Differences

[lilchrisp]

Hi Ladies,

Can someone explain the difference, if any, between brushes, blenders, textures, and masks?

Thank you, Chris

[lindarobin]

That's a big question with a lot of explanation. I'll start with brushes.

 

Like in paper scrapping, a brush can be a paint brush, dipped in any colour or type of paint, and stroked on your canvas. You have many choices for the brush head, to get many different looks. e.g. rolled rag, long hairs, chalk, etc.

 

Digital brushes also mimic rubber stamping so if your brush head is a rose, you can stamp roses all over your canvas and the roses can be different sizes and rotated at different angles.

[JenniferZ]

Hi Chris and welcome to Scrap Girls!!

 

Brushes can be used like stamps as lindarobin mentioned above. They also can be used as masks, to create texture AND to blend objects together. There are brushes that look like 'things' (flowers, arrows, bugs, stamps, letters, etc.). These are brushes that are most commonly used as stamps.

There are brushes that look like solid shapes with interesting edgework (maybe a large oval shape with lacy edges). These types of brushes are most commonly used as masks for photos.

There are brushes that look like fabric, stone, pieces of lace, mesh or bristles on a brush. These types of brushes are most commonly used to add texture to things (papers, photos or solid shapes).

 

Blenders are usually just large masks that can be used to quickly and easily blend two background papers together.

 

Textures are usually filters (in PS or other programs) that can easily add texture to an entire layer. This is different from brushes since the filter (as far as I know) will apply the texture uniformly to the entire layer, as opposed to being able to use a brush to add texture to certain parts of a layer and heavier or lighter in certain areas.

 

Masks are basically used to quickly turn something (usually a paper or a photo) into an interesting shape quickly. As I said before, brushes can be used as masks and shapes can be used as mask. (And shapes can be made into brushes -- is your mind blown, yet? LOL!! )

 

Brushes can be used as erasers (or worked on a layer mask) to blend one image (usually a photo or paper) into another.

 

Is this clear as mud?!?! HTH!!

[teecee]

Great explanation Jennifer!

[lindarobin]

Masks cover a lot of ground... clipping masks, layer masks, painting on masks, making adjustments and fills using masks... JenniferZ has mentioned a few already.

 

Here is a good place to go to search "masks":

http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/topics.html

[lilchrisp]

Thank you very much, Jennifer. I am familiar with brushes, but you made it clearer about how to use them as masks. Thanks for taking the time to explain it. I really appreciate it. Yes, my mind is blown, possibilities are endless. Thanks, too, Lindarobin for the link. I'll be sure to check it out. Have a good night and thanks again.

Chris