CompuServe Messages

Stephen, Load an image of a model standing in front of a solid background as primary. Load the desired background (e.g. an alien landscape, if this is a Peter Greci anim B^) as secondary. Choose the desired area selection tool from the palette. Enter Process/Define Color. Outline a background area containing a representative sample of the shades to be deleted. Imagemaster will analyze the area and come up with a base color + variance setting. To use this setting in the following operations, switch to the "Color keyed selection" tool, two left from Redo. Click on "Mask". This lets you preview the active area in the blue-and-grey display next to the memory gauges. SELECT "SET TO FOREGROUND", "KEY ON HUE" and OK. If the preview masks shows too little of the background being selected, or conversely, parts of the foreground objects being selected, go back to "mask" and adjust the Var (variance) slider accordingly. When you think you've got a satisfactory mask, click on "redo" to _lock-in_ the current area selection. Go to the main panel, then Compose/Linear Compose/Merge. Imagemaster will let the secondary image show through the solid background. Because you created the image mask using "key on hue" rather than "key on RGB", Imagemaster will be much more selective in isolating the background, even if shadows or highlights change its brightness. Blaq!