Expert: Glen Demers - 3/23/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello, my question is sorta of complex i hope there is an easy solution. I am constructing trrees in Photoshop using layers and masks. i will take an alpha mask and cut out bark in the shape of a tree, then make some leaves with a brush and make that an alpha texture and use it on a mottled texture to cut the leaves out. and when i use this method the edges of my finished product blur signifigantly no mater the resolution i save them at. 500, 300, or 72 DPI all blur and i loss the shape of my leaves. 1024 or 512 is my usual image sizes i use. i hope you can help.
Thanks in advance
Michael

ANSWER: Hi Michael,

I'm afraid I don't understand what you are trying to do, but let me try to clarify some things. The Alpha channel is a grayscale channel that either blocks portions of the layers picture (black) or lets them shine through (white) or applies transparency. You can see the channel as black & white on it's own or as a ruby colored overlay with the layer's image on. When the picture is flattened the channel blocks the black areas of the picture, leaves the white areas untouched and reduces opacity on the areas covered by grey areas. Since the channel in effect disappears when the image is flattened it should not be part of the artwork, it's used mainly to feather parts of an image or block out portions of a layer.
The leaf brush is a complicated brush shape but is just a brush that draws leaves instead of brushstrokes, the amount, size and spacing of the leaves depends on your brush settings. You would have to draw leaves in a dark color on a white background, use the magic wand to select the white background and then invert the selection and save the selection to get an alpha channel in the shape of the leaves.
Michael, I hope this answers your question and that I'm not talking down to you if you already knew all this. Sometimes the look of your final image can change depending on if you flatten it all at once, using the flatten image command or flatten down one layer at a time. This occurs on complex images where different layer blending modes are used.

I hope this helps or follow-up if I can be of further assistance,
Glen Demers
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop 7
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more Photoshop tips please visit our help pages here


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes all of these processes i understand and have implemented already. My question was why when i do this do i lose quality in my images. I have changed the DPI to multiple settings of 500, 300, and 72 with no change in quality. Any other time i have worked with layers I have had no quality problems yet when i apply alpha channels to cut out shapes and use the finished product as layers this way i get serious degradation problems in my image quality. I am not sure what i was unclear on before but i am using alpha channels to cut the shape i want from a larger background and using these shapes in layers and saving them all in one .png file as a finished product.

Answer
Hi Michael,

If you are using save for web to create the .png files click on the mask icon next to the option and a mask quality dialog box will appear. You can increase the mask quality of alpha channels there.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop 7
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more Photoshop tips please visit our help pages here