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Q&A: Quick Mask for Photoshop Elements

Here is a question I recently received by email: "I am making good use of the Layer Mask you provided for PSE for download. It seems the Quick Mask in PS is a powerful tool. Is there anyway a Quick Mask could be created for PSE and made available for download?"

My answer:
Photoshop Elements has had the Magic Selection Brush since version 4. When used in mask mode instead of the default selection mode, this tool is basically the same as quick mask mode in Photoshop.

To switch the tool to mask mode, select the tool from the toolbox, then look for the "Mode" menu in the options bar. Pull the menu down and choose "mask" instead of "selection." You can also make selections with other tools, then switch to the Magic Selection Brush to see the selection as a mask.

Later, in Photoshop Elements 6, the Quick Selection Tool and Refine Edge dialog were included. The refine edge dialog also provides a way for a selection to be viewed as a mask, and also provides smooth, feather, and contract/expand controls for fine-tuning the original selection.

Remember, Photoshop Elements also includes adjustment layers which operate using a mask to make selective corrections, as demonstrated in this tutorial.

So, although Photoshop Elements does not have a quick mask mode which functions exactly the same as the feature in Photoshop, I believe these tools more than make up for the absence of quick mask in Photoshop Elements.

Also see:
• Magic Selection Brush in Photoshop Elements 4 and Up
• Quick Selection Tool and Refine Edge in Photoshop Elements 6 and Up
• Selective Correction with Adjustment Layers and Masks
• Adobe Photoshop vs. Photoshop Elements - A Comparison
• Add-ons and Tools for Enhancing Photoshop Elements

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"Screen shot" is the phrase used to describe the action of capturing your computer desktop or anything shown on your computer screen to a static image file. In other words, it is a way of taking a snapshot, or picture, of your computer screen. Some people also call it a screen grab. Screen shots can be very helpful when you need to demonstrate something that would be difficult to explain in words. Learn what you need to know about screen shots and how to take them no matter what operating system you use.
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