Confidence shaken...

[GrfxGawd]

I just upgraded VideoStudio and bought a copy of PaintShop Pro 4X. Before uninstalling VideoStudio Pro X4 I decided I better look through installation directories before I delete anything I might want to keep. So I'm browsing through directories and find image files that are part of some user interface elements. Being a long time PhotoShop Maven I randomly click on a JPEG and check its properties. Program Name: Adobe Photoshop CS3. Wow, Corel doesn't even eat it's own dog food! Heck, check some of the files for yourself. Many have no specific properties, but of those that do, it's PhotoShop all the way...

[LeviFiction]

The fact that it was at one time saved in Photoshop means absolutely nothing.

Photoshop still offers professional level things that PSP can't. It's just a fact of the software so it's not unreasonable that Corel would own a copy of Photoshop or that its employees might. Also it's possible they have licensed some materials and images. And any other number of possible reasons that we don't know.

Speculating as to why is a useless exercise that doesn't produce any reliable results.

If you need to ask questions about a software ask: 1) Does it work? 2) Is it reliable? 3) Can I get the results I'm looking for?

Those are important questions.

[GrfxGawd]

Sure, I'll ask. How do I create a luminosity mask? Been trying to discover a way and haven't quite yet. Of course I'm still very new to the software.

[dwalby2]

Not sure exactly what you're trying to accomplish with the 'luminosity mask' but this may do the trick.

1. layers/new adjustment layer/threshold
2. select the threshold value you prefer. If you click on preview on image you will see all black below the threshold and all white above the threshold.
3. change the blending mode in the layers palette from 'normal' to 'multiply'.

This will mask out the original image in all areas that were below the threshold value, and pass through the areas that are above the threshold unchanged from the original image pixels.

The threshold layer also has a built in mask which defaults to show all (all white). If you select the paintbrush tool and select black as the foreground color you can mask out areas of the threshold mask by painting on that layer with black. when you do this you should now see black squiggles in the previously all white rectangle in the adjustment layer, and the pixels affected by the black painting will now pass through the original image pixels unchanged. This may seem a little inconsistent because the black areas of the threshold mask itself block the original image pixels, but the black areas painted on the mask do the opposite and pass the image pixels unchanged.

[LeviFiction]

I am using the steps provided in this Photoshop tutorial - http://goodlight.us/writing/luminositym ... sks-2.html

Well, with some obvious differences but it should get the same general effect.

Go to the Layers menu and create a "Mask from Image" Then make sure that the current image is select from the list of images and the "mask from" radio button for "Source Luminance" is selected. This will create a mask based on the luminance of the image. You can then also create a selection from the mask by going to the selections menu and selecting "From Mask"

Masks can be saved to the harddrive or to an Alpha Channel inside the image by going to the layers menu and selecting "Load or Save Mask"

Selections can be saved the same way by going to the selections menu and selecting "Load or Save Selection"


By creating a selection from the mask you can actually create a new adjustment layer that uses the current selection to create it's mask from.