History is useful to scroll back with multiple undoes, but it is unwieldy to paint history into your document. When you set the history level and start to paint, you do not know what will appear. 99% of the time you will undo that first stroke. Either you have the wrong level, the effect is too strong, or your it just is not what you were hoping for. The author forgets that other straightforward ways have been developed to perform the same function history provides.
The final example of masking out the background was silly. How often do you need to mask the background to a certain flat color (like white)? By doing the same thing--with the same type and number of strokes--you can create a mask that is much more versatile. No mater what decisions have been made, I am sure my client will say, "It looks great, but can you show me it with a textured background or with a slightly deeper shade of that flat color."
Versatility is a must for designers and a strength of PhotoShop.
By the way, the author mentioned that the snapshot disappears when the file is closed and reopened. I think it is important to point out that the history trail is also wiped out when you close the document.
I just wanted to point out that I totally agree with Rudder. The History Brush by no means should replace the many other tools and operations Photoshop provides for masking images. But for a down and dirty silo that is much more interactive than other tools, I wanted to offer up an example just to get users thinking of the many ways they could exploit the History Brush. And although I imply the undo states are deleted with each work session, I don't emphasis this fact. Thanks for pointing this out. I also agree that the History Brush can be a bit unwieldy, but one of my main intents of this article was to get users to warm up to the idea of exploring the possibilities of this often overlooked tool.
I finally get it!
Thanks...I never understood this tool but with the doggie example you gave, I FINALLY do!! Many thanks
History is not a replacement for good masking
History is useful to scroll back with multiple undoes, but it is unwieldy to paint history into your document. When you set the history level and start to paint, you do not know what will appear. 99% of the time you will undo that first stroke. Either you have the wrong level, the effect is too strong, or your it just is not what you were hoping for. The author forgets that other straightforward ways have been developed to perform the same function history provides.
The final example of masking out the background was silly. How often do you need to mask the background to a certain flat color (like white)? By doing the same thing--with the same type and number of strokes--you can create a mask that is much more versatile. No mater what decisions have been made, I am sure my client will say, "It looks great, but can you show me it with a textured background or with a slightly deeper shade of that flat color."
Versatility is a must for designers and a strength of PhotoShop.
By the way, the author mentioned that the snapshot disappears when the file is closed and reopened. I think it is important to point out that the history trail is also wiped out when you close the document.
Re: History is not a replacement for good masking
I just wanted to point out that I totally agree with Rudder. The History Brush by no means should replace the many other tools and operations Photoshop provides for masking images. But for a down and dirty silo that is much more interactive than other tools, I wanted to offer up an example just to get users thinking of the many ways they could exploit the History Brush. And although I imply the undo states are deleted with each work session, I don't emphasis this fact. Thanks for pointing this out. I also agree that the History Brush can be a bit unwieldy, but one of my main intents of this article was to get users to warm up to the idea of exploring the possibilities of this often overlooked tool.