Photoshop: How to use Layer Masks

Confused about layer masks in Adobe Photoshop?  When I first got started in Photoshop, I didn’t understand layer masks, how they worked, and how to use them.  In this tutorial, I’ll explain what a layer mask is, what it does and how it works.  With a little practice, you can become an expert in using layer masks. 

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Photoshop: How to Clean Up Selections

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to remove the white, black, or colored edge that may appear around elements that you extract from images.  In this case, I’m using an ornamental grass that was extracted from an image.  The grass has a dark edge around the cutout of the grass.  Using this quick tip, it is easy to remove the dark edge.  By removing the dark edge, the image of this grass will blend into your composite image much better.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Be sure to check out my YouTube Channel and  Blog for more tutorials!

Adobe Photoshop CC - Custom Trees using Pattern Fill

Adobe Photoshop CC has a way to create a wide variety of 3D trees and shrubs that can be inserted into your images!  This is an awesome new feature that is customizable and easy to use.  As a Landscape Architect, I frequently use Photoshop as a visualization tool to help clients see the potential of their outdoor space.  I have found that many clients cannot fully understand a design simply by looking at an overhead plan view of their site.  Great photographs of the existing site combined with Photoshop compositing really help to get the design idea and intent across to clients.

Accessing and using the custom 3D trees in Photoshop is simple.  First, open the image you will be working on.  Next, create a new blank layer above the background layer.  Make the new blank layer active.  To add a new 3D tree onto our blank layer we need to ‘Fill’ the layer by pressing Shift + Delete.  There are several options here on how we can Fill the layer.  In the Fill dialog box, under the Contents section, choose ‘Pattern’.  The Blending section can remain as is.  Toggle on (check mark) ‘Scripted Pattern’.  Then click the drop down menu next to the word ‘Scripts’, select Tree.

The ‘Tree Pattern’ dialog box will now appear and gives you various ways the tree can be can customized.  From changing the direction of the light so shadows match the image to reducing or removing the leaves on the tree, this dialog box is where you would make those changes.  When you have made the necessary changes, click ‘OK’.

The tree will then be rendered and placed on your blank layer.  From this point the tree can be scaled and moved around the image.  It’s important to make sure the tree is placed on it’s own layer so you have the option to change the size and positioning of it later on if you need to. 

While I think it’s still necessary to have a large library of plant material images for anything your composite might need, this feature in Adobe Photoshop CC is really great and will help speed up the time it takes to make composite landscape images.