Newbie Question re: Mask Tutorial

[slickmouse]

Hey guys - another newbie here. I just started digital scrapbooking this week and have been playing around with a few layouts.

I started this weekend doing my first layout with PSE 2.0. I decided to jump over and try and learn PSP. I have PSP 7.

I've been working on the tutorial in this link.figured this might be
a place to start. But I'm totally frustrated - already.

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/layermasksPSP.shtml

The tutorial is for creating a mask. Here is my question. I get
the idea that you can create a new layer and fill it white - then
erase part of it to show your picture. I've done that. What I
don't understand is what the little mask icon does for me. I read
about blacks being transparent and whites opaque - but I don't
understand why I have to click that icon when without clicking it
the results are the same - I get a white `mask' over my photo with
the part I erased showing the photo. Once I got down to the part of
adding the text - I was TOTALLY lost. Can someone explain it in a
different way for me? What is the Mask icon for?

Thanks for the patience and in advance for the help!

[Emma]

Hello! First, welcome to our site! I just love this hobby and hope to be able to help others enjoy it too. I'm so glad you posted your questions here so we can help you, hope you're not too frustrated.

Some clarification on the tutorial. Welcome to the great mask debate! There are plenty of people who think an eraser does a fine job and that masks aren't necessary. In this particular case, and many other cases where masks are used, an eraser will give the SAME results! But with one fatal flaw: once it's erased, it's gone! The only way to change it is to go back and undo it, and if your undo decision comes later down the line, you've lost a whole ton of work! The main justification for masks is VERSATILITY!

There are many cases, however, when a mask is the better choice because the eraser would be too tedious, too difficult, too much undoing, and still other cases where masks are required to achieve an effect that an eraser just cannot mimic.

In the case of THIS tutorial, the eraser works just fine. You don't really need a mask to alter the results at all, it's easy to change and redo if needed with no real work lost. The purpose of this tutorial is to introduce people to the mask icon! So many scrappers freak out when they think of learning this daunting new skill, and I felt that way too. IT'S NOT HARD! I want to help alleviate some fear of a big learning curve by showing that they're easy.

I have several follow-up tutorials planned for a series on masks that will become more advanced. In a week, Thursday 5/27 10pm EST in the chat room we will have a Scrapalong covering a slightly more advanced mask technique similar to this layout:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2882&password=&sort=2&cat=500&page=1
This is still easy, an extension on the tutorial you refer to, but impossible to do without a mask, so I wanted to introduce masks before moving on to this layout.

Last week the Scrapalong covered the tutorial you referred to, here are the results of that class:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=520&password=&page=1

Hopefully this will help you begin to understand the value of masks and help you use them to achieve some amazing effects. Bravo for jumping in to conquer them so quickly before you erroneously "discover" how scary they are. As you can see, they're simple.

For the text problem, this tutorial assumes you've already completed the "Completing Your First Layout" tutorial that discusses adding text:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/qc2.shtml

To distress it, just add a mask to the text layer itself and erase on the mask to hide bits of the text. Eventually there will be a tutorial specifically on distressing text, I'm chugging away at my list and requests in time for each Scrapalong, so attending those will keep you up to date on my Quick Classes.

Have fun, hope this helps, and please post all your questions here because we are here to help!

[slickmouse]

THANKS EMMA!

I guess I missed that the tutorials were building from one to the next. I just jumped into this whole thing this week and have been obsessed – as I tend to do with something new! And my poor daughter – she’s just like me. She’s only 8 and already about to start her 2nd layout in 3 days using PSE. She seems to catch on quicker than I do.

Anyway – thanks for the info and I’m going to start joining the chats room and trying to follow along. I’ve never done anything like that – so wasn’t sure if I’d be crashing the party if I joined in. But I’m ready to give it a go.

So far – I’m LOVING the digital thing and I can’t wait till I understand this stuff as half as much as you all here.

Thanks again!