![]() ![]() Quick Tip ...Black and white images and drawings make great masking material, as well as character fonts. You can use Raster or Vector images. Vector images and objects are great to work with because they can be resized without losing any quality. They will be just as sharp if you make them larger or smaller.
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Working with Vector Images and MasksUsing a mask in a paint program is like using a stencil that can be reversed by simply flipping a switch. This means you can use the inside (cutout) of the stencil to frame another graphic or the outside to achieve just the opposite effect. The shape of the mask is what gives your image the illusion that it is something other than a rectangular image. Learn the basics of masks and layers, stir in a little imagination (more is better), and there is no limit to the interesting effects that can be produced. Grabe a copy of The Font Thing from the Tiny Treasures section of mrswizard.com to help you browse through your available fonts to see which ones have interesting graphic characters you might want to use. Dingbatpages is a great place to pick up graphic fonts to add to your collection. I used butterflips font for the graphics while doing this tutorial. The letters and characters in this font are actually intricate butterfly graphics. Regular fonts (letters and words) can be used as masks too. This is where your imagination comes in. There really aren't any rules. Begin with a new blank image. Any size is fine, but I started with 360 pixels wide and 360 pixels tall, with white for the background color. Be prepared to use plenty of layers. You can hide any layers you don't want to see at any particular time and use the same graphic for many different things.
Choose Vector in your Create as area. Using the Vector option will allow you to resize each character at will, with virtually no distortion. Make sure the color is nice and dark (black?) so it will show up all right. Make sure the foreground color is turned off and the background color is set to the color you want your text to be. Click the Apply button and you will see your "font image" appear as a new vector layer.
add the mask
Click once on your mask layer to make sure it is selected. Then click the word Layers at the top of the main Paint Shop Pro window click Load/save mask and choose Save Mask To Disk. You will see another box appear with a preview of your mask. Give it a name and hit the Save button. You can use this mask anywhere, with any other image. Here's what your mask in use looks like... Enjoy!
Got questions?
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