How to mask text to show "scratches"…..

Ok, well if you set the layer to Darken, you’d have the artifacts over the background as well – so make a selection from the text and use that as a layer mask for the artifact layer.

As for letting the background show through the scratches (something I didn’t notice since the background on your image was black anyway) you could use the black as a selection and ‘hide’ that selection in the text layer, allowing anything on a layer below to show through.

"Artifice" wrote in message

No, that isn’t what I want. I want to isolate the ‘artefact’ layer inside the text and not have it extend outside the text. In Fireworks creating a Mask Group puts the ‘artifact’ layter inside the text and removes it from anywhere else.

Also, I don’t want the black and white colours in the ‘artefact’ mask – I want to the white parts to allow the text colour to show through and the black parts to scrub out or ‘scratch’ the text, letting the background show through.

If I do what you suggest the artefacts are all over my background layer and also don’t affect the text the way a mask should……
Any way to do what to me seems a simple process after years of Fireworks? It seems a pain to have to do all my text effects like this in Fireworks or Illustrator and then import them.

Mark

If you have both images (1 for the text and 1 for the black

‘artifacts’),

you could pop the black image as a layer above the text layer and

change the

layer mode from Normal to Darken or Multiply.

HTH

"Artifice" wrote in message

Hiya all,

Okay, I have been using Fireworks for years and finally decided I

must

teach myself how to do this stuff in Photoshop…..mainly because Photoshop is so damned fast and I can no longer spend 6 hours on

one

illustration anymore wiating for Fireworks to catch up!

OK, I am trying to add a mask to text to add scratches to the lettering.

This is an example of what I want to do in Photoshop.

http://www.artifice-design.co.uk/fringe_header2.gif

I made this in Fireworks and in there all you do is put a black

and

white "mask" image (containing the scratches) over the text

vector,

highlight both objects and then select Group as Mask. I have been studying masks all week in Photoshop and still cannot find out how

to

do this very simple task!

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Mark

If you make your background black as you have in your Fireworks image, place your colored text. then add a mask to the text layer and use the one your have already used for the scratches.

"Artifice" wrote in message

Hiya all,

Okay, I have been using Fireworks for years and finally decided I must teach myself how to do this stuff in Photoshop…..mainly because Photoshop is so damned fast and I can no longer spend 6 hours on one illustration anymore wiating for Fireworks to catch up!

OK, I am trying to add a mask to text to add scratches to the lettering.

This is an example of what I want to do in Photoshop.

http://www.artifice-design.co.uk/fringe_header2.gif

I made this in Fireworks and in there all you do is put a black and white "mask" image (containing the scratches) over the text vector, highlight both objects and then select Group as Mask. I have been studying masks all week in Photoshop and still cannot find out how to do this very simple task!

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Mark

Sorry, I was not clear…..I am only using this picture as an example. I want to make effects like this only in Photoshop from now on to speed up my workflow as I am using Photoshop 7 for my compositing software now…..I don’t want to have to go into Fireworks, fiddle about in there and then export/import into Photoshop.

So, I want to be able to do this on Photoshop as easily as I can in Fireworks if possible…….

If you make your background black as you have in your Fireworks

image, place

your colored text. then add a mask to the text layer and use the one

your

have already used for the scratches.

Hi,

Thanks for all the help…….

Ok, well if you set the layer to Darken, you’d have the artifacts

over the

background as well – so make a selection from the text and use that

as a

layer mask for the artifact layer.

Could you run through the stages of how to do this – I can make the a copy of the text as a selection but cannot apply this selection to a mask – I can only seem to paint or add a gradient to my mask……

As for letting the background show through the scratches (something

I didn’t

notice since the background on your image was black anyway) you

could use

the black as a selection and ‘hide’ that selection in the text

layer,

allowing anything on a layer below to show through.

Sorry, again could you give a bit of detail on this – I am new to Photoshop 7 and cannot seem to ‘hide’ the selection in the text layer as you suggest.

Thanks for your time, it’s helping a lot!
Mark

Howdy,

A layer mask is essentially a non-destructive way of removing part of a layer. Briefly, you can make a selection (i.e. the text) from any layer and apply a layer mask to ‘hide’ or ‘reveal’ that selection on any other layer (Layer > Add Layer Mask > Hide/Reveal Selection).

So if you used the black artifacts as a ‘hide’ layer mask on the text layer, anything beneath it would show through.

Does this help?

"Artifice" wrote in message

Hi,

Thanks for all the help…….

Ok, well if you set the layer to Darken, you’d have the artifacts

over the

background as well – so make a selection from the text and use that

as a

layer mask for the artifact layer.

Could you run through the stages of how to do this – I can make the a copy of the text as a selection but cannot apply this selection to a mask – I can only seem to paint or add a gradient to my mask……

As for letting the background show through the scratches (something

I didn’t

notice since the background on your image was black anyway) you

could use

the black as a selection and ‘hide’ that selection in the text

layer,

allowing anything on a layer below to show through.

Sorry, again could you give a bit of detail on this – I am new to Photoshop 7 and cannot seem to ‘hide’ the selection in the text layer as you suggest.

Thanks for your time, it’s helping a lot!
Mark

If you are looking to recreate the artifacts, you could try adding noise on a new layer (filled with white) and altering the threshold and erasing areas as you see fit (or, as in my other reply, using layer masks to do it non-destructively).

HTH

"Artifice" wrote in message

Sorry, I was not clear…..I am only using this picture as an example. I want to make effects like this only in Photoshop from now on to speed up my workflow as I am using Photoshop 7 for my compositing software now…..I don’t want to have to go into Fireworks, fiddle about in there and then export/import into Photoshop.

So, I want to be able to do this on Photoshop as easily as I can in Fireworks if possible…….

If you make your background black as you have in your Fireworks

image, place

your colored text. then add a mask to the text layer and use the one

your

have already used for the scratches.

Okay, I think I am getting somewhere – I may even get this concept by today!!! 😉

I have now managed to make a mask from the text itself so that, for instance, when I paint across the text it only shows inside the text…..now for the next bit…..

My artefact data is not a selection, it is a black and white bitmap imported into a seperate layer from the text. I cannot seem to make this bitmap a selection and use it to mask the text mask…..

I know I could paint the scratches on, but I would like to do it the way I describe above if possible. I have collated many black and white images containing artefacts (all made using threshold under Image>Adjustments) that I am using on my current magazine projects and they contain a lot of unique data that I cannot recreate by painting – so I would love to use these bitmaps as ‘artefact’ masks………

Thanks for your patience!
Mark

A layer mask is essentially a non-destructive way of removing part

of a

layer. Briefly, you can make a selection (i.e. the text) from any

layer and

apply a layer mask to ‘hide’ or ‘reveal’ that selection on any other

layer

(Layer > Add Layer Mask > Hide/Reveal Selection).

So if you used the black artifacts as a ‘hide’ layer mask on the

text layer,

anything beneath it would show through.

Does this help?

Ok, I think what you’re looking to do here is to select just the black. You *could* do this using the magic wand and then do ‘Select > Similar’ but you’d have much more control if you do ‘Select > Colour Range’. The range for the shadows may work well, alternatively use the colour picker to select the blackest black on the layer.

Once you have your selection, you can turn off the artifact layer, select the text layer and use the selection as a layer mask (hide).

How’s that?

"Artifice" wrote in message

Okay, I think I am getting somewhere – I may even get this concept by today!!! 😉

I have now managed to make a mask from the text itself so that, for instance, when I paint across the text it only shows inside the text…..now for the next bit…..

My artefact data is not a selection, it is a black and white bitmap imported into a seperate layer from the text. I cannot seem to make this bitmap a selection and use it to mask the text mask…..
I know I could paint the scratches on, but I would like to do it the way I describe above if possible. I have collated many black and white images containing artefacts (all made using threshold under Image>Adjustments) that I am using on my current magazine projects and they contain a lot of unique data that I cannot recreate by painting – so I would love to use these bitmaps as ‘artefact’ masks………
Thanks for your patience!
Mark

A layer mask is essentially a non-destructive way of removing part

of a

layer. Briefly, you can make a selection (i.e. the text) from any

layer and

apply a layer mask to ‘hide’ or ‘reveal’ that selection on any other

layer

(Layer > Add Layer Mask > Hide/Reveal Selection).

So if you used the black artifacts as a ‘hide’ layer mask on the

text layer,

anything beneath it would show through.

Does this help?

Alright, that was good, colour range was simple and useful – now all I have to do is work out how to get this selection into the text layer and become the mask for the text.

At the moment the artefacts are masking themselves. I need to make this selection jump into the text layer – which I cannot seem to do at all……

So close yet so far…….. 😉

Ok, I think what you’re looking to do here is to select just the

black. You

*could* do this using the magic wand and then do ‘Select > Similar’

but

you’d have much more control if you do ‘Select > Colour Range’. The

range

for the shadows may work well, alternatively use the colour picker

to select

the blackest black on the layer.

Once you have your selection, you can turn off the artifact layer,

select

the text layer and use the selection as a layer mask (hide).
How’s that?

"Artifice" wrote in message

No, that isn’t what I want. I want to isolate the ‘artefact’ layer inside the text and not have it extend outside the text. In Fireworks creating a Mask Group puts the ‘artifact’ layter inside the text and removes it from anywhere else.

In Photoshop, that’s called a Clipping Group. It’s listed in the index for Photoshop help.