MASKS-TECHNIQUE 1

[Hartake]

I have problems getting clear and accurate mask selections in PhotoPaint..I like PhotoPaint, the mouse drawing precision is very good but the masking..
OK..On a black and white clipart
I used the magic wand set at 1-10 (5 seemed to be ideal)..I set the mode to Normal and painted over the masked image with a bright red color. I removed the mask and looked at the unmasked image...The masked image is painted over around the upper edges in a very ragged line. The red is jagged over most of the image. Small, 1-2 pixel lines are painted red in some places..meaning an insects legs and antenna had to be redrawn in black by hand because the mask did not cover completely in that area..but the mask did not cover correctly in larger areas leaving ragged chunks of the black image edges in some places..I tried different modes..additive subtractive etc and feathering..I have tried color mask but the mask is still not very precise..
Is there any technique for getting more precise masking? Can anyone give me some general settings for masking as I have about quit using the function..The mouse precision in Photopaint is excellent.. I can draw very precise lines so almost don't need the mask but it is tedious for large areas..
How Do I Do Precise and Clean Masking?

 

[Stanleyrama]

I have had the same problem at times with the magic wand leaving chunky edges...it's following the pixels.
Anywho, use the Freehand mask tool or the LASSO Tool instead

Also, I set my background to TRANSPARENT to start,make a copy of the image and paste it...it appears on another LAYER or in Corel- as another OBJECT...then when you mask it...you can put it on another background and it looks superimposed...

Anyway, back to the Masking -Click, release, move to another place along the edge,click, release, move mouse...etc. You can deside how many points to click at to get the degree of accuracy you need.
Now, although you are drawing straight lines, put lots of points around any curved area and don't worry...it's gonna look better...
Now, use the add or subtract to change areas that are too far off the outline. INVERT the mask if you need to...

Now to feather the mask....
Go to Mask> Mask Outline> Feather
Choose a Pixel number...a small amount...say 3 if the image is small...more if it's bigger (experiment) and choose MIDDLE, the OK.
That's it!

 

[Hartake]

Thank You
That is the old hard way..using the lasso tool..but it works best...
I was wondering if there wasn't a way to set the magic wand to do a better job..or maybe the magic wand is doing a better job..a bit too right and tight..
I will keep playing with it ..see if I can get a looser, thus more precise mask with the magic wand

 

[attrofy]

I am not sure what your final output is, or what version of photopaint you are using, but if you have v12 or X3 (I think v11 has it too) there is a "Cut Out Lab" that does a great job with masking and allowing you very precise control over the image, and the mask. It also gives you preview abilities, to see what we will be removed and what will be left. Basically, you use one color pen to draw an outline around your image, then you fine tune the boundary area between what you are masking and what you are leaving. It can be a bit tedious, but it works well for feathers, flames, or shadowy areas (or other areas of low contrast).

The magic wand is hard to fine tune, it seems it either "grabs" too much, or not enough. Also, clicking within an area multiple times will sometimes expand the magic wands area, and get things like legs and antenna. I find it easiest touse the Brush Mask tool. It seems to provide the most control. I can go back afterwards, and hit the "-" button to remove peices, so I can "paint" from the outside right up to the edge of what I want masked. This is very similar to the Cut Out Lab - only I don't have to cut out the object, I can do other things with the mask.

THe magic wand works best for like colors, textures and contrasts. I try to leave my tolerance between 7 and 10, as this gives me the most consistant and usable results. The multiple clicking thing works well for me at these settings.