1 Reply Latest reply: Sep 2, 2010 9:44 PM by MTSTUNER RSS

    Mask out background w/ vector mask, and paint back with layer mask?

    avpromedia Community Member

      One of my layer is a person (smart object) with background removed with a vector mask. It takes a long time to draw the vector mask due to intricate edges.

       

      I want to be able to easily paint back some of the background surrounding the person that is removed by the vector mask. The boundary of this step need not be precise. I also want to be easily erase what I paint back, thus again showing the intricate cut out.

       

      The ideal solution would be a layer mask that unmasks what the vector mask masks off. But layer mask only mask off addition area.

       

      I could rasterize the vector mask into a layer mask. This would allow me to easily paint back some of the surroundings. However, if later I decided I painted back too much surroundings it would be impossible to fix.

       

      The big picture is this. I'm making a faux "group shot" composed of people from several photos. The people's bodies and arms are overlapped at various places and this is where the accurate cut out is needed, to look like one person is in front of another. There are large gaps between their heads and these areas cannot be left blank, so this is where I want to paint back the original background around their heads. Their backgrounds look similiar enough I can blend them. I don't want to put a different background behind them because that would require that I accurately mask out their head as well. Right now I only need to mask their arms and bodies accurately.

        • 1. Re: Mask out background w/ vector mask, and paint back with layer mask?
          MTSTUNER Community Member

          You could load the selection from your vector mask (ctrl+click vector mask thumbnail)

          and then add a layer mask to your layer (uses the active selection)

           

          Then Shift+click on the vector mask thumbnail to disable the vector mask (red X) and

          the layer mask should work for painting in or painting out as long as the vector mask

          is disabled.

           

          You can just leave the vector mask so you can use the path later (shift+click the

          vector mask thumbnail to enable)

           

          mask-and-vector-mask.jpg

           

           

           

          MTSTUNER