Making selections

[MikeFromMesa]

I have liked PhotoLine since I first found it several years ago, but I have not used it very much because I have always had problems making some of the functionality work. I know it works, but I can not seem to figure out how to get it to work properly. I recently changed cameras and version 18 could not process my new camera raw files so I checked into version 20 and this time told myself I would learn how to do what I want to do.

The problems I have always had are understanding how to get selections (and hence masks) to work properly. I read through the tutorial and have been progressing through the user manual, but still can't seem to make basic selections to work. Here is what I did:

1) Opened a raw image,
2) Added some layers to adjust the image. In this case they were Histogram Correction and Hue/Saturation,
3) Added a new layer for the selection. In this case it was another Hue/Saturation layer that I wanted to apply to the sky,
4) Opened the Quick Selection Tool,
5) Drew a rectangle around a section that included the sky and some shrubs. The Tool Settings tab shows the spinning wheel showing me that PL is trying to work out the selection,
6) When no selection showed up after a minute or so I clicked the "Mark Object" and began to draw on the sky, which I want to mask. I do not know if I need to only mark some colors (the sky is pretty monochrome) or try to fill in the whole area, but I tried to fill in as much as I could without including the ends of the shrubs and trees. The wheel continued to spin, but no selection was forthcoming,
7) I then tried to click the "Mark Background" but it was not enabled and I could do nothing more. The spinning never stopped and I never saw the selection.

I have tried this several times. Sometimes following this recipe I can actually do the "Mark Background", but still get no selection. Here is a screen shot of the latest try.

PhotoLineSelection.jpg

I have two questions. The first is "What am I doing wrong?". I know the problem is not PhotoLine but how I am supposed to make the selection. I thought I was following the instructions in the manual, but nothing is working.

The second question is "How do I convert any selection into a mask?". Or will it automatically show up in the mask icon of the layer I have selected?

Well, I guess that is three questions. I would appreciate any help you can give me.

[photoken]

The first is "What am I doing wrong?".

I suspect that when you're using the Quick Selection tool your active layer is the newly created H/S layer. Since that adjustment layer does not contain any pixels, you will never get a marquee (selection) on it. Make your marquee (selection) on the "background" image -- the one with all the pixels.

The second question is "How do I convert any selection into a mask?".

Once you have a marquee (selection), make the appropriate layer the active layer and use the little mask icon at the bottom of the layers panel to select "Create from mask."

Or will it automatically show up in the mask icon of the layer I have selected?

If you make your marquee (selection) first, then when you create your adjustment layer that adjustment layer will automatically be masked to your marquee (selection).

Note: I've purposely been using the "PL-speak" words here. PL makes a distinction between the marquee (or lasso), the mask, and the selection -- in PL, "selection" refers to the pixel content of the marquee.

[MikeFromMesa]

Thank you.

I guess I should have known to use the background layer and, once I did that, everything worked properly.