The Tools

Green = Keep - Red = Delete	Selection tools and quick preview

On the left side are the Green Keep brushes, these define the areas you want to preserve. The top brush is the Keep Exact brush, this lets you paint on the exact areas you need to keep. The next brush down is the Keep Local brush, this selects whole areas of contiguous colours (see the previous pages for the Painting by Numbers look). This is the brush you would want to use for most of your selection work. The bottom brush is the Keep Global brush, just click on an area and all the similar coloured areas on the entire image will be selected.

The Red Delete brushes work in exactly the same manner, except that they now mark the areas to be deleted. It is better to start working on the bits you want to get rid off, the Vertus site recommends that you start by deleting the areas you don't want to keep. Why then did they place the red brushes on the right side, most people read and work from left top right, just a minor point. When you click on any brush the Tool Options palette displays the options associated with that particular tool.

Brush Options	Edge detection sets the quality of edges
Just like Photoshop's	Select similar colours - works great on skies
Lots of very fine edges on the trees
Using the find Region feature Fluid Mask created this complex mask in under 5 minutes

Conclusion

So many people want a "One Click " solution for all their photographic problems, but as we all know there isn't always a quick answer to everything. Having said that, Fluid Mask will speed up your work flow and enables you to make some very high quality cut outs quickly. However, you must be prepared to study the manual or watch some of the excellent on-line tutorials which can be found on the Vertus web site. Fluid Mask has many advanced features which take time to master, but once you have the hang of it then there isn't much that can touch it.

Corel KnockOut or Fluid Mask 2.0

I have been using KnockOut for a number of years, it is excellent value for money but does require a lot of post production to clean up images. I have used Fluid Mask 2.0 for a month or so and am still finding new ways of doing things, it performs very well and I can achieve a cut out in the fraction of time it used to take me. I will be using Fluid Mask 2.0 for the foreseeable future. A superb piece of software for the professional and keen hobbyist photographer who demands the best.

System requirements

Windows XP & Mac OSX

• Photoshop 7 or higher
• 512mb RAM
• CD Rom drive
• SVGA with 24bit display

Windows 2000 or Higher - 750Mhz or higher
Mac OSX 10.2.8 or higher - 833Mhz or higher

Price - £149 - includes free upgrades for six months

Pros

• Produces excellent masks
• Very fast
• Excellent tutorials on Vertus web site
• Download a free trial

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Price should include upgrades for the version life

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