Who needs a photo masking service? Every single person has taken a photograph at some point for a certain reason. For instance, people need a photograph for registering bank accounts, air travels, education, and employment purposes. Photographs are also required for applying for important security documents. Innovations and creativity have revolutionized photography such that images can now be masked, manipulated, retouched and customized to user specifications and appeal. Opacity and general visibility of an image can be tampered with using sophisticated graphic design software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver etc.

Photo Masking

These are activities and processes aimed at modifying a given image to conform to client requirements with the help of graphic design software. There are a number of Photo Masking services in the world today. If you have ever seen a photo of a person swimming in the cloud or standing near a lion, then you know exactly what I mean. Photo masking services fall into three major categories namely; clipping path, layer Masking, and alpha channel masking.

Photoshop Clipping path

This service focuses on modifying layers in an image or a photo. A masked layer can be used to determine the opacity and visibility of other selected layers of an image. Adobe Photoshop provides the pen tool facility for rendering this effect on a given image. Other services implemented in this category include image isolation, replacement, and manipulation.

Layer Masking services

This service is used to hide, cover or disguise a portion of an image while exposing other sections. Some portions of a photograph are discriminated while other layers are clearly highlighted. Layer Masking services focus a lot on transparency but do not tamper with the image pixels.  Merging of layers and changing colors are also possible in layering services. Refining of the mask edges for both soft and hard edges are functions that are found within this layer. One important feature with layering is that any changes can be undone unlike the case with alpha channel masking.

Alpha channel Masking services

Different features are available in Photoshop masking that can be used to render the desired effect. In masking some object tends to be so tiny such that drawing a path around them becomes virtually impossible. Take for instance the image of a shadow, tiny strands of hair and fine edges of pieces of jewelry are not easy to mask. It becomes tricky if you are dealing with an image with more than one color. Alpha channel masking provides solutions for complex photo masking. Magic Eraser tool, Eraser tool, and Color separation facilities are available in this masking category for rendering the required effect to the satisfaction of the client specifications.

Photo masking services are important for all tasks aimed at modifying the appearance of a photo. These include rendering images for use in advertisements, natural objects like trees, landscapes, human images with flying hair and animal fur. It provides facilities for creating attractive image illusions and sceneries. These are the type of images used in brochures, flyers, leaflets and for embedding images on websites : www.productphotoediting.com