This is a photoshop tutorial for beginners (or for more experienced people who are still using that darn eraser tool)
Dont use that eraser tool anymore! Using the eraser tool is a destructive method of editing images. If you make a mstake, the history only goes so far before it overwrites itself.
Dont make the mistake of using the eraser tool on your work anymore!
If you have photoshop I can show you a method for 'erasing' that wont actually erase your image. It's still there if you make a mistake
There is an awesome tool, its a masking tool. If your a beginner to photshop your probably looking at the computer screen with a weird look on your face
Here is where you can find it;
Select the layer that you want to 'erase' parts of (for me, I've chosed layer 0)
Once you have selected the layer, click on the layer mask tool (see above for location)
once you have done that, your layer should look like this;
Ok, once you've done that, you now want your brush tool. Another point to note, is when youre working on the layer with the mask tool, your colour palet thing has switched to black and white, this is completly normal and is part of the funtion of the tool.
To put a mask on a layer is to make one part of the layer 'active' and the other not. In our case, what we are doing now, is using the layer mask to hide one part of our layer.
If you paint on your image with black, you will notice that it hides the image, as you paint with black to make that part of the image 'inactive' and you paint the areas you want active with white.
If you want a sort of 'transparent' look, you can paint with grey. The lighter or darker shade of grey you choose will determine how transparent your image looks.
Ok, now to actually start using this tool.
Firstly, with a big brush (and with black selected on your palet) paint the large area you want to hide, leaving the fiddly bits for now, you can get back to them in a second.
You'll notice that the thumbnail of the layer mask that there is a black glob where you have painted and that you can see through the layer
Next onto the more fiddly bits. Change your brush size and your brush hardness
Quote:
(a shortcut to changing your brush size is to use the [ and ] keys on your keyboard. [ decreases the brush size and ] increases your brushsize)
There is a very simple trick to doing straight edges in photoshop. Click on one end of the line press the 'shift' key then click on the other end of the line. That will give you a perfect straight edge.
Quote:
(dont use a brush over 30 px for this as it gives you a 'scalloped' or uneven edge)
Quote:
(for Horizontal or vertical edges, you can hold shift while moving your brush along the screen and it will give you a perfect horizontal or vertical line)
If you make a mistake around the fine edges on your layer mask, dont worry, just paint over that section with white and that part of the image will re-appear and you can just try it again.
There you go, a much less destructive meathod to 'earasing' (hiding) part of your image
I know I didnt do the most artistic job on this picture but Its only a basic example.
