{"id":9046,"date":"2025-02-11T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/?p=9046"},"modified":"2025-07-19T10:04:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T14:04:45","slug":"unique-mask","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/unique-mask\/","title":{"rendered":"Unique Mask"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve been following me for any length of time, it should be obvious that I use clipping masks A LOT \ud83d\ude09 I\u2019ve talked about masks in what seems like countless posts. The most recent one was just a few weeks ago \u2013 \u201cBuilt In Caption<\/a><\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, it\u2019s kind of funny that there\u2019s one type of mask in particular that I\u2019d pretty much forgotten. I suppose that just goes to prove the old adage\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Use<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Today I want to share a little gem that I discovered quite some time ago and absolutely fell in love with. Just recently I stumbled across one and was reminded how much I loved them. They\u2019re my renewed favorite (for now) element. I suddenly find myself trying to use them more on my personal layouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post I\u2019m going to show you a mask that you don\u2019t see very often any more. But they are so versatile and fun. They can add a very unique component to your masking\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two-Tone Mask<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"Two-Tone<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Perhaps you aren\u2019t sure what a two-tone mask is. I know I didn\u2019t realize exactly what they were the first time I saw them. And I certainly didn\u2019t use it correctly until I ran across someone that could explain them to me. And honestly, I can\u2019t imagine how I ever forgot these?!?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most often a two-tone mask is done in black & white as the image above shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A two-tone mask adds texture, lines and sometimes a vintage look to photos, papers or even elements. But it requires a different Blend Mode when used in Photoshop Elements (PSE). It\u2019s a very quick and easy change to make. So, let\u2019s play around with one today\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploit The Dual Tones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Quick reminder\u2026I use PSE 2024. If you\u2019re using a different version, some of my screen shots may look different from what you see on your screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As usual I\u2019m going to start with a 12×12 file and drag in a nice background paper:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Fancy<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I know that\u2019s a pretty fancy piece of background paper. But I\u2019ve got a layout design already in progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: While demonstrating today\u2019s technique I\u2019ll be using products from \u201cNew Journey: January<\/a><\/strong>\u201d by CarolW Designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, I\u2019ll drag in my desired photo:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> This photo is from Pixabay<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then bring in my two-tone mask:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Two-Tone<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> This mask is from \u201cYou Are Worthy\u201d by The Urban Fairy (currently not available).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should be able to easily see that this mask has white as well as the \u201cstandard\u201d black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I\u2019ll place the mask layer beneath the photo and clip the photo to the mask:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Notice that there isn\u2019t any of the white showing. That\u2019s because PSE clips the photo to the entire mask regardless of color. Now, there’s nothing wrong with using the mask just this way. But it seems a shame to lose the visibility and enhanced effect of the white portion. So, how am I going to get the white to show up? Easy\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I duplicate the mask, place the copy above the photo and change the Blend Mode from normal to Screen, I have this:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Duplicate<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now I have a very nice frame effect on my photo using that same mask!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, you may be wondering why only the white shows. Actually, this is something I touched on in my \u201cGlow Getter<\/a><\/strong>\u201d post back on October 29, 2024 when I was working with the PSE Inner Glow Layer Style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anytime the Blend Mode is set to Screen, the blending cancels out anything that is black. That means with the mask I used the black does not show up at all leaving only the white.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Silly<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That sounds like a fun little magic trick to place in your \u201cback pocket\u201d if you need to get rid of black some other time \ud83d\ude09 Just kidding\u2026probably not a trick that would have large scale use. But still good to know!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, from here there are other things I can do. I can play with the blending and\/or opacity to change the look. Blend Modes of Lighten, Overlay, Soft Light and Difference can provide interesting results (depending on the photo). I\u2019d encourage you to also play with both the Blend Mode and the Opacity to see what you can achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m pretty happy with the way this looks so I\u2019m going to stick with the blending at Screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did go on to finish my layout before completing this post. Thought I\u2019d go ahead and share it here for you:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"January<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

You can see more details about this layout in my 2025 Gallery<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One quick point here\u2026two-tone masks don\u2019t always have to be black and white. You can get a two-tone effect like I\u2019ve shown using colors other than white. Again, the results will vary based on the photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at a different mask:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"My<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This is a mask of my own creation (also shown at the top of the Two Tone Mask section). If you don\u2019t already have a two-tone mask of your own, you can click on that mask above and it will immediately download for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here it is pulled into my 12×12 file with a background:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Mask<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I put a bold solid background behind the mask so I would be sure to see all of the white. If you look closely, you might be able to see that there are a few spots of light white along the top of the mask. I\u2019ll zoom in for you just in case you can\u2019t see them on your screen:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Mask<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Without that bold background\u2026I may have missed these spots during the recoloring process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the white on that mask looks like water splashing, I\u2019m going to change it to shade of blue (#0f78ee). Before I can recolor the mask, I need to simplify the layer. If you read my \u201cBuilt-In Caption<\/a><\/strong>\u201d post a few weeks ago you already know why I need to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next thing I want to do is lock the transparent pixels. This is something I discussed in my \u201cAll About The Mask<\/a><\/strong>\u201d post back on October 24, 2023. In case you missed that, here\u2019s a refresher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a little icon at the top of the Layers panel that you may or may not have ever noticed. Its name is actually \u201cLock transparent pixels\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Lock<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With the mask layer active (& simplified), I click this icon. You always want to be certain that the mask layer has this little icon displayed off to the right in the Layers Panel before you recolor:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Transparent<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now, using the Paint Bucket Tool and the blue color I mentioned above, I can now recolor the white portion of the mask. All I have to do is place my cursor somewhere in the white portion and click once. And the white becomes blue:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"White<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And you should be able to see that even those spots across the top of the mask did get recolored!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I\u2019m going to bring in a photo so you can see how this new colored mask will work. I\u2019m going to use this beach photo<\/a><\/strong> from Pixabay:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Beach<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I drag the photo into my file, layering it above the mask and clip the photo to it:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Then just as before, I duplicate the mask, move the duplicate above the photo and set the Blend Mode for that new layer to Screen:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Duplicate<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That\u2019s nice. But I\u2019m going to play with the blend options. Lighten, Color Dodge, Linear Dodge, Overlay and Soft Light each had interesting results. I was torn between Linear Dodge:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Duplicate<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And the Overlay blend:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Duplicate<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That could almost pass for a sunset or dusk photo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hue & Color Blend modes produced a rather unexpected surprise. Hue gave this result:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Duplicate<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Using the Color blend, I got this:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Duplicate<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019m fairly certain you never imagined that a two-tone mask could provide a multitude of options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do keep in mind that blend results will vary from photo to photo so don\u2019t be surprised if things look different with your own photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One final option. I went back to the version using Linear Dodge and added a standard PSE Bevel of Simple Emboss:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Mask<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Clearly this is something that may not work with every mask or in every application. But it\u2019s worth giving it a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create Your Own Two-Tone Mask<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Making your own two-tone mask isn\u2019t any harder than creating your own regular mask. If you\u2019ve never done that, please refer back to that \u201cAll About The Mask<\/a><\/strong>\u201d post I mentioned above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest difference between what I showed in that post versus what I\u2019ll show you now is that with this mask, part of it will be white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to go back to that bold solid color (green) background I used above. It\u2019ll just make it easier to see the white when I add it. And I pull in another mask of my own creation:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Base<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> If you\u2019re following along, you can use any mask you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, I\u2019m going to grab a stamp from \u201cMetamorphosis Stamps\u201d by Karen Schulz Designs (retired). If you have read my \u201cAll About the Mask\u201d post, this stamp should look very familiar to you:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Metamorphosis<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I have to admit this is one of my favorite stamps. But for today, I am going to make one modification. I really don\u2019t want the text that you can see. But that\u2019s easy enough to delete with the Eraser tool. So that won\u2019t be a big deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> If you\u2019re following along, you can use any stamp you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just drag the stamp into my file layering it above my mask, I then hide the mask layer. Now, as should be no surprise at this point, I need to simplify this stamp before I can erase the text I don\u2019t need. After deleting the text and cleaning up some other spots around the text I have this:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Stamp<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Before I can recolor the stamp, I need to lock the transparent pixels just as I did with the white part of the mask in the previous example. Then, l set my foreground color chip to white. Using the paint bucket tool, I place my cursor in a part of the stamp that looks to be solid black and click once:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Stamp<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now I do want to point out one thing here. Since I had removed the \u201ctext\u201d portion of the stamp I could have just \u201cinverted\u201d the stamp (press Ctrl+I). That too would have changed it to white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But inverting may not work on all black masks because there are varying shades of black\/grey that may not result in white. Therefore, most times it\u2019s safer to recolor a stamp rather than inverting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> If you\u2019re following along, you can use any color you like for your stamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can now unhide my mask and re-position\/resize the stamp as necessary. Once I started positioning the stamp I did end up removing another section of the stamp that just wasn\u2019t working with this mask. And here is my final result:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Mask<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now to complete the two-tone mask. First, I\u2019m going to duplicate the mask & stamp layers (you should know by now I\u2019m overly cautious before make a \u201cdestructive” move). With the duplicate layers active I merge the mask & stamp into a single layer. I then remove the background color and save this as a PNG file:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Final<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And you probably know I also saved this as a PSD file\u2026\u201djust in case\u201d \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can now use this two-tone mask just as I have with all the others. I\u2019m going to grab a spring flower photo<\/a><\/strong> from Pixabay:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Spring<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

All I have to do is follow the same steps I\u2019ve already shown you and here is a nice example using the Screen blending on a lighter background:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I hope you can see how easy it is to make your own two-tone mask. And you don\u2019t have to limit yourself to using stamps for the \u201cwhite\u201d part. You can use text, or even brushes (similar to what you can see in the featured image at the very top of this post).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you\u2019ll play around with two-tone masks even if you don\u2019t create your own. I think you\u2019ll find they\u2019re a unique and lovely addition to the masking arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Two-Tone Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"Extra<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The most important thing to keep in mind is that this technique only works when your mask has some color in addition to the black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can use the mask as a \u201csimple\u201d clipping mask if you don\u2019t really care to have the white (or other color) visible. Nothing says you always have to take the extra step to include the white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When creating your own two-tone mask experiment with using brushes, word art stamps or text of your own for the \u201cwhite\u201d portion(s). You don\u2019t always have to use a decorative stamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colors other than white will also work as the second color. Just about anything other than black will work!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget to play with other Blend Modes and Opacity levels to see how your two-tone mask changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember\u2026a clipping mask can be used on more than just a photo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading this week\u2019s Tuesday Tip. Remember, if you have any suggestions or questions please don\u2019t hesitate to “Message Me<\/a><\/strong>“. Check back next week with for a tip about another fun title trick. Click \u201cFollow Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d to stay in touch. I hope you have a wonderful week!<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Keep<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been following me for any length of time, it should be obvious that I use clipping masks A LOT \ud83d\ude09 I\u2019ve talked about masks in what seems like countless posts. The most recent one was just a few weeks ago \u2013 \u201cBuilt In Caption\u201d. So, it\u2019s kind of funny that there\u2019s one type of mask in particular that I\u2019d pretty much forgotten. I suppose that just goes to prove the old adage\u2026 Today I want to share a…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"0","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tuesday-tip-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}