Plum Dumpling Designs: Vintage Postcard Creator Tutorial (Clipping Masks)

Today I'm going to show you how I create clipping masks to use in scrapbooking. This trick is perfect to use with my new Vintage Postcard Creator. This tutorial will show you how to create a mask so that you can place a different photo in each letter. You can also use this technique to fill odd shaped frames.

This tutorial is created using PSE 8.

1. Open your file. (Be sure to duplicate the file so you don't alter the original!)
2. Choose the Magic Wand Tool from your tool bar (or use keyboard shortcut W). At the top of the screen you will see a menu bar. Be sure that the box marked "contiguous" is checked. This will select everything inside the letter. If left unchecked it will select all of the transparent areas on the file. Click inside the first letter.

3. If you look closely, you will see that the marching ants aren't quite to the end of the letter. You'll want to expand the selection to make sure there aren't empty spots on your finished product. Select > Modify > Expand.

4. I usually choose around 3 or 4 pixels.

5. Look again and you'll see the marching ants cover the entire inside of the letter.

6. Create a new layer by with keyboard shortcuts Shift+Ctrl+N or Edit > Layer > New. Place the new layer under your word layer.

7. Your marching ants are still marching, right? Now you'll want to fill the marching ants selection on this new layer. Do this by choosing Edit > Fill Layer.

8. The color of the clipping mask doesn't matter. I usually just fill it with the Foreground Color.

9. Now you have a letter clipping mask. Go ahead and stop those ants from marching using keyboard shortcut Ctrl+D or Select > Deselect. Place your photo above your newly created clipping mask. You may need to resize your photo.