CGTalk - layer mask from another image- Action

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gustojunk

02-19-2003, 01:21 PM

Hi all,

I'm trying to make an action where I can make photoshop open an image called mask.tif stored in in my harddrive and use that image as a mask. I have 2 problems:

1. I want to start this action from within the file I'm working on, so I don't know a way of mask.tif into the current document

2. I'm not sure if it's a way of making an image become the layer mask. I mean other that using the image to load a selection and make that selection the mask. BUt I much rather use the black and white mask.tif file as my mask directly.

Any help will be forever appreciated

Stroker

02-19-2003, 02:12 PM

Make sure target document and target document only is open.
Start recording your action.
File > Open for mask.tiff
It should become the active document
Select > All (ctrl + a)
Edit > Copy (ctrl + c)
Select the target document to activate it
Create a new Alpha Channel
Edit > Paste (ctrl + v)
Go to Layers palette
Select Background
Double click Background and click Okay
Load the Alpha as a selection (ctrl + click)
Make the selection a Layer Mask either with the button at the bottom of the Layers palette or Layer > Add Layer Mask > Reveal Selection
Stop recording

When recording the action, it's important that the layer you add the mask to has a consistant name. It doesn't neccessarily have to be Background, but the layer that you apply the mask to has to have the same name as when you recorded the action. Using Background is an assumption on my behalf.

That should do it.

gustojunk

02-20-2003, 04:13 PM

Thanks man, I had a very similar action except I di not think about pasting on an alpha chanel, I was pasting on a layer, selecting..., this is so much better!

I only wish it was a way to make this work independenly of having other files open on not, but that's not a big deal.

Thanks again!

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