Perfect Mask 5 User Guide - onOne Software

34 . Using Perfect Mask
Painting Mode: Controls whether you will remove or replace the region
when you apply the pen results.
Classic Pen: When enabled, the pen only draws straight lines between
points when you click. This is useful when working on straight lined
subjects like architecture or when the boundary of the subject and
background are ambiguous and need an artists interpretation.
To use the Pen Tool, start by selecting it in the toolwell. Then click and hold
at the edge you want to trace. Then move the pen along the edge. You
will see that the path is attracted to the edge and attempts to trace it.
If you make a mistake, just trace backwards and the path will
change.
If you let go, click on the last point and continue to work with the
path.
You can manually push the path where you like by clicking in the
middle and tugging it like a string.
If you encounter an area where the pen will not detect the edge
automatically, try holding down the shift key and drawing straight
line segments until the edge becomes hard again.
You must complete a path by returning to the starting point to be able to
remove the selected area. To complete the path, hold down the shift key
and move your cursor back over the starting point. A red circle will appear
and the text "Click now to close the path" will appear. Click to close the
path.
When the path is complete the pen tool will turn into a gavel with either a
minus or plus symbol. Click in the region, either inside or outside the path
to remove an area. If the gavel has a plus icon, rather than minus it is set
to Paint-in, instead of paint-out. Just change the mode in the inspector. If
the edge is too hard or too soft, use the undo command, adjust the Edge
Mask slider in the inspector and click again in the region you want to
remove.
See also
Preparing Your Image
Background Browser
Perfect Mask 5 User Guide