In image manipulation applications, masks are used as means of selecting intricate – or simple – areas of an image. Masks can be either a solid black and white or they can be grayscale. In Photoshop, the white area of a mask is the area which will be selected, although there is always an option to inverse the selection. The masks really come into their own when used with Photoshop’s “Alpha Channels” – a powerful method of storing any number of masks within a single image.
 
Selected area
Protected area
The masks are ideally suited to producing dramatically effective results when used with Mountain High Maps relief maps and Photoshop. Using masks you can create a wide range of effects such as shadows and vignetted edges, apply maps to any bitmapped image, such as a photograph, and, most importantly, use the masks with Mountain High Maps relief images to create highly effective and professional maps – in minutes!
The masks are provided at both 300 pixels per inch (ppi) and 72 ppi resolutions, and are exactly the same size as their corresponding relief maps.
Each map folder contains the following styles of mask for the sample map (pixel line widths refer to the 300 ppi masks):
1. Ocean mask – a mask for making distinctions between land and sea areas.
2. Border – country borders represented by a three-pixel wide line.
3. Borders plus mask – country borders combined with the corresponding relief map mask.
4. Coastline – coastlines and inland waters represented by a two-pixel wide line.
5. Rivers – represented by a two-pixel wide line.
6. Graticules – lines of latitude and longitude represented by a two-pixel wide line.
7. City locations – dots for locating major cities and towns. These correspond with the city names in the FreeHand and Illustrator maps.
8. Country masks – each country on the map is represented by its own mask, and you will find these in a separate folder.
9. Shadow mask – a mask for placing an offset shadow behind land areas. Instructions for creating your own shadow masks are given in Chapter 14.
10. Vignette mask – a mask for creating a soft edge around land areas. Instructions for creating your own shadow masks are given in Chapter 14.
 
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Click on a button below for more information about using the masks:
Loading masks the easy way 
  Masks and channels
  Colorizing masks
  Changing mask size
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