Technical Slop

Layer Masks and Invert

Let's take a quick peak at what Layers and things can do for D-Map making.

Gonna be using Biker Chic for these examples. Hopefully you know what she looks like by know. If not, hang on for the link to the Zoom Cube and you'll see what she's all about.

Gonna be using the Zoom Cube for these examples. Don't know what the Zoom Cube is? Check out The Cubes for clarification. Zoom Cube is the base, so let's build it with a few twists.

This is how our modified Zoom Cube is built. In this variation, the colours are on a seperate Layer with a Layer Mask. The Background is 50% Grey.

This is what the composite looks like. Too bad JPEG compression make it look crappy. :sigh: The sacrifices I make.

Save it as a PSD to be used as a D-Map.

This is what the above does to Biker Chic with 50/50. Ohh... ahhh...

See that? The middle got zoomed and the zoom faded out towards the edges. Very not bad.

Time for a Layered variation. This time it's an Invert Adjustment Layer.

In the Invert Ad-Layer, I usually prefer the White on the inside. If I really want the White on the inside, then I would either have to Invert the colours or enter negative numbers in Displace. I'll do my best to clear this up later. For now this will have to do.

Here is the composite of the Invert variation.

Damn the JPEG compression!

This is what it does to Biker Chic with 50/50.

I actually prefer this variation or the above variation to Spherize. If you would like a little more discussion about this, read Layer Mask Zoom.

This is just a little taste of what can be done with Layers in a D-Map. Believe me, just the tip of the iceburg.