Fluid Mask 2.0 — FAQ

Features
Tutorials
Support
Technical Information

Performance

I don't have enough memory
Fluid Mask uses a number of sophisticated algorithms which need to operate on large buffers of memory. Depending on the image and the level of complexity, it could use up to five times the size of the loaded image.

In order to reduce memory you can change the resolution of the viewed image in the Workspace tab using the "Image Information Layer" tool. Open this tool from the Image menu or the main tools palette and then set the Resolution lower.

In addition, selecting "Prefer Higher Performance" in the Image Loading section of the preferences will chose the lower resolution loading for you automatically.

Getting Started

I am having trouble registering
When registering Fluid Mask, check the following two possible problems;

1. Do any fields contain a greater than, less than or amperes and symbols such as ( >, < or &)? These are not encoded and can cause problems.

2. Have you selected a "Business Sector"? This is required field a red arrow is not displayed if no selection is made.

Fluid Mask has greyed out and I can't access the plug-in in Photoshop
Photoshop will disable the plug-in if the image in question is not suitable for use with Fluid Mask. Fluid Mask 1.0 requires images be 8-bit per channel rather than 16.  Fluid Mask 2.0 can handle 16-bit images.

The image data will also need to be in either RGB or CMYK mode, so you may need to convert the image to one of these modes prior to use.

Fluid Mask says I need a new license key
Fluid Mask needs to be connected up to the internet from time to time, to check in with the registration server. If you have not been using Fluid Mask for a few months it may ask you to enter a new license key. In most cases the system will automatically verify your existing license key and re-issue a new one. If not please contact support@vertustech.com

My Computer won't read the Fluid Mask CD
The first thing to check is that the CD is clean. It is worth giving it a clean with a lint free cloth, as a single fingerprint can be enough to make a CD fail.

If you have access to a second machine, we would also recommend trying to load the CD there - we have found that some machines can accept a CD that another will reject.

If neither of these suggestions help, then I think that you may have received a damaged CD. Normally the quickest solution to this is to contact the retailer you purchased from and request a replacement.

Does Fluid Mask work with Photoshop Elements?

Yes. Fluid Mask does work with Photoshop Elements but the installation process is different than for Photoshop. Follow these instructions when loading Fluid Mask into Photoshop Elements:

1. During installation on the "Choose Photoshop Versions" page, select "Other".

2. Click "Next".

3. You will be asked for the Photoshop Plug-Ins folder in which to install Fluid Mask. This is typically

C:/Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop Elements/Plug-Ins or

C:/Program Files/Adobe/Photoshop Elements/Plug-Ins/Filters

Choose the correct folder

4. Continue with installation as normal.

Files

How do I save my mask?
From the File Menu use Save Workspace to save your mask to anywhere in your computer. The mask will be saved as a VFM file.

How do I reload my saved mask?
Start Fluid Mask with the image to which the saved mask is applicable. Then from the File Menu choose Reload Mask and find your VFM file using the file browser.

What is the best image file format to work with?
A RAW file is best. If this needs to be compressed and you  are asking what is the best file format to use, the first thing to mention is PLEASE avoid JPEGs as they are too lossy and leach out the very information we need to do a good job finding edges. JPEG2000's are better but PNGs are better still.

Masking and Blending

Why can't my mask find an edge? - improving edge selections
There are several reasons why Fluid Mask might not be able to find an edge and below are some of the things you can do to "find" one:

1. Sometimes the Workspace's resolution is not high enough to catch fine edges such as hair ends and other fine detail. Workspace resolution is automatically determined based upon the speed of your computer and the size of the image. It is there to speed workflow for big images (high number of pixels) as they tend to slow Fluid Mask down.

   You may override this setting from the Workspace tab using the "Image Information Layer" tool. Open this tool from the Image menu or the main tools palette and then set the Scaling resolution lower.

   Remember, changing resolution causes you to loose your masking up to that point.

2. Sometimes the color detail setting for the Workspace is not high enough - the Local Brush can appear too aggressive as selections "spill" over an edge.

   Open the "Image Info Layer" tool from the main tool palette or from the Image menu and adjust the color levels manually using the Hue, Lightness and Saturation sliders and press Apply. Alternatively, change the settings automatically using the Keep and Delete Samplers either side of the edge and click Apply.
    
   Our preference is for manual incremental changes - small changes ensure an appropriate setting for the IIL.

3. Sometimes there just isn't an edge… (the eye-brain "sees" one when what it is actually doing is constructing one). Zoom in at pixel level to check. Typical "tricks" are edges which turn out to be a series of broken lines.

I can't see the mask?
Make sure you have the Opacity slider turned up!

Improving edge blending?
Edge blending works best when there are clean selections of Keep and Delete mask. If the wrong selections are made and there is some mask "bleed" over an edge then the algorithms become confused and blending goes wrong. Make sure your selections of Keep and Delete mask are free from contamination. Make small adjustments to Keep and Delete masks to improve blending and use methods to improve mask selections described in: "Why can't my mask find an edge? - improving edge selections"

Use the Test Render as you go to check the quality of your masking / blending.

Edge blending happens within the Complex Mask (blue) area - or where there is no mask (if Keep and Delete masks are present in the Workspace, Fluid Mask assumes that areas not assigned a Mask are Complex Mask areas). If this area is not wide enough such as around edges with fur, then blending will appear contaminated with background colors. If this occurs try painting Complex Mask using an exact brush over the present Keep and Delete masks at the edge to thicken it up making sure to tick the overwrite mask check boxes in the Brush tool palette.

If, after many different attempts to improve edge selection in a particular part of an image you still find the blending is not right you may need to use the Force Edge Tool from the main tool palette. Draw a vector along the required edge and then paint the masks up to the vectored edge. Set the width of the edge using the slider in the Tool options.

My Mask has speckling / too many holes in it?
This is caused by an unevenness in the area being masked. Use the Clean picker from the main Tool palette. Set the aggressiveness of the Clean tool using the slider in the palette and chose the mask to be cleaned using the picker. The Clean tool can only work on one mask type at a time.

Use a less aggressive Clean setting for fine masking such as around lattices otherwise you will remove a lot of the features you are trying to preserve.

The edge of my mask is too jagged?
There maybe a few reasons / solutions for this:

	It is a heavily compressed jpeg and the "blockiness" of the jpeg you normally see when you come to print the image is comingthrough. Try loading a less compressed image.
	Image scaling may be too aggressive. Reduce image Scaling in the Image Information Layer. Remember this will remove any masks applied up to that point and lower performance.
	Image noise is affecting masking. This is often found in scanned images where the grain of the photograph is picked up in thescan. You can reduce its affect by choosing the High Quality Scanned Image setting in the pre-set categories within the Image Information Layer. Choosing this option will not remove your existing masks.
	Another solution is to use the Smooth mask picker from the main Tool palette. This smoothing eliminates jagged mask selections and pulls away the mask from the edge.