The new plugin is said to automatically detect edges within an image and build a mask out to each edge, providing more control over the cutout.
Creating clean masks, or cutouts, in Photoshop has always been a painstaking process, especially for difficult image matter, such as hair. Especially in a production environment, creating clean masks quickly is essential. Such masks can require so much skill and time to create, that a minor industry of third-party masking plugins has developed, including Corel's KnockOut and Mask Pro, from Extensis.
The latest entry into this field is Fluid Mask, from Vertus, a relatively new plugin developer. Fluid Mask has been developed initially for Macs, with a Windows version expected some time this month.
Vertus has taken a new approach to masking by using something it calls an Image Information Layer, a meta-data layer of image information consisting of edge, texture and color information pulled from image selections. This provides several advantages, such as: smooth separation of edges and color transitions; syncronous blending and masking; preservation of maximum detail at the blended transitions; and increased speed, due to a smaller amount of image data being manipulated.
The screen shot below shows the Region Editor, which provides control over all the colors in a selected area of the image.
While Vertus has announced the availability of Fluid Mask for purchase, at press time neither the commercial or demo version was yet available on its site. |
