problems with clipping masks

[uri]

howdy everybody

i got a few problams with clipping masks. mostly i dont understand what exactly becomes the mask and what is the clipping lol. for example i create a few black ractangles using the rectangle marquee tool and then i try to place a circle filled with a color in a new layer above the rectanges layer

after that i try to create the mask and nothing happens, the circle stays there the rectangles are beneath it and i'm bangning my head on the keyboard

im using Photoshop cs5 btw if it makes a different

tnx to all potential helpers

 

[rufinatti]

howdy everybody

i got a few problams with clipping masks. mostly i dont understand what exactly becomes the mask and what is the clipping lol. for example i create a few black ractangles using the rectangle marquee tool and then i try to place a circle filled with a color in a new layer above the rectanges layer

after that i try to create the mask and nothing happens, the circle stays there the rectangles are beneath it and i'm bangning my head on the keyboard

im using Photoshop cs5 btw if it makes a different

tnx to all potential helpers

Hi, Uri.


For the clipping mask, the layer above is clipped to the layer below. That is to say, the shapes on the bottom layer will become the outline that is used.


Based on your description above, this is what I think may be happening.


I believe you may have drawn your black rectangles directly on the background layer like so:

Then you drew a circle on a new layer above it and tried to clip it to the layer with the rectangles. Nothing happened and you saw something like this:

The black rectangles must be drawn on a separate layer in order to use them as a clipping mask. Like so:


White background layer

Black rectangles drawn on a new layer

Green circle drawn on a new layer

The layers should look like this:

With all the layers turned on it looks like this:

After clipping the green circle to the black rectangles below, it will look like this:

I hope that is helpful and I didn't just confuse you more.

 

[uri]

thank you very much for the answer!

if i may ask something else, i am trying to achieve a ball that has stripes on it, and i want the stripes to follow the circle(i.e circuler stripes) but when i try to do so with the sphearize filter it just gives me a smear of the lines. can you please

 

[ibclare]

Dang good work there ruffinati. I haven't forgotten about the PSG Medal of Honor. You just keep blowing me away with your advice!

 

[rufinatti]

Dang good work there ruffinati. I haven't forgotten about the PSG Medal of Honor. You just keep blowing me away with your advice!

just trying to help. plus, it gives me an excuse to learn something new. I had never even looked at clipping masks until Uri asked; so I had to try them for myself.

 

[ibclare]

I just said that in another post. Helping others helps me to learn a technique I've barely used or a new technique. It's amazing what you can pick up pretty quickly as you get to understand the program. I'm a PS nut (junkie?) and I know it. I squirrel around all the time, storing nuggets of info from all you guys. Love this forum.



PS: (pun intended)
Has anyone who uses the smileys ever noticed that the high five looks an awful lot like the bitch slap instead? like Gibbs slapping Tony on the back of the head!

 

[Paul]

You on the pipe or something?

 

[ibclare]

Now stop it! That's two thread in a row where you're ragging on me about my tipsiness, you old fishwife! No, pipe, no cocktails, no ales; I'm just manic naturally, and funny of course. Or ain't I, LMAO.

 

[Paul]

Sounds like the high is in recession

 

[uri]

howdy
i dont know about ibclare highs, but sounds to me like he was just cheery getting advice from u good people, still i dunno if its allowed but i do still need some help with creating that ball, again i try to create a circle with stripes that are also circuler however i still fail to achive it can anyone please help?

 

[Steve]

howdy
i dont know about ibclare highs, but sounds to me like he was just cheery getting advice from u good people, still i dunno if its allowed but i do still need some help with creating that ball, again i try to create a circle with stripes that are also circuler however i still fail to achive it can anyone please help?

Back to Uri's question everyone.

 

[ibclare]

OK, back on topic. I think you might want to do the opposite clipping of what rufinatti demonstrated.

If that is the case, just reverse the layers and then clip them. Follow the other instructions he gave. Here is the result of putting the black stripes over the circle and clipping the stripes to the circle.

 

[ibclare]

Now if you want to emulate a real sphere and give these a more three dimensional shape, then make your clipping mask first. Then apply the spherize filter. I suggest you merge-copy the two layers and use the filter then. Ctl/cmd click and highlite both layers. Hold down the ctl/cmd and the alt/opt keys + E. This will give you a merged layer leaving the other two separate. Turn those of and apply the spherize to your new layer.

Personaly, I would then add highlights and shadow areas to the circle. Select it and make these around the edges. With the section made, any brushing will be confined to within the marching ants. (you can also use a clipping mask to do the same as long as your image has transparency around it. Then I would just add a few more highlights with in This method is entirely rush-base. Another thing you could do is find an example on the web and make it a layer above, transformed to size. Then I think if you adjust its hue, you could set it to multply or screen (?) and adjust opacity of the layer. I haven't tried this so . . .



Gave it a shot:

here is the sphere from googling and transformed to size with a hue/sat adjustment layer to get the color down:



here is the result:



and here is the psd if you want to follow it:

View attachment ClipSphere.psd

 

[uri]

thank you guys very much ibclare the advice you gave me worked perfectly! tnx a lot again