our methodology workshops, we attended an advanced masks and pathing workshop for Photoshop.

It was essentially advanced ways to make selections and turn them into layer masks, by utilising the pen tool.

Using the pen tool, we created a rough structure around what we wished to have masked out.

We then added additional anchor points, that you can drag out to bend the lines, and using the side anchors to each point you can control the gradient of the curve.

Once we had the whole path around what we wished to have cut out, you would save your path, and use it as a selection to add a layer mask.

And then your chosen part of your image could be masked out from the rest.

This workshop was really useful as this method could be easily applied, not just for montage or for cutting, but also for creating precise localised lighting or colour adjustments via masks.