Have you ever wanted to make a photo appear to have been cut out of a page? Or maybe you want to add some effects to your image that no one has ever seen before.

Well, the good news is that there are numerous ways to do this without having any prior knowledge of editing programs like Photoshop.

In this article, we’ll go over exactly how easy it can be for anyone to create an image mask using an online editor.

What is Image Masking?

Image masking is a way to hide parts of an image. This can be done by either removing the color or by making the pixels transparent.

It’s different than cropping, blending modes, blurring, and opacity because it actually masks out areas in your image so they aren’t visible anymore.

Image masking is a popular tool for photographers, designers, and artists alike. It can be used to remove unwanted objects from an image or to protect certain areas of an image while editing.

Types of Image Masking

Masking is a way to isolate a portion of an image and there are different types of it:

1. Clipping mask

This is the most common type of mask and is used for effects like clipping an image into another, hiding parts of an image, or combining several images together.

2. Layer mask

Layer masks are one type of adjustment layer that allows you to change the appearance of the layer below them by hiding or revealing parts of it.

3. Vector mask

A vector mask is another type of adjustment layer that lets you add transparency to any shape or path, so it will be partially visible when composited over other images.

4 Image Masking Methods Using Colorcinch

What if I tell you that you don’t need Photoshop to do image masking? That there is a web application that you can easily use.

Colorcinch provides you with different methods of using masks. In this section, we will be showing an overview of the tools Colorcinch has for masking images.

Mask Presets

Step 1: Start by opening Colorcinch. Upload an image.

Step 2: Navigate to Mask and click on Shapes.

Step 3: Choose a Shape mask and adjust the Slider to change the opacity.

Step 4: There is an advanced option that you can adjust if you wish to have more control over the chosen Shape. Just click on Settings and experiment with the Sliders.

Let’s take a look at the end result:

Custom Text

Step 1: Open Colorcinch and Upload an image.

Step 2: Navigate to Mask– Custom Text.

Step 3: Type in a text to serve as your overlapping layer. Adjust the Font Size, Letter Spacing, and Background Opacity to your liking.

Here is the final output:

Background Remover

Masking is not just for design purposes. You can also use a mask if you want to separate the subject from the background.

Step 1: Just like the previous method, start by uploading your image in Colorcinch.

Step 2: Navigate to Edit and select Remove Background AI.

Step 3: Click on Remove Backround. The AI will automatically do its job removing the background. Once it’s done, you have the option to change the Background Color.

With just one click you are able to remove the background. You can also easly change the background color using this method. 

Here is the result:

Erase Mode

Another method that acts like an image masking is the Erase Mode. This allows you to delete parts of your image that you wish to be excluded from the filter effect.

Step 1: Upload your image on Colorcinch.

Step 2: Go to Overlays and choose Textures.

Step 3: Pick a Texture and click on the Settings Button.

Step 4: On the Settings Panel select the Erase Tab. Adjust the Sliders to change the brush settings. Once done, you may now erase the areas that should not have the filter’s effect using the brush.

And there you have it. Let’s look at the final output:

Conclusion

To wrap up, we learned that there are different methods how to use image masking. You just have to know the right one for you.

Image masking is not only simple to do but also accessible to everyone via Colocinch. If you find this article helpful, please do like and share!

The post A Simple Guide to Image Masking Without Photoshop appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.

You have an image and you are looking for a way to revamp it. You searched on the internet and found texture overlays. However, you learned that it would require you to learn Photoshop and got discouraged.

It’s true that learning to use editing software like Photoshop will require time. For a beginner, this means that you won’t be able to post and share your photos on social media right away.

But we’ve got you covered. In this article, we will be teaching you how to easily apply a texture overlay to your photos without using Photoshop.

What is a Texture Overlay?

A texture overlay is a pattern that is added to a photo. It can be as simple as a solid color, or it could be something really intricate and detailed. The most important thing to remember is that the texture overlay should blend well with your image so they look like they belong together.

The best part about them? They’re easy to create and integrate into your photos! In fact, you’ll learn how to do it in this tutorial!

History of Texture Overlay

The history of texture overlay is not well documented, and chances are that you’ll never find a time machine to travel back in time and witness the birth of texture overlay.

One thing is for sure, texture overlays have been around for a long time. In fact, they were used in the early days of photography and digital photography:

• In the 19th century, photographers would create black-and-white photos by placing an overlay over their photos to provide texture and contrast. This technique was called photomontage.
• Texture overlays are still heavily used today as a way to add interest or realism to a photo using things like fabric patterns, paper textures, or even solid colors (like black). They’re also frequently used in graphic design work.

Types of Texture Overlay

There are a lot of texture overlays you can find on the internet. Common ones are grainy vintage texture, grunge texture, paper texture, wood texture, dust texture, etc.

• Diffuse Texture

  These are the simplest textures to use. They’re made from a single color and don’t reflect anything, so they can be used on any background. You can make them any size you want, and they work well in most situations.

• Specular Texture
• These look like smooth metal, plastic, or glass surfaces with reflections that appear as highlights on the edges and corners of the object being photographed or drawn.
• Glossy Texture

  These are similar to specular overlays but they have more intense highlights that appear much brighter than those provided by diffuse overlays.

• Bump Map Texture

  This type allows you to create bumps along an object’s surface using perspective lines instead of creating 3D geometry.

Adding Texture Overlays To Your Photos Using Colorcinch

We’ll show you two methods of how to overlay images with transparency using a few simple steps.

Method 1: Manual Texture Overlays

For this method, you will need to have a base image and download a texture online.

Step 1: Start by opening Colorcinch. Upload a base image.

Step 2: Navigate to Image Manager and click on Upload Image. Choose the texture you downloaded. Once uploaded, the images will appear in Your Images below the Upload Image.

Step 3: Drag your texture on top of the base image and adjust it to fit the base image.

Step 4: Change the Blend Mode by clicking on the Layer Properties button. Navigate to the drop-down menu and try different blend modes until you are satisfied with the outcome. I will be using Multiply for this example.

Let’s take a look at the before and after:

Method 2: Using Overlay Texture

This method is much simpler and easy to perform. We will be using overlay filters in Colorcinch.

Step 1: Open Colorcinch and Upload an image.

Step 2: Navigate to Overlays on the left side of the panel and click on Texture.

Step 3: Pick a Texture. Adjust the filter by the Slider or by clicking on the settings button and experiment with the different Blend Modes.

Now that’s simple. Let’s have a look at the before and after:

Summary

Texture overlays are a great way to add a little bit of extra detail to your photos. They can help make your photos look more interesting and provide them with some depth and color.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and learned how to make your photos look more interesting with texture overlays. You can also try using some of our other tutorials, like adding a border around an image or changing the color scheme of an image. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

The post Applying Texture Overlays – a Beginner’s Guide appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.