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Cutting detailed masks is time consuming and challenging, but with Fluid Mask 3 image editors and graphic designers alike will benefit from these easy-to-use tools and generous previews wrapped up as a Photoshop Plug-in or stand-alone application.
Fluid Mask™ 3 is a unique masking tool that instantly shows key edges in the image and provides comprehensive easy-to-use tools that work with difficult-to-see edges and tricky areas such as trees and lattices.
With Fluid Mask 3 color is used to provide consistent feedback about what will be kept, what will be deleted, and what will blend. Tools and masks follow the format of green for keep, red for delete, and blue for blend. There are three types of each of these tools: exact, local, and global. As the names imply, exact lets you choose on a single pixel level, local works by dragging through objects, and global by filling similar segments everywhere in the image they appear. The brushes also have size and strength options.
Figure 1 Using color coded tools and masks, it's easy to know what tool to use and what happens when you use the tool.
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| Fluid Mask | Fluid Mask |
Fluid Mask 3, can be used as a stand-alone application or as a Photoshop® Plug-in; but it simply could not be easier to use. I opened the image in Photoshop, made a duplicate of my layer, then chose Vertus™ > Fluid Mask 3.
Fluid Mask imports the current layer, so be sure you have duplicated and selected the correct layer if you have more than one.
Note: While it's not required that you duplicate the layer, it's a good idea so that you can easily return to the full image should your mask not be needed at all times.
Once your image has been loaded into the Fluid Mask work area, the Plug-in immediately works to define the object edges. This is based upon the color and texture of neighboring pixels. In addition to global detection, there is also local, or patch detection, with options for increased edge detection for those particularly difficult areas.
Figure 2 Fluid Mask applies object edges based upon color and texture of neighboring pixels. Once grouped, deleting and keeping areas are defined using the appropriate brush.
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