The Essential Approach to Masking

Today, I take a brief respite from the many masking videos previously offered on this site (okay, it's been a while, but there have been a lot of them) to offer--wait for it--yet another masking video!

Only with two exceptions: This video is not on my site. Rather, it's my contribution to the one, the only Scott Kelby's "Guest Blog Wednesday." And it goes by the name, "The Essential Approach to Masking," with portrait by Jacob Cunningham.

Second, at nearly 30 minutes, this is the longest single masking video I've ever done. Which is only fitting, really. I explore the core steps required to mask any image in Photoshop. Over the course of the video, I take the following girl (on left) and mask her against that crazy background (right).

And incidentally, all of the images used in this comp--girl, fireworks, and clouds--come from a new image vendor that I recently discovered by the name of Fotolia. They offer insanely great deals and they pay their photographers remarkably well! To get a special 150% upgrade + $3 deal, go to fotolia.com/deke.

Let me know if you think the full PSD comp file might be of use. And if you'd like to download a high-res/low-compression version of the movie, I could make that available as well. It's just part of what I do to keep you dancing strong.

On a related note, this very same week, I join Scott's right-hand man Dave Cross for his regular "Finish This Sentence." Dave's a talented instructor and all-around great guy, so check out his blog too.

Thanks to Scott and Dave for the invites. (Oh, and hey, now's as good a time as ever to sign up for Photoshop World Las Vegas. Stay tuned: For those who attend, we have a special treat in store. More in to come.)