I have been reading the Landscape Learning Thread by Bear_Music and I need a bit of help with contrast masking.
I cannot do it the way the tutorial states because I have Elements.
I found something online that gives me these steps:
1. Open image
2. Duplicate background layer
3. Invert duplicate layer
4. Remove color from duplicate layer
5. Apply Gaussian blur of about 4 to duplicate layer
6. Change blending mode of duplicate layer to Overlay or Soft light.
My biggest question is that when I invert the duplicate layer, I get another layer. So now I have the background, the duplicated background and now an inverted layer. Am I supposed to merge the dupe background with the inverted one to get my mask?
Thanks to anyone who can help me here...Bear, I am anxiously awaiting your response ;-) Now that I have my 10-22mm that you helped me buy I need your help in PS. ;-)
I have never tried this technique, so I don't know how well it works. However, as you describe it you should end up with only two layers: the original BG layer and the inverted dupe of it, which is set in overlay or soft light mode.
My gut reaction is that you would want to make TWO duplicates of the BG layer, then invert the uppermost of the two and do that stuff to it, then merge the overlay layer into the duplicate BG layer, leaving you with two layers: original BG layer and the modified BG layer, which you can now fade the opacity of if you wish to reduce the effect at a later point in the processing.
For some reason, when I invert the dupe background, I end up with a 3rd layer. I am only able to invert the background by creating a new adjustment layer. How else can I invert the layer?
Make the duplicate layer the active layer and hit cntrl-shift-i to invert :-) For sure, if you have to do it with an adjustment layer, then merge the adjustment layer into the dupe layer before doing the overlay thingie.
Ctl+Shift+I does not work for Elements. My only option then is to create a new adjustment layer and merge the 2.
That is what I was doing and I was able to recreate some of the processing that you did, Bear, in the landscape thread. It wasn't exact but it was pretty close.
Great landscape thread. Can't wait to finish reading it.
But PS CS2's "Shadow/highlight" adjustment is legal in basic??
Yes, unfortunately. This is a major inconsistency of the rules, because shadow/highlight is is basically an automation of the previous, manual "contrast masking" technique, with bells & whistles added for good measure, and it makes no sense to me that S/H is allowed and Contrast Masking is not...
