How to use Masks and Filters

Adding motion effect just where you want

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Andre2305

Objective

This tutorial has the objective to teach you how to use a mask layer and a motion blur filter in order to add the motion effect to your drawings or pictures just in the spots where you decide to have it.

Preparation

Open the photo or the drawing where you need to apply this effect. In my case I show you a picture of mine where I decided to enphasize the motion effect.

Execution

Step 1: Duplicate the layer (Layer -> Duplicate Layer and select the top layer so the the original photo/drawing is below the top layer.

Step2: Apply the Motion Filter to the whole picture using the right angle (Filter ->Blur -> Motion Blur). The parameters are quite intuitive. Just pay attention to the angle and play a bit with the strength in order to understand visually what's happening.

Step 3: With the selected layer where you have now the blurred picture, press the <Alt> key and click with mouse in the icon in the Layer palette which has the form of a black rectangle with a white circle in the middle.

Alternatively you can do it via menu (Layer -> Layer Mask -> Mask Outside Selection). The term mask outside the selection is a bit misleading as the whole picture is selected and the result is simply that a black mask is applied to the whole picture. After you do this the result is that the motion blur effect we applied before is completely hidden by the black mask.

Step 4: In order to apply the effect where we want it, we need to paint on the black mask. So make sure that the black rectangle of the mask is selected and paint over this black rectangle with a Soft Round Brush like the one you can find selecting the tool 'Thick Paint' and then 'Soft Round' and with a color (white for example). Remember to modify the settings of the brush so that is large enough and with a density of around 50.

The color can be white (but also black works) and as you paint, you are actually deleting softly the mask so that effect gradually appears.

Step 5: Paint in the area where you want the effect to be. In my case is more or less the area in red of the picture above.

Last but not least: if you want to paint back and restore the image as it was, because your effect went to zones where they should not be, paint with the transparent color.