Masking Tool Tutorial

I wrote this tutorial because I feel this is just an easy way to do things for me here, and might help some of you while you photochop. If you think you've mastered photoshop already and don't need to listen to my blabbering, then close this window now or click back on your browser. There is always more than one way to do something, and this is just what I think is easiest. If you have another idea, you can always make your own tutorial.
This tutorial is done on Photoshop 7.0, but it'll work with other versions also, although tools might be in different locations.

Also, if you have a photoshop site, feel free to post this tutorial on there if you like. But please give credit, you can email me at rx8_turbo@yahoo.com .

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/89958101.jpg
Ok, first obtain a picture and open it with photoshop.(duh!) Make sure your foreground color is set to black. Then double-click on the "Edit in Quick Mask Mode" tool.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/92569202.jpg
Here, select "Selected Area" under Color Indicates, and set opacity to 100%, leave the color as red.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/49678103.jpg
Now take your brush tool, and just color in the parts you want to change color for.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/89079504.jpg
Like so.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/60264707.jpg
You can double click on the "Edit in Quick Mask Mode" again, and change opacity to 50%. This way, the red will be semi-transparent, and it'll be easier for you to see the spots where you covered accidentally.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/27025409.jpg
If you do see any mistakes, no problem, you can grab the Eraser Tool, and Erase those parts(don't worry, it'll only erase the mask, not the actual picture).

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/84334510.jpg
And now, the finished product! A hot pink 2003 WRX. mmm j/k.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/24647413.jpg
Now, left click on the button left of the Edit in Quick Mask Mode button, it is labelled, "Edit in Standard Mode". Now, the car will "turn back" to its original color, and the area you colored before is selected.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/63303214.jpg
From here on, you can use whatever color changing method you like, depending on what you want the car to look like. This is how I do it for plain color. Edit-->Adjustment-->Desaturate.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/68569115.jpg
Then, Edit-->Adjustment-->Color Balance...
Now just drag the bars around, remember you can also change the Tone Balance for Highlights and Shadows, making it more realistic.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/16432416.jpg
And now the REAL final product. 2003 Bayside Blue WRX! :D

nice tut. i think i might use that.

Good job making that tutorial. :) Just a note, it is not necessary to continually change the quick mask mode from 50% to 100% and back to 50% and so on...50% is fine for most situations.

I actually make my selection with the magnetic lasso usually, and then fine-tune it in qm mode.

Since my job is doing photos for the local newspaper (amongst other things) I have my qm mode changed to "masked areas" and the color "white" instead of red, and the opacity at 80%. In this way, I "draw off" the portions of the image I don't want to see whenever I'm doing a cutout. It is very useful for cutouts, because the white acts like the background color, but since it's only at 80% transparency I can see through it just enough. Hope that makes sense. :)

pah use copy paste and erase

hmmm the pictures don't work anymore :(
do i have to reupload? or is this just temporary?

thx for the tip boingo, i'll update it as soon as i figure out the above problem

Its because thes server got moved :rolleyes:.

ok when i tried it and i went to desaturate it took all the color out of everything BUT what i wanted it to. and i'm new at this so i don't know how to make it do what i want it to.

That means when you double clicked on Quick Mask, you selected for Color Indicates, "Masked Area", instead of "Selected Area". If you realized this mistake too late, no problem... keep coloring the parts you want. After you click on Standard Mode, simply go to Select->Inverse.

I'm guessing I'll have to reupload all those pics. I'll get 'em up ASAP.

mmmm... hot pink

Nice work!

Very cool tut!

I just learned something very very cool.

i like to change the color just by selecting the paint and changing the color balance. it doesnt look as washed out that way. what the masks are really good for is if you want to get the carbon fiber effect. expecially if you have a carbon fiber pattern. The mask is also good for doing the chamealon effect as well. because you can use the gradiant tool

good tutorial man kinda helped me out with a project i was stuck with. thanks alot. peace

Thanks for the help buddy!

The tutorial's all very well if you a beginner, but I wouldn't seriously consider manually brushing over every pixel I wanted to mask off. There's a useful tool for this, and it's called the pen tool. It uses bezier paths similar to those used in Illustrator and Macromedia programs (like Flash, Freehand, etc) and enables the user to draw very precise lines that can be used to stroke lines, create masks, make a selection, etc. Once a selection is made, you can even decide how much of a feather you want around the edges- this gives a very professional and clean finish, and doesn't look like you've been drawing with a mouse.....
In my opinion, Photoshop works the best with a graphics tablet. Check out http://www.wacom.com for these.

How could you do Body Mods with this program and stuff.
TEACH ME

well, go to rcconcepts (rcconceptsforum.tk)

PSC (http://www.photoshopchop.com/forum.s/)

and maybe photo junkie.. but im not advertising them:thefinger :icesangel


hop this helps you.

Thanks for the tutorial...I'm a :newbie: and I needed that help! Thanks alot!

no problem.. you are allso getting privet lessons from me, wich is good, but first learn the basics, and then slowly turn up your level bye reading tutorials and experimenting in PS.

btw: dont forget what i told u to do in the second lesson:

add the side skirts and wheels onto the polo, that will be the car we will be working on.

see you tommoro in your third lesson.

BTW: noobies, if u need any help in PS, just get AIM and IM me, i will be glad to help:smile:


-Ran

Yes, if you need help...he's the person you need to talk to! I didn't know a thing before those lessons, and well, I'm better now :tongue:

ok i like that tutorial at least it looks helpful but i don't have the adobe software so is this kinda stuff possible with mgi photo suite? because im very curios about this stuff thx

-gremlin boy

Originally posted by Moppie
Very cool tut!

I just learned something very very cool.

:iagree:....
Thanks for the tutorial...will def. have to try this very soon...
CL

Originally posted by Ran
no problem.. you are allso getting privet lessons from me, wich is good, but first learn the basics, and then slowly turn up your level bye reading tutorials and experimenting in PS.

btw: dont forget what i told u to do in the second lesson:

add the side skirts and wheels onto the polo, that will be the car we will be working on.

see you tommoro in your third lesson.

BTW: noobies, if u need any help in PS, just get AIM and IM me, i will be glad to help:smile:


-Ran

Sweet...thanks Ran...
Will def. do that!
CL

ok, sure, just im me when u get on AIM.

What's up guys...I just wanted to post my first ever Photoshop-Chop! I chose the Acura CL Type-S as my first

- it was an awesome pic
- I love the car

Please, please guys/gals...tell me what you think and give me pointers on what I need to improve on...
I had a good time working on this..even though it was very elementary(just changing the color of the body paint), it was still a bit of a challenge being it my first time and all...
Thanks to BeEfCaKe for the tutorial...I used your directions and this is how it came out....
Thnx in advance...
CL
p.s.
Is there a tutorial on how to lower cars, switch rims, etc...
THnx!!!

Here's another one for ya'll....
p.s.
How do you add multiple pictures to "1" posting thread?
Thnx in advance....
CL

Here's another...
Let me know if this is too much...way too much time on my hands...

Here's the same pic prior to invertion....but after a new paint job...original paint color was red....

um.. how bout u just make a new thread? and if u attach pics, u cant put more than 1 in a post.

um.. how bout u just make a new thread? and if u attach pics, u cant put more than 1 in a post.

ummmmm....thanks Ran. Appreciate the advice! Seriously!
back to topic:
so how are my first "chops" coming out...I know they're simple but I've got to start somewhere.
CL

not bad.. it would be a big help if u would of allso posted the original so that we wont have to :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: ;)

not bad.. it would be a big help if u would of allso posted the original so that we wont have to :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: ;)

LOL...sorry bro...my bad....won't happen again... :nono:
Here is the original 350Z & CL Type-S....
p.s.
Is it the lasso tool that you use to say...lower the body of a car? I used it the other night and it worked great...only problem was that I couldn't let up on the left mouse click and that after I moved the body of the car down...there was areas where the original body was that was just black...any suggestions?
CL

I have seen a lot of ill-executed color changes in my day, so I thought I'd share my method for color changing cars. The benefit: You don't lose any data, so you can change your mind later on!! (Disclaimer, start with a silver car your first time, it's easier!!)

We are going to turn this car: http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/3662641.jpg
into this car:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/8726832-final.jpg

For starters, we are going to use a variation of Beefcake's Masking tool tutorial. If you haven't already read it, you should. It's stickied at the top of this forum.

First, I traced around the car using the Magnetic Lasso. It's this one, sometimes hiding under the other Lasso tools. http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/5920813-MagneticLasso.jpg
It works by looking for "edges" in an image and snapping to them. It's the best selection method when you're dealing with high contrast, but it doesn't work so well in my example photo. Here's what I have so far:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/4282684-rudimentary.jpg
You can see that selection's a little rough, especially around the trunk and roof area.

Now, holding down the ALT (option on Mac) key while using my Magnetic Lasso, I subtract the windows and sunroof and headlights and door handles and anything else that's not part of my paint. (You can also hold down SHIFT to add to the selection.) ALT and SHIFT work this same way with ALL of Photoshop's selection tools.
Here's my new result: http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/8895545-improved.jpg
It's still a little rusty, but that's OK. I will fix it up.

Click on your Quick Mask Mode button. http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/6233736-quickmask.jpg
In Quick Mask mode, your selection is displayed as an image, and you can "paint" it on and off. Double-click on your Quick Mask button and set the mask color to White and the percent to 80%. Then, using your paintbrush tool, paint around the edges of your car to fine-tune your selection. I started with this: http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/6039237-quickbegin.jpg
and fine-tuned it to this: http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/6862428-qmfinal.jpg

Click back to regular mode (the icon to the left of the Quick Mask button). Now, the fun part. I think you need PS7 for this, if you don't have it, PM me and I'll explain how to do without.

We're going to make an adjustment layer, using our selection. Click the Adjustment Layer button http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/7914239-adjsut.jpg in the Layer palette, and select "Curves".

You will see the "Curves" dialog, it looks like this:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/15224810-curves.jpg

First, since the car we're working with is a light color, to do any realistic-looking change we're going to have to darken the paint a lot.
I did this to the RGB curves, added a little blue, changed the layer mode to "Luminosity",
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/97033811-black.jpg

and got this:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/39442412-blackcar.jpg


Here are the curves I did for RED: (green channel left alone)
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/85852613-redcurves.jpg
and the resulting car:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/36302114-redcar.jpg

By double-clicking your adjustment layer, you can change the curves again and again, or you can throw away the adjustment layer and start all over with your original, untouched image. If you see jaggies or spots you don't want colored that ARE getting colored, simply click on the mask icon on your adjustment layer, and "paint on" or "paint off" as you would in Quick Mask mode.

I find this the way to get the most realistic color changes.

BTW, if you're starting with a car that's NOT silver, when you get to the curves part, click the Gray eyedropper and click on your car somewhere. Click around until the car color is "neutralized", then adjust from there.

Questions, comments, think I suck, etc., PM me.

that tutorial is very nice, good work!

now ill go ahead and try it.

that tutorial is very nice, good work!

now ill go ahead and try it.
:iagree:...that was very nice and detailed...I'm going to print it out and try it when I get home....
Thanks much...:thumbsup:
CL

ahhh man, this doesnt work.. i tryed everything.. and just wont work :banghead: :redface:

hmmm looks nice but ran said it dont work so i guess i have to try it

yea, it dont work when u select the car with the displasment thing.
but now that i selected it with the lasso, it works pretty well.

yea, it dont work when u select the car with the displasment thing...

I don't understand what you mean, there is no "displasment thing". Could you please tell me what problem you had so I can fix the tut or put more details in.

oh sorry, i meant the quick mask, i used it the first time i tryed the tutorial, and it didnt color the car when i went to curves and did what u told to.

but at least now it works for me when using the lasso tool.

oh sorry, i meant the quick mask, i used it the first time i tryed the tutorial, and it didnt color the car when i went to curves and did what u told to.

but at least now it works for me when using the lasso tool.

It might be because I have my Quick Mask settings set to "Color indicates Masked areas" instead of the default, which is selected areas. So maybe if you change that it will work better.

o, ok, ill try it in my next chop.

I use curves for all my chops when I change coloir it works great.

how do i do it in 6???

BTW, if you're starting with a car that's NOT silver, when you get to the curves part, click the Gray eyedropper and click on your car somewhere. Click around until the car color is "neutralized", then adjust from there.

another good way to do that is to go to; Image > Adjustments > Desaturate

no pictures.... :confused:

Let me see here. I tried it and it don't work 4 me.

LOL...sorry bro...my bad....won't happen again... :nono:
Here is the original 350Z & CL Type-S....
p.s.
Is it the lasso tool that you use to say...lower the body of a car? I used it the other night and it worked great...only problem was that I couldn't let up on the left mouse click and that after I moved the body of the car down...there was areas where the original body was that was just black...any suggestions?
CL

I do lessons for only 59.99$ a lesson :naughty:

alright im having some problems here.. im new to photshop, and this is my first time trying to do anything.. here is the problem that im having..

when i get to the adjustment layer part.. i can get the background to change but nothing else. (everything that hasent been lasoed)

i think this is the same problem that other's are having.. i noticed that you said that you had your Quick Mask settings set to "Color indicates Masked areas" instead of the default. how do you go about doing this. i have tryed figuring out but i can't.. and i think that this is the problem that im having...

thanks for any help... jason

alright im having some problems here.. im new to photshop, and this is my first time trying to do anything.. here is the problem that im having..

when i get to the adjustment layer part.. i can get the background to change but nothing else. (everything that hasent been lasoed)

i think this is the same problem that other's are having.. i noticed that you said that you had your Quick Mask settings set to "Color indicates Masked areas" instead of the default. how do you go about doing this. i have tryed figuring out but i can't.. and i think that this is the problem that im having...

thanks for any help... jason

Hi. It sounds like you have everything selected BUT the car - to invert your selection, go to Select: Invert or hit Apple-Shift-I on a Mac or Ctrl-Shift-I on a PC.

As for the Quick Mask settings, simply double-click on your Quick Mask Mode button, and it brings up the settings. "Color indicates masked areas" means that it colors off everything that's not selected. If the car is colored off, you need to invert your selection, either by doing what I mentioned above in "regular selection mode", or if you're still in Quick Mask mode go to Image: Adjustments: Invert or Apple-I on a Mac or Ctrl-I on a PC.

Hope that helps, ask any more questions you have.

when i tried to do this, the car colour didn't really drastically change like urs did..... can you tell me why not? mine only took on a slight blue, and that blue was sorta like.... see thru and i could tell it was a grey car underneath.

nice1 the instructions helped me all da way up 2 the desaturate part but i found my own ways round it Tnks 4 The Help

I've seen all kinds of high res pics on here. Where do you all find them? I found a few on supercars.net, but not too many normal cars.

here are a couple

http://www.dieselstation.com/archives.html

http://highresautoimages.com/index.html

www.autogaleria.pl is one of my all time favs
also there are some good ones on www.seriouswheels.com

Thought since this comes up a lot a sticky might benefit.

Feel free to add your resource pic sites to this thread!

here are a few:

www.fast-autos.net
www.ultimatecarpage.com
www.rsportscars.com
www.speedycars.net

Alex

Lots of really nice Porsche pics (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=332943)

http://www.tuning.ch/4images/categories.php?cat_id=2&sessionid=d411d1ff1dd044b67ccbd8e74e544bc1

there is a number of good hi res tuned car pics which people can use as donor pictures

Alot of great sites on this post... but id like to add one...

http://www.supercars.net