“Understanding the power of masks is what separates professional retouching from basic editing. This insight focuses on moving beyond destructive techniques to achieve full creative control.
Key Technical Insights:
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The Masking Philosophy: Replacing the destructive Eraser tool with Layer Masks to hide or reveal content while preserving every original pixel.
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Clipping Masks Mastery: Utilizing clipping masks to bind textures and colors to specific shapes or typography for a clean, professional finish.
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Visual Selection with Quick Masks: Using painting tools in Quick Mask mode to create organic and complex selections that standard tools cannot capture.
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Alpha Channels for Production: Saving intricate selections as alpha channels to ensure consistency and flexibility throughout the production pipeline.
Technical Analysis & Implementation by Ali Bakhit“