Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One

Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One
Join Deke as he explores the world of masking, Photoshop's most powerful and least understood group of features.

Knowing your way around alpha channels (or masks) is the most sure-fire way to boost the quality of your work in Photoshop. But masking isn't easy-in fact, the elusive alpha channel has been described as the least understood feature in Photoshop's enormous arsenal. Now, you can master masking with Deke McClelland's unique and effective learning system. Through step-by-step text lessons, DVD-video demonstrations, and real-world projects, you'll learn how to select and composite highlights, shadows, clouds, fabric, feathers, glass, flame, lightning, eyes, all varieties of hair, and then some.

Product Details:

List price: $49.99USD
Length: 512 pages with 3 hours of video instruction on DVD
ISBN 13: 9780596516154

Table of Contents:

Lesson 1.    HOW CHANNELS WORK
    •    What Are Channels?
    •    The Mechanics of RGB Primaries
    •    The Single-Channel Grayscale Image
    •    Working with Lab Color
    •    The Mechanics of CMYK Inks
    •    Editing in the Multichannel Mode
    •    Duotones, Tritones, and Quadtones


Lesson 2.    HOW MASKS WORK
    •    What Are Masks?
    •    Creating and Saving Alpha Channels
    •    Loading Masks and Putting Them to Use
    •    Modifying a Mask
    •    Combining Masks


Lesson 3.    SELECTION ESSENTIALS
    •    The Automated Selection Tools
    •    Making the Most of the Magic Wand
    •    Using the Quick Selection Tool
    •    Using the Magnetic Lasso
    •    Refining a Selection Outline
    •    Selection Calculations
    •    Transforming and Warping Selections


Lesson 4.    COLOR RANGE AND QUICK MASK
    •    As Close to Automatic asMasking Gets
    •    Using the Color Range Command
    •    Smoothing Edges and Remaking Corners
    •    Refining a Selection with Quick Mask
    •    Pasting an Image into a Mask


Lesson 5.   EVERYDAY CHANNEL MASKING
    •    One Big, Hairy Project
    •    Making a Mask from a Channel
    •    Finessing the Smooth Contours
    •    Creating a Silhouette Effect
    •    Blending Hair and Sky
    •    Setting the Image in a $3000 Frame


Lesson 6.    BLENDS AND COMPOSITES
    •    When in Doubt, Blend
    •    Blending a Scanned Logo
    •    Working with Blend Modes
    •    How Add out-brightens Multiply
    •    Luminance Blending
    •    Using Blending to Reconcile Images
    •    that Really Don’t Go Together


Lesson 7.    MASKING LAYERS
    •    The Many Kinds of Layer Masks
    •    Creating a Jet of Motion Blur
    •    Masking an Adjustment Layer
    •    Masking Translucent Objects
    •    Assembling the Perfect Group Photo
    •    Employing a Knockout Mask


Lesson 8.    SPECIALTY MASKS
    •    Six Specialized Selectors
    •    Smoothing with a Luminance Mask
    •    Adjusting Skin Tones with a Corrective Mask
    •    Changing the Color of an Image
    •    Element with a Color Mask
    •    Sharpening with a Density Mask
    •    Blurring a Background with a Depth Mask
    •    Correcting an Archival Photo with an Edge Mask


Lesson 9.    CHANNEL MIXING AND OTHER TRICKS
    •    Channel Mixer, I Am Your Father
    •    Mixing a Custom Black-and-White Image
    •    Swapping Channel Mixer for Black & White
    •    Extreme Channel Mixing
    •    The Professional’s Approach to Red-Eye


Lesson 10.    CALCULATIONS (a.k.a. Channel Operations)
    •    The Lore of the Chop
    •    Blue Screen Calculations
    •    Using the Add and Subtract Modes
    •    Curves, Dodge, Burn, and Paint
    •    Multiply, Minimum, Blur, and Apply Image


Lesson 11.    THE PEN TOOL AND PATHS PALETTE
    •    Vector-Based Shapes
    •    Drawing a Free-Form Polygon
    •    Adding and Deleting Anchor Points
    •    Converting a Path to a Selection or a Mask
    •    Control Handles, Smooth Points, and Cusps
    •    Vector Masks, Shape Layers, and Layer Masks
    •    Editing Character Outlines as Paths


Lesson 12.    MASKING THE TOUGH STUFF
    •    Calculations, High Pass, and Arb Maps
    •    Masking and Compositing Light Hair
    •    Capturing and Enhancing a Flame
    •    Mastering Advanced Calculations
    •    Creating a High Pass Mask
    •    Masking with Arbitrary Maps

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Comments

I'm trying to install the

Submitted by zahid12 on 24 September 2012 - 3:39am.

I'm trying to install the palette in CS5, it wotks when you use the start menu and start is as administrator, but it doesn't not show up in photoshop CS5 window> extensions>channel+masks is not there!

Same here, tried to install

Submitted by dkwul on 8 November 2012 - 5:08am.

Same here, tried to install Channels & Masks.mxp on CS5, it won't work.

Asked by mail. Regretfully no reply.

Guess one has to uninstall CS5 and re-install CS4 to get this working.

=

installing Channels and Maks CS4 extension palette in CS5

Submitted by Bernieclown on 20 June 2012 - 5:39am.

I'm following the instructions in the book, but the palette doesn't appear under extension...please help.
Thank you

CS4 Channels and masks

Submitted by kinoulton on 6 February 2012 - 10:27am.

I have damaged the DVD-ROM that came with my copy of CS4 Channels and Masks.
Fortunately, I've copied all of the lesson files to my hard drive so I can access those, but I can no longer watch the videos which introduce each chapter. Is it possible to buy a new copy of the disc alone, or can I get the videos as downloads from anywhere?

Update Feb 6 2012

I've managed to locate and download all 12 videos from Blip tv. The visual quality of the videos is nowhere near as good as the originals (they download as .flv files) but the content is still as good.

I'd still like to get a copy of the DVD-Rom, though.

Channels and Masks palette installation in PS CS5

Submitted by bruno99 on 14 January 2012 - 4:34pm.

I tried to install the palette in CS5 but it doesn't appear in photoshop>window>extensions!
Is there a solution?

lesson flies Channels and Masks downloading problems

Submitted by KarenRobbins on 9 January 2012 - 1:38pm.

I have the Book Channels and Masks CS4 and I can't open the lesson files for Chapters 10 and 11. I get an error message. I can not even copy the files to my desk top for those chapters. Help.

cs4 channels and mask

Submitted by deenice on 28 September 2011 - 5:13pm.

i see some people are trying to install photoshop cs4 channels and mask to cs5 i been trying to with no success is there an answer to get this fix ????

Accessing Magnetic Lasso Tool Width Setting

Submitted by Robert01 on 11 November 2010 - 4:53am.

Dear Deke,

Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One Page 92.
.
As there is no version of this book for Photoshop CS5 at present I am using it with Photoishop CS5. Up to page 92 there has been no difficulty. However when I reached instruction 5 'Reduce the Width value', I could not change the Width value in the Options Bar with the square bracket key when I pressed it.

Please could you advise how to make the square bracket key and width value active in CS5 so that I can change the Width value without releasing the Magnetic Lasso tool?

Thank you for your help.

I have used photo shop for

Submitted by Tina45 on 17 May 2011 - 1:05pm.

I have used photo shop for taking pictures of friend's weddings. I have also done a little bit of work with newborns. I have found that this program is fairly easy to use. I like that it has some templates already built in. It allows to be more creative and enhance my wedding reception ideas. This program itself if very user friendly. It isn't as difficult to use as past versions. Those were terrible to navigate through. It really helps to enhance the pictures that I take.

Channels & Masks CS4

Submitted by johnl077 on 9 November 2010 - 10:05am.

Page 416, Item #5 calls for selecting the add icon for the rectangle tool. There is no such icon. The icon shown in the 5th line should be the path tool. It took a while and many revisits to the instruction to figure this one out. The path tool works just as shown. Great book!

Channels and Masks palette installation in PS CS5

Submitted by alotia on 5 September 2010 - 12:21pm.

I am trying to install the Channels & Masks palette in Photoshop CS5 on Mac OS X. When I double-click on the .mxp file, it does show up into the Adobe Extension Manager CS5. But in PS, the Windows > Extensions menu does not list it.

I looked around in the file system, and noticed that the Extension was installed in /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Extension Manager/ directory. In that directory, I see two extensions installed: Toolbox and Channels+Masks. And while both of these show up in the Extension Manager's list, only Toolbox appears in the Windows > Extensions menu.

I searched a bit to see if CS4 extensions are incompatible with CS5, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Any info will be appreciated.

Cheers,
-Adil

Channels and Masks palette installation in PS CS5

Submitted by bruno99 on 14 January 2012 - 4:14pm.

I have the same problem.

I'm trying to install the palette in CS5, it wotks when you use the start menu and start is as administrator, but it doesn't not show up in photoshop CS5 window> extensions>channel+masks is not there!

is there a solution?

maybe a palette for CS5?

CS5 and the CS4-palette

Submitted by fahv on 25 September 2010 - 10:36am.

Trying to install the CS4 Channels & Masks palette in Photoshop CS5 on my Windows7-64 had the same result.
I reinstalled PS-CS4. Hope mister McClelland will provide us with an upgraded version of the mxp-file because I have no intention to buy his CS5-book only for this file.

Greetings,

Fahv

Mask From Channel

Submitted by CB on 10 August 2010 - 4:35pm.

Folks
I've purchased two books authored by Deke and well, never mind.

Using CS5 I've opened a tif (Hair Fantasia) on the CD of Channels and Masks and on page 157 in step 10 painting with white does nothing. Except, when I open a blank page (cmd+N) and return to the image, or I paint then press the Cmd and click anywhere on the image. My personal tifs, psd's, dng's, and raw files do not exhibit this behavior. Too, opening Deke's tif in CS4 behaves normally. The fact is all the tif's on his CD do the same thing in CS5

Does anyone have any idea what's going on? How 'bout you Deke?

CB
iMac 10.6.4

What the devil is a validation error?

Ch y Mask 1 on 1 Lesson 11 Page 400

Submitted by macdowellfred on 16 June 2010 - 5:15pm.

Please Note Box says that a fix for the path names can be found at
" www.deke.com/fix-my-paths" But I cannot find such a site.
It may be somewhere else?

Secondly my icons in the layers palette just to the right of the Eye only appear as
a circle with a dark and light one half each. I don't get the ones associated with the
adjustment layers as depicted in the book! How do I remedy this?

Fred

Black and White in Channels and Mask Book (Pg. 316-322)

Submitted by lmbchicago on 8 June 2010 - 9:04am.

Hi --

I have been through most of the book and the examples and everything has been great. I have only one small issue, that I cannot seem to solve. It is in Chapter 9 in Mixing a Custom Black and White Image.

I went through the tutorial and that was fine, but when I went to try this on an image of my own, I couldn't get the 'desnity mask' created or to work properly.

What am I missing?

Thanks for the help.

-Larry Buck

Alpha

Submitted by doctore on 7 September 2010 - 2:34pm.

yeah

Chapter 6 blending

Submitted by scott.hopkins on 26 May 2010 - 1:42pm.

Overall the tutorials are great but with this tutorial, first I could not find "Use previous layer for clipping path" I could find Create clipping path under the layers menu and in the layers palette, then also the keyboard shortcut on my Mac command + option + shift, does not do anything ? What am I missing?
Thanks,
Scott

File Error in Ancient doorway.psd

Submitted by dave5046 on 2 May 2010 - 2:24pm.

I cannot open the Ancient doorway.psd file in lesson 7. I get an unexpected end of file error. Is there any way I can get this file.

Dave Greenlee

The Ancient Doorways fix

Submitted by deke on 2 May 2010 - 6:41pm.
Is available from this link here.

Channels and Masks p38 equation

Submitted by RadioHam on 20 March 2010 - 8:21pm.

The algebra at the bottom of page 37 needs cleaning up.

You have:
0.3A + (1 -0.3) = 0.7B This is not correct or at least, awkwardly written.

Start with the equation:
αA + (1-α)B
If α = .3 then,
.3A + .7B = Value

I think that is much cleaner.

It's an attempt at colloquial math

Submitted by deke on 21 March 2010 - 12:15am.
Obviously (I hope!), "0.3A + (1-0.3) = 0.7B" is not a legal equation. In the context of that particular sentence, what's meant is, this one hypothetical composite pixel comprises 0.3A + 0.7B, for a total of 1. Just showing my work. The actual equation appears in Figure 2-1 of the book, a detail of which I include here, if only for larfs: Alvy's alpha For those of you wondering what in the hell we're talking about, don't worry, the book works without math.

I'll go out on a limb here

Submitted by aztech on 21 March 2010 - 12:33am.

and guess that most of us on this site are not that into math, just results with graphic art... I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Please figure out the equation that will = Stop Global Warming; that would = Value!

Very Useful

Submitted by LookingDaniel on 17 March 2010 - 4:52am.

Thanks for this article.
I have found this list very useful and have used in frequently. Now I just want to say thanks for writing it.

Great stuff...

Submitted by biebum on 17 March 2010 - 1:59am.

This is a great post..continue sharing..thanks

lost video

Submitted by katdoty2244 on 28 February 2010 - 3:59pm.

Hi,
I lost my video that goes with the book. How can I get another without buying the book again?
Kathy

lost video (as well)

Submitted by alim on 11 March 2010 - 2:04pm.

I too, have lost the CD/DVD that accompanies this great book. I have been searching my office the past few days and can not find it anywhere.

Deke, any ideas on where we can get a replacement copy or what we can do?

Thanks!

Alim

Call O'Reilly directly

Submitted by deke on 18 March 2010 - 11:17am.

You can reach 'em at 800-998-9938. And they should send you out a replacement DVD in short order.

The first 10 videos can be found here on the site as well (though you'll have to go searching for them).

Channels & Masks.mxp Permissions

Submitted by dave5046 on 30 January 2010 - 12:50pm.

I am using Windows 7 64 bit and I am getting the permissions error discusses above when I try to install the MXP file. I have tried every trick in the book to reset the permissions but I still get that error. Windows 7 does not give me a "Run as Administrator" choice when I right-click the MXP file. Can anyone help me?

Installing .mxp

Submitted by KatWDL on 25 June 2010 - 2:30pm.

Just stumbled on this annoyance myself, but was able to run the Extensions Manager as an admin -- the trick is to right-click on the Extension Manager icon from the Programs menu (Windows button > All Programs > Adobe Creative Suite) , then you will be able to use "Run as Administrator" command.

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